Texas got through its second fall scrimmage on Saturday with a clean bill of health, and that alone had to feel like a win after the week the Longhorns just lived through.
Star left tackle Trevor Goosby had already been sidelined with a bone bruise in his knee, and linebacker Ty'Anthony Smith was dismissed from the team. So when Steve Sarkisian stepped to the microphone after the workout, the first thing worth noting was that the Longhorns made it through live action without any new major injuries.
"No injuries, that's positive," Sarkisian said. "When a lot of teams around the country are having to scrimmage and guys are going down, so I think it speaks to the conditioning of the team."
The scrimmage also gave Texas a chance to see who was making plays when the bullets were flying. One of the biggest names to pop was Emmett Mosley V, who has been one of the more underrated players on the 2026 roster and is making it harder to keep him in that category.
Sarkisian said Mosley caught two touchdowns in the scrimmage, including one from Arch Manning. Ryan Wingo and Jermaine Bishop Jr. also found the end zone, and it sounded like a day where Cam Coleman got a lighter workload while Mosley took full advantage.
Manning’s day was a mixed bag, at least by Sarkisian’s standard. After a scrimmage last week in which he threw two interceptions, the Texas coach said Manning had a solid week of practice but still left some meat on the bone Saturday. Even so, the quarterback finished with two touchdowns in live periods.
"Today, similar to last week at the start, a little bit inefficient," Sarkisian said of Manning. "I feel like he could be better, but I love the way that he finished.
Two touchdowns there at the end in a highly-competitive situation. Touchdown to Wingo, touchdown to Mosley, and I think he played 50 or so snaps today, if not more."
Texas also got a boost from the young linebackers trying to fill the void left by Smith’s exit. Sarkisian said true freshman Kosi Okpala returned an interception for a touchdown during the scrimmage, while Tyler Atkinson continues to be a name the Longhorns expect big things from.
There’s still going to be a learning curve there, but the early signs suggest Texas may not take a huge step back at the position heading into the season.
Sarkisian has also been making a point to praise Florida State linebacker Justin Cryer, and that didn’t change after Saturday’s work. With Smith gone, Cryer looks even more likely to open the season as the starter at MIKE linebacker, and Sarkisian sounded convinced he’s trending the right way.
"This guy is doing everything in his power to maximize this opportunity this season for his personal growth and success, but also to be part of a championship caliber team, and you can feel it in the way that he walks into the building every single day," Sarkisian said of Cryer. " ... He's playing it at a high level for us right now."
The other area Sarkisian highlighted was the run game, where Texas plans to lean on Hollywood Smothers, Raleek Brown and Derrek Cooper. The Longhorns know they need a much better ground attack than they had last year, and the head coach said he likes the intent he’s seeing from the group.
"I think we're running the ball well," Sarkisian said. "I've been really proud of the guys.
I think that regardless of who's been in there, there's been real intent with our ability to run the ball, and I think the runners help that. Those guys are really good runners.
They're natural. They set up blocks.
We're not perfect, but I think you have to have intent when you're trying to run the ball, and we've been very intentional. We've been very aggressive in our team run periods."
In Other News...
Texas Fans Suddenly Have Another Quarterback Story To Watch
Freshman quarterback Dia Bell has started to make some noise in Texas fall camp, enough to draw attention from outside the program and add another layer to the Longhorns quarterback conversation. With Arch Manning and KJ Lacey currently ahead of him on the depth chart, Bell is still very much in the background for now, but his early showing has made it easier to understand why the staff views him as more than a long-term project.
Steve Sarkisian has made a habit of building quarterbacks from within, and Bell fits neatly into that approach as the next name to follow. Texas still has bigger immediate priorities at the position, but Bells rise gives the Longhorns another intriguing storyline to monitor, especially with the sense that he could eventually push into the starting mix rather than simply wait his turn. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Freshman Jermaine Bishop Is Forcing His Way Into The Offense
Jermaine Bishop has been turning heads in Texas practice work, and the freshman wide receiver is starting to look like more than just a promising name on the roster. He has shown real playmaking ability in scrimmages, including multiple touchdown catches, and that kind of production has a way of getting a staffs attention in August.
Steve Sarkisian has been especially struck by Bishops composure and competitiveness, two traits that usually travel well once the games start counting. The Longhorns are now weighing a bigger offensive role for him in the near future, and if the recent trend holds, Bishop may not stay in the background for long. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Stoops Could Shape The Texas Identity Sarkisian Really Wants
Mark Stoops arrival in Austin this spring gave Texas another veteran voice with real SEC mileage, and it came at a time when the Longhorns are still defining what they want to look like in their new league home. As a special assistant to the head coach, Stoops brings the kind of experience Texas can lean on as it settles into its third season in the conference, especially with the added challenge of matching weekly toughness against teams built for that style of play.
What makes the hire interesting is how neatly Stoops fits into the identity Steve Sarkisian has been trying to build. Texas wants to be more physical and more committed to the run game, and Stoops has spent years having success in exactly those areas during his Kentucky tenure. The bigger question now is how much of that blueprint actually makes its way into the Longhorns week-to-week personality. [Read more 🡒]