Texas left Saturday night with a 31-3 win over Mississippi State, and the result said a lot about where this team is right now. The offense was solid enough, the defense kept doing what it has done all season, and the Longhorns walked out with a stress-free victory. With a brutal November looming, there’s plenty to sort through.
The biggest takeaway is that Texas’ offense has a clear identity at this point - and it’s not a polished one. The run game hasn’t gotten going, the offensive line has been rough, and Arch Manning is still giving away too many free mistakes.
Even so, there are still a few ways for this group to scrape together points. Raleek Brown brings explosiveness, Cam Coleman can win one-on-one, and Wingo and Bishop give Sarkisian options in the screen game.
That might be enough to function, but it won’t be pretty.
Manning’s season keeps circling back to the same issue: one mistake. On this night, he was accurate and decisive for much of the game, but he also had a poorly timed fumble.
He didn’t spend the game putting the ball in danger, which matters. Still, that one turnover is the kind of thing that can swing a game against Missouri or LSU.
Texas can live with a quarterback who makes one mistake a game, but where that mistake happens will matter a lot.
The good news for Texas is that the defense gives this team a real chance to be dangerous. If the offense can avoid putting the defense in bad spots, that unit can carry a lot.
Short fields and empty possessions are the real concern here. The Longhorn defense looks good enough that most teams probably won’t be able to march the length of the field over and over.
If Texas is smarter on fourth down and more willing to take points or play the field-position game, this defense could keep opponents under 24 most weeks.
There was also a clear effort to get the depth involved. Tyler Atkinson, Myron Charles, Samurai Matthews, Kosi Okpala and several others saw snaps on defense, while Daylan McCutcheon got more work on offense with Cam Coleman out.
With injuries piling up across college football, that kind of depth matters late in the year. Texas looks like it has second- and third-line players who can actually help.
Now comes the hard part. Texas earned its place in the November race, and the road ahead is loaded.
The Longhorns head to Columbia next week to face Missouri, then go to Baton Rouge for LSU. After that comes Arkansas at home and a final road trip to College Station against Texas A&M.
It’s a brutal stretch, but a win next week would keep Texas lined up for a CFP spot.
In Other News...
Texas Took Care Of Mississippi State But Left With A Bigger Problem
Texas handled Mississippi State comfortably on the scoreboard, but the win came with a heavy injury toll that could matter far more in the days ahead. Five key players were hurt during the 31-3 victory, including wide receivers Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo, running back Hollywood Smothers and defensive backs Graceson Littleton and Kade Phillips, leaving a postgame mood that was noticeably more cautious than celebratory.
Sarkisian confirmed the injuries and said the full severity is still unknown, with updates expected midweek. That uncertainty lands at an awkward time for a Texas team already dealing with absences, including offensive tackle Trevor Goosby, who is out for the season, and it turns a routine SEC win into a much bigger health check for the stretch ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Got A Ranking Edge That May Not Last
The AP Top 25 gave Texas a small but meaningful bump this week, sliding the Longhorns ahead of Ohio State after Texas comeback win earlier in the season and the Buckeyes recent loss to USC. It is the kind of early November shift that matters less for bragging rights than for the larger playoff picture, especially for a Texas team still trying to strengthen its case with the season entering its most revealing stretch.
The Coaches Poll told a different story, keeping Ohio State in front despite the head-to-head result and underscoring how much disagreement still exists over how to weigh a loss against a marquee win. That split could carry into the College Football Playoff committees first rankings, and Texas may not have long to enjoy any edge it has picked up, with ranked opponents still ahead on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Shined But Texas Still Has One Clear Concern
Arch Manning gave Texas exactly the kind of clean, efficient performance the Longhorns have been waiting to see, completing 16 of 20 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-3 win over Mississippi State. The defense did plenty of heavy lifting too, piling up seven sacks and adding a fumble return touchdown to keep the game from ever feeling in doubt.
Even with all that going right, the run game remains the piece Texas still has to sort out. The Longhorns managed only 60 yards on 32 carries, a modest output that stood out in a game otherwise controlled on both sides of the ball. If Texas is going to keep building on this kind of complete performance, finding more consistency on the ground is the obvious next step. [Read more 🡒]