Ole Miss comes to Austin with Texas staring at a game it likely has to have to keep its CFP hopes alive, and the matchup sheet is about as unforgiving as it gets. The Rebels bring one of the best quarterbacks in the country, an elite RB-WR duo and a front seven packed with NFL talent. For Texas, this has to be the kind of complete performance it has not consistently produced, and doing it without Colin Simmons only raises the degree of difficulty.
The biggest problem starts with Trinidad Chambliss. If there were a reliable fix for him, someone would have found it by now.
With Simmons unavailable, Texas loses one of its best possible answers, and that leaves Will Muschamp and the rest of the defense trying to keep Chambliss off balance long enough to create a path to a win. That’s a brutal assignment against a quarterback who has already looked like one of college football’s toughest players to defend.
Then there’s Arch Manning, who has to solve the blitz if Texas is going to avoid a third straight loss. Florida and plenty of others have shown the blueprint: attack the offensive line and force the quarterback into hurried decisions and shaky throws.
Ole Miss will try to do the same, and Manning needs early answers. The screen game matters here, and so do the quick solutions Steve Sarkisian puts in front of him.
Texas can’t afford to be late to the adjustments.
Everything up front feeds the rest of the night. Texas’ offensive line had its best outing in Week Two against Ohio State, but the unit has trended in the wrong direction since then, leaving Manning too often with a pocket that disappears before he can work.
Ole Miss can make that problem ugly in a hurry. Will Echoles and Luke Ferrelli anchor a front that can take over the game if Texas lets it, and the Longhorns have to at least meet that physicality if they want any steady offense.
If Texas does hold up at the line, there’s an opening on the outside. The Ole Miss secondary has struggled this season, especially on the road, and that’s the kind of weakness Texas can exploit if Manning has time.
Coleman, Wingo and Mosley could find room to swing the game, and the screen game may become a major weapon if the Rebels’ backend has to come up and tackle in space. That’s the matchup that leans Texas - but only if the protection holds.
And then there’s the pressure of the moment itself. The locker room has heard what’s at stake, and nobody inside it is confused about how important Saturday is, both for this season and for Steve Sarkisian beyond it.
Texas’ CFP life is on the line, and if the offense stumbles early, the home crowd can turn fast. The Longhorns are being asked to handle all of that against one of the best teams in the country.
That’s the test.
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Bevo Lab remains Texas sports intelligence platform, part of the programs push to fold more data and analytics into decision-making. Even with the recent losses piling up, Del Conte said he is not panicking and still expects a lot from the Longhorns, which is the standard at Texas whether the questions are about game management or the broader direction of the program. [Read more 🡒]
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Golding also acknowledged the obvious flaws, from trouble getting the running game established to the pressure that has been on Arch Manning, while still framing the Longhorns as a team with plenty of talent and coaching. The bigger question, though, is whether Texas offensive issues are mostly a matter of tightening up the details or if the larger problem runs deeper than the recent numbers suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Got A Texas Showdown Fans Wont Stop Talking About
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Kevin Durant led Houston with a strong performance, while the late sequence belonged to Amen Thompson after he blocked Victor Wembanyamas last-second shot attempt to seal it. For Texas fans, it was the kind of matchup that fed the old in-state rivalry energy in a new arena, and the kind of ending that will keep people talking long after the final horn. [Read more 🡒]