Before Texas can start thinking about Ohio State, the Longhorns have to handle a nearby opponent that knows exactly how to make an opener uncomfortable.
No. 5 Texas opens its 134th season Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium against Texas State, and the Bobcats are bringing a veteran group into Austin. Texas is in Year 6 under Steve Sarkisian after three straight 10-win seasons, but this one has the feel of a first-week test that can expose sloppy habits if the Longhorns bring any.
Sarkisian made it clear he respects what G.J. Kinne has built.
“As far as Texas State goes, ton of respect for G.J. Kinne and the job he’s done at Texas State,” Sarkisian said.
“They’ve kind of elevated as a program. They’re now in the Pac-12, and he’s got a really good football team.”
The first challenge is quarterback Brad Jackson, who sits at the center of everything Texas State does. Sarkisian pointed to Jackson’s production and versatility after he accounted for nearly 4,000 yards of total offense last season.
“It’s a veteran team - a lot of fourth, fifth, sixth-year players,” Sarkisian said. “Obviously, it starts with the quarterback. Brad Jackson’s a heck of a player.”
Sarkisian broke Jackson’s game into three pieces: the arm, the designed runs and the scramble drill.
“I think there’s really three parts to Brad Jackson,” Sarkisian said. “One, he is a very good passer.
He’s very accurate. He has a quick release.
He gets the ball to his playmakers.”
That matters even more with Will Muschamp back as Texas’ defensive coordinator. Muschamp’s style is built on pressure and aggression, but Jackson’s ability to extend plays means the Longhorns can’t just turn him loose and chase.
“You don’t get over 700 yards rushing on accident,” Sarkisian said. “There’s designed runs and scrambles, so we’ve got to be really disciplined in our pass rush lanes. At the same time, we’ve got to try to make him uncomfortable.”
Texas State’s tempo adds another layer. The Bobcats can speed up the game, forcing defenses to communicate fast and line up even faster.
“I think we need to own the tempo,” Sarkisian said. “That starts with communication, getting the call and getting lined up. I think it’s imperative we get our cleats in the dirt ready to play.”
Texas will counter with plenty of experience of its own, starting with Arch Manning in Year 2 as the full-time starter. Last season, he threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 399 rushing yards and a team-high 10 scores on the ground. He finished 12-3 and was especially sharp late, piling up 20 total touchdowns over Texas’ final six games.
He’ll have help. Ryan Wingo is back after leading the Longhorns with 770 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, and Auburn transfer Cam Coleman gives Manning another dangerous target.
For Sarkisian, though, the opener is about more than names and numbers. He wants clean execution after weeks of fall camp work against teammates.
“Ultimately, we’ve got to push these guys to play to our standard,” Sarkisian said. “That’s playing clean football. That’s playing with great poise and composure.”
He also knows the first game can bring its own kind of nerves.
“There’s a little bit of performance anxiety that comes with the first game,” Sarkisian said. “You’ve got to take a deep breath, enjoy the moment and go cut it loose.”
Saturday’s game is only the second meeting between Texas and Texas State, despite the schools being just 30 miles apart. Their last matchup came in 1930, when Texas won 36-0.
The Longhorns also bring strong home numbers into the opener. Texas has won nine straight at home and 21 in a row against unranked opponents in Austin.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
In Other News...
College GameDay Sees Texas As A Contender But Not A Sure Thing
ESPNs College GameDay spent part of the weekend sorting through the SECs top tier, and Texas came out of it with something close to a respectability stamp. Several of the panels analysts, including Nick Saban and Desmond Howard, weighed in on the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff National Championship, and the consensus leaned toward Georgia as the favorite to come out of the conference. Even so, the Longhorns were firmly in the conversation, which is where they wanted to be entering another season with bigger expectations attached to the program.
Desmond Howard went a step farther and picked Texas to win both the SEC and the national title, a reminder that the Longhorns are being viewed as more than just a team with upside. At the same time, the broader skepticism around the league suggests they still have to prove they belong in that same elite bucket as Georgia. Texas will get its first chance to start making that case when it opens the season against Texas State, with the early weeks likely to shape how much of that playoff buzz is real. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Returns To Knoxville For A UT Showdown Fans Will Feel
Texas is headed back to a familiar old SEC-era stage next fall, with the Longhorns set to meet Tennessee on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. The noon ET kickoff gives the game a marquee spot on the schedule, and the setting alone should give it a different feel from a typical nonconference road trip, especially for fans who still remember how rarely these two programs have crossed paths in East Tennessee.
What makes the trip even more notable is the return to a venue where Texas has not played this matchup in generations, which only adds to the anticipation around a game that already carries plenty of name recognition. Tickets are already on the market too, with prices stretching from $350 to $1,650, a reminder that this one is expected to draw plenty of attention well before the teams actually get to Knoxville. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Depth Chart Already Reveals A Few Surprising Early Battles
Texas released its first official depth chart of the season ahead of the Texas State game, and it already offered a few hints about where the early competition is fiercest. The Longhorns listed starters and backups across offense, defense and special teams, giving the first real look at how the staff is sorting out roles after camp.
Among the more notable choices, sophomore Dylan Sikorski is penciled in ahead of sixth-year Laurence Seymore at left guard, a sign that the interior line picture is still taking shape. The rest of the chart also suggests Texas is not afraid to make some early calls and keep a few jobs open to challenge, which is exactly the kind of pressure a team wants before the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]