The biggest Texas worry coming out of Saturday wasn’t just the loss. It was Colin Simmons.
The Longhorns’ star edge rusher left in the start of the fourth quarter after an injury that sent him off the field on a cart for further evaluation, and for a moment the concern around his status climbed to its highest point. But the early word from Sunday pointed to the most encouraging outcome Texas could have hoped for: On Texas Football’s Hank South reported that Simmons suffered a sprained ankle, though the exact severity is still unclear.
That matters because the initial fear was far worse. An ankle sprain is one thing; the kind of knee injury that can change a season is another. For Texas, this lands firmly in the “best-case scenario” bucket.
The Longhorns probably won’t know much more until Wednesday, when the SEC’s first availability report of the week is released. Once conference play is underway, Steve Sarkisian does not offer weekly injury updates the way some coaches do, so that report is likely to be the first real checkpoint on Simmons’ status. After the game, Sarkisian only described the issue as a lower-leg injury and said the team would evaluate him further.
Texas doesn’t have much time to wait around, either. The Longhorns face No.
7 Ole Miss this Saturday, and Simmons’ availability will loom large in how Texas handles the Rebels’ offense and quarterback Trindiad Chambliss. If Simmons can’t go, defensive coordinator Will Muschamp would have to lean much more heavily on Lance Jackson and Rasheem Biles.
Both have produced, but neither replaces Simmons. Biles has put together a strong season with 48 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, two interceptions and one pass deflection.
Jackson has added 13 total tackles, one sack and one pass deflection. Useful pieces, yes.
Simmons-level disruption, no.
And that’s the point Texas is dealing with now. Before leaving against Florida on Saturday, Simmons was already leading the team in total tackles and still finished the day atop the Longhorns in tackles for loss, even after missing roughly the final 11 minutes.
He entered the game as the NCAA leader with 9.5 sacks, and he added the only QB takedown in the backfield on Saturday. On the season, Simmons has 25 total tackles, 17 solo stops, 10.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Texas can survive a lot on defense, but losing Simmons changes the equation fast. Against Ole Miss, it could make all the difference.
In Other News...
Alabama Suddenly Faces Real Pressure After College Footballs Wildest Shakeup
College football spent a chaotic Saturday turning the top of the sport upside down, and Texas was right in the middle of it. Five of the Associated Press Top 25s top seven teams lost in Week 7, an unheard-of shakeup in the regular season that has not happened since the poll began in 1936. Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Alabama and Texas all fell, leaving the rankings in the kind of flux that rarely survives more than one week.
For the Longhorns, the result is less about one bad night than the mess it creates around them. Miamis double-overtime win over Florida State has it in position to grab the No. 1 spot for the first time since 2002, and the rest of the poll now has to sort through a weekend that knocked out so many of the presumed front-runners at once. For Texas, the setback arrives at the worst possible time, with the margin for error suddenly a lot thinner and the path back up the rankings far less predictable. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Suddenly Faces A Texas Question Fans Never Wanted
Texas is in an unfamiliar spot after back-to-back losses, and the discomfort has naturally turned toward Arch Manning, whose play has become a central question as the Longhorns try to steady themselves. For a program that entered the year with high expectations, the conversation has shifted quickly from upside to accountability, with the offense under scrutiny and the quarterback position now part of the broader review.
Steve Sarkisian has made clear that the evaluation goes beyond one player, but it does include the people behind Manning if he decides a change is needed. KJ Lacey, Dia Bell and MJ Morris are among the options being considered, which says plenty about how seriously Texas is weighing every part of the offense while trying to find a way out of the slump. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning And Texas Suddenly Face A Season-Saving Debate
Week 7 reshaped the national picture in a hurry, and Texas was among the teams feeling the fallout after its loss to unranked Florida put the Longhorns playoff hopes in jeopardy. Around the country, ranked contenders kept tumbling, from Auburns last-minute upset of Georgia to Tennessees defensive win over Alabama, while Ohio State survived Indiana but came away dealing with a quarterback injury. The AP top 25 changed with all of it, and Texas suddenly found itself with far less room for error than it had just a week ago.
For Arch Manning and the Longhorns, the bigger issue is no longer just the loss itself, but how the rest of the season should be handled from here. With the margin for another slip now razor-thin, Texas faces a debate that can define a season: whether to lean into the urgency of chasing a playoff rescue, or treat the remaining schedule with a longer view in mind. In a year when the title race has already been scrambled by chaos, the Longhorns are left sorting out what kind of push still makes sense. [Read more 🡒]