Texas is back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, and now Ole Miss is the team walking into Austin with momentum and a quarterback drawing Heisman attention.
FanDuel has Texas listed as a 3.5-point favorite for the matchup. With the usual three-point home-field edge factored in, that line basically says the teams are even on a neutral field.
That feels a lot different from where the Longhorns stood just two weeks ago, when they were the No. 1 team in the country after back-to-back wins that looked like statement victories. Since then, the slide has been ugly, with embarrassing losses to Oklahoma and Florida sending Texas tumbling.
Ole Miss arrives at 5-1 and fresh off a 52-17 rout of Missouri, a game fueled by Trinidad Chambliss. The Rebels’ quarterback is being mentioned as a Heisman candidate after throwing three touchdowns in a 31-3 win over the Tigers, and he’s been at the center of an offense that has been hard to slow down all season.
Through six games, Ole Miss has averaged 37.5 points and 6.52 yards per play. The Rebels opened by scoring more than 40 points in each of their first two games, and they’ve still posted 35.75 points per game in conference play.
Chambliss has also done a good job spreading the ball around to an experienced receiving group, with his top four targets all averaging more than three catches per game. And it’s not just the passing attack doing damage - Ole Miss also has a pair of running backs who are both averaging more than 5 yards per carry through six games.
Texas still has plenty on the line, at least in theory. The Longhorns are working with one of the most expensive rosters in the country, and they got a small boost when Alabama and Georgia lost on the same Saturday, which kept their slim conference hopes alive.
But hope alone won’t stop the skid. Texas needs a much sharper showing from the head coach and his chosen quarterback if it wants to finally halt the losing streak.
In Other News...
Texas May Have A Colin Simmons Problem They Can't Afford
Colin Simmons left Texas with an apparent leg injury in the fourth quarter against Florida, and the scene was enough to quiet a sideline that has come to lean heavily on its best pass rusher. He had to be helped off the field before being taken for further evaluation, a troubling development for a defense that has built so much of its edge around his ability to get after the quarterback.
Simmons has been the centerpiece of Texas pass rush and leads the nation in sacks, which is exactly why any concern around his health carries so much weight for the Longhorns. If the injury lingers, Texas may have to confront a depth issue in a hurry, because replacing a player who changes protection plans and wrecks drives is easier said than done. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Got A Colin Simmons Problem It Couldnt Afford
Texas had already been leaning on Colin Simmons as one of the most disruptive defenders in the country, and now it may have to find out what life looks like without him, at least for a while. The sophomore edge rusher was helped off the field after an apparent lower-body injury against Florida and later carted to the locker room, a troubling sight for a defense that has counted on his burst off the edge all season.
What happens next is the real concern for Texas, because Simmons has been one of the few players capable of changing a game by himself. He entered the matchup with 10.5 sacks and a rising profile that extends well beyond Austin, so any missed time would affect both the Longhorns push this season and a draft stock that was only getting stronger. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Suddenly Has A Colin Simmons Problem Fans Will Fear
Colin Simmons gave Texas everything it could ask for before the game turned in the fourth quarter against Florida. The star edge rusher had already piled up eight tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack when he went down with a lower-body injury, a moment that immediately changed the feel of the Longhorns defense and left the sideline waiting to see what came next.
Simmons absence was felt right away, with Florida taking the lead on a field goal while he was off the field for further examination. For a Texas defense built around his disruption off the edge, the concern is obvious: even a brief loss of Simmons changes how opponents can attack, and the Longhorns now have to hope the issue is not something that lingers beyond one tense night. [Read more 🡒]