Saturday in Austin turned into two different stories at once. On the field, No.
5 Texas rolled past Texas State 59-7 and gave Arch Manning a sharp opening statement. In the stands, the heat nearly became the main event.
With the 2:30 p.m. kickoff landing in temperatures above 100 degrees, paramedics were seen rushing stretchers into Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium during the Longhorns’ season opener. The crowd never looked comfortable, and plenty of fans abandoned the bleachers for any patch of shade they could find. Concourse areas, tunnels and concrete stairs filled up fast while the open seats looked sparsely populated.
Hunter Schuler posted a photo showing hundreds of fans packed beneath the stadium for relief from the sun. He wrote, “So many heat casualties at this Texas State vs Texas game,” and added, “I haven’t seen anything like this in a long time.”
Schuler said paramedics had already brought four stretchers in during the first quarter. He also said, “People are huddled in the stadium like it’s a hurricane shelter,” and called the “2:30pm kickoff” “a certified disaster.”
That scene spread quickly across social media as Texas kept pouring it on. By Schuler’s account, four stretchers had appeared before the second quarter even started, and officials had not released a full public count of fans treated by Saturday night. A 2023 Longhorns opener had also sent fans to aid stations in similar heat.
The game itself was never in doubt. Manning threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns before leaving early, and Texas finished with 516 total yards against an overmatched Texas State defense.
He connected with Cam Coleman for two scores and found Ryan Wingo for another. Raleek Brown added two rushing touchdowns, and Graceson Littleton returned a fumble 59 yards for a score before halftime.
Texas led 28-0 late in the second quarter and was up 42-7 when Manning came out. Cam Coleman’s portal arrival showed up right away on the first scoring drive, and the Longhorns kept the pressure on from there. No delay stopped the game, and no official postponement ever came.
By the end, the final score said blowout. The weather told a different story.
Texas now turns to a much bigger test next week, when it hosts No. 1 Ohio State.
In Other News...
Texas Showed Off Serious Firepower But One Concern Isn't Going Away
Texas wasted little time showing why it is expected to carry so much offensive punch this season, rolling past Texas State 59-7 in its 2026 opener and getting production from all over the field. Smothers made an impact as both a runner and receiver, while Coleman and Wingo helped stretch the Bobcats with a combined 10 catches, 191 yards and three touchdowns, giving the Longhorns the kind of easy early rhythm that can make a September game feel over by halftime.
The bigger question for Texas still sits on the other side of the ball, where the defense flashed with some notable plays but also showed coverage issues that stronger opponents are likely to test more aggressively. Against Texas State, those mistakes never threatened the outcome, but they were visible enough to keep the spotlight on a unit that will need to tighten up as the schedule gets more demanding. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Home Opener Sparked An Uncomfortable Heat Safety Debate
Extreme heat turned Texas home opener against Texas State into more than just a rout on the field, with the conditions in Austin creating a safety issue in the stands before the Longhorns 59-7 win ever stopped feeling like the main event. The game drew the kind of September attention that usually centers on an early-season tune-up, but the temperature quickly shifted the focus to how fans were handling a brutal afternoon in the sun.
Several spectators were hospitalized for heat-related problems, and the scene inside Darrell K. Royal Stadium underscored how punishing the weather had become. Even with Texas rolling on the scoreboard, the bigger conversation after the opener was not about the size of the win, but about what it took just to make it through the day in the stands. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Opened The Arch Manning Era With One Big Question
Arch Mannings first night as Texass full-time starter looked every bit like the kind of debut Longhorns fans had been waiting to see. Texas rolled past Texas State, 59-7, with Manning throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns while Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo, Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown all helped keep the offense moving. The Longhorns were sharp on both sides of the ball for most of the evening, and the kind of comfortable opener the program wanted came together early.
Still, the game was not flawless, and that is what makes the next stretch worth watching. Texas allowed a few big plays, and Manning did have a rough moment late in the first half that briefly interrupted the flow of an otherwise efficient outing. Even in a blowout, the early returns on this offense came with reminders that the standard around Austin is much higher now, and how the Longhorns handle those small cracks will matter once the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]