Texas’ defense looked plenty comfortable in Will Muschamp’s first game back in charge, and the Longhorns’ 7-point showing against Texas State came with a wrinkle worth watching: Colin Simmons was asked to do more than just hunt off the edge.
Simmons has built his reputation as a classic edge rusher, but Muschamp didn’t let that box him in on Saturday. Most of the time, Simmons lined up in a seven- or loose five-technique outside the tackle, accounting for about 80% of his snaps. But he also spent five snaps as an off-ball linebacker, a role he had only filled on five percent of his plays across his first two seasons at Texas.
That shift included one dedicated quarterback-spy snap and another as a looping blitzer. The other three came out of Muschamp’s use of the Mint front, a look that changes how the front seven is arranged. In that alignment, the defensive tackle sits head-up on the center, two linemen work the inside shoulders of the offensive tackles, and the jack linebacker lines up outside the tight end or tackle away from the passing strength.
Simmons is usually the jack in Muschamp’s fronts, but the Mint changes the assignment. There, the jack is tied to pass coverage, while the off-ball money linebacker is the one who has to rush. Muschamp responded by sliding Simmons into that money spot and using Rasheem Biles as the jack for the first three Mint plays Texas showed.
Simmons didn’t jump off the screen on those snaps, but he handled the unfamiliar assignment cleanly and stayed in position. The only real mistake came on the third play, when he briefly bit on the quarterback’s run fake.
Texas used some form of the Mint front on 20% of its plays, and those first three snaps were the only ones where Simmons played the off-ball money role. After that, Muschamp either kept Simmons off the field in those looks or put him back at jack, using a blitz or stunt to keep him out of coverage.
Even without a sack, Simmons was productive and has opened the season even better than he did a year ago. His numbers could have been stronger still if he hadn’t been limited to 44% of the defensive snaps, a result of the sweltering Saturday heat and Texas leaning more on its backups while building its big lead over the Bobcats.
There are still details to clean up in the Mint usage, but the pairing of Muschamp and Simmons gives Texas a lot to work with. Once those wrinkles are sorted out, Simmons should be able to add his range and awareness to another level of the Longhorns’ defense.
In Other News...
Arch Manning Showed Texas Fans Something Bigger Than His Viral Fall
Before Texas even got to the opening kickoff, Arch Manning had already given Longhorns fans a moment they were not expecting when he was knocked down by a bystander in the tunnel before the first game of the season. The scene spread quickly online and became one of those viral pregame clips that seemed destined to overshadow everything else, but Manning handled the moment with humor in his media availability and then turned the focus back where Texas wanted it.
Once the ball was in his hands, Manning showed the bigger takeaway for Texas was never the stumble itself. He settled in and delivered a strong performance, completing 20 of 27 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns, a response that mattered far more than the replay circulating on social media. For a fan base watching closely, it was a reminder that the noise around Manning can be loud, but his play on the field can still speak the loudest. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Gives Texas An Edge Money Usually Complicates
Arch Mannings name carries its own kind of gravity, and at Texas that now extends well beyond the huddle. Reported to have a $2.5 million contract for the current college football season, the Longhorns quarterback is still operating in a space where multiple NIL endorsement deals can add to his profile without turning him into the most expensive player in the sport.
For a program like Texas, that matters because money can so often become a source of noise, especially when revenue sharing and roster expectations are part of the conversation. Instead, Mannings setup may give the Longhorns a cleaner kind of edge as they get ready for No. 1 Ohio State, with the focus staying on the field rather than on the usual complications that can follow a high-priced quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Must Answer One Costly Question In Ohio State Rematch
Last seasons matchup with Ohio State offered Texas a reminder that good stretches of offense do not always add up to enough. The Longhorns moved the ball at times but left with a blank in the most important part of the field, and head coach Steve Sarkisian has pointed to that issue as one of the biggest lessons carried forward into this years rematch.
There is more confidence around the offense now, with Cam Coleman added at receiver and Arch Manning showing more pocket presence and decisiveness. Even so, the challenge remains the same for Texas in a game of this size: turn opportunities near the goal line into points, because against Ohio State the margin for error figures to be razor thin again. [Read more 🡒]