Texas left Columbia with a 34-20 win over No. 18 Missouri, and the result gave the Longhorns another jolt for their College Football Playoff case with three regular-season games left.
Steve Sarkisian pointed to the bigger picture after the win, saying, "That's six straight wins over top-25 ranked opponents for us and our second top-25 win on the road," said Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.
The victory also pushed Texas to 18 wins, including postseason games, over ranked opponents since the start of the 2023 season, the most by any FBS program over that stretch.
The game turned on a few unusual moments, starting with Emmett Mosley V’s heads-up recovery late in the first half. Texas was trailing 20-13 with 2:29 left in the penultimate quarter when it faced third-and-10 at the Missouri 39-yard-line.
Manning was pressured and hit on the play, and the ball came loose and went forward. Mosley was among the few players who reacted quickly enough to secure it after officials ruled it a fumble on the field and confirmed it on review.
Two snaps later, Manning found Jermaine Bishop Jr. on a 25-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 20, setting off a 21-0 finish.
Sarkisian praised Mosley afterward: "[Emmett] plays tough and he's got a high football IQ," said Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian postgame. "I know it killed him to put the ball on the ground today, but surely he made it for it with the fumble recovery."
Manning said Mosley got a little help from the sideline, too, because most of the players on the field thought the play was dead.
"I was so scared on that fumble recovery," Manning admitted postgame. "I felt [the ball] come off me.
Our passing coordinator, Mike Bimonte, did a good job of subtly telling him to get on [the ball]. So definitely a weird play, but Emmett's a really good player."
Texas also got a rare special-teams swing from Jonathan Cunningham, better known as Deuce. The second-year reserve linebacker blocked Brunno Reus’ punt in the second quarter, giving Texas the ball at Missouri’s 39-yard-line. The offense turned that into a 27-yard field goal after a six-play, 30-yard drive.
"Shout-out Deuce, man, shout-out Deuce," said Texas third-year linebacker Rasheem Biles postgame, referring to Cunningham by his nickname.
Cunningham’s block was the biggest moment of his Longhorn career. In 14 career games, he had entered the night with just five tackles, and he also recovered the ball after the block.
"That was big for Deuce, man. He was he was super excited.
I don't think he was supposed to go recover that," said Biles. "We happy, for him, man.
So hey, hook 'em, baby."
The win came with another storyline Texas has dealt with all season: the offensive line. The unit has been under scrutiny, especially after Arch Manning spent much of last season under pressure.
Sarkisian and the program brought in starters Melvin Siani and Dylan Sikorski to improve pass protection, but the group has also had to absorb the season-ending patellar tendon injury to all-conference left tackle Trevor Goosby. Even with those changes, the line has struggled to find consistency in both the run game and pass protection.
Fifth-year center Connor Robertson has taken plenty of the heat. The 6-foot-4, 316-pound Austin native has been charged by Pro Football Focus with a team-high seven quarterback hurries and 11 pressures. After the game, Robertson was asked about the criticism aimed at the line and at him in particular, and he cut the question off before it could even finish.
"I know," Robertson emphatically said in reference to online criticism of his play, cutting off the question prior to its completion.
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