Texas wasted no time making its point in a 59-7 rout of Texas State in Week 1, and the box score offered a few clear signs of what could be coming next for the Longhorns.
For all the blowout noise, the real takeaway was which players turned in the kind of day that can change a season’s trajectory. Several Texas pieces looked ready to take a bigger bite out of the offense and defense, and a few of them delivered exactly the sort of performance that can build momentum fast.
Ryan Wingo headlined the receiving group. He was targeted eight times by Arch Manning and came down with seven catches, finishing with a team-high 121 receiving yards.
More importantly, he did it cleanly, without a drop. Wingo, Cam Coleman (x2), and Hollywood Smothers accounted for half of Texas’ eight passing touchdowns on the day.
After an offseason in which he changed his workout habits, Wingo put together a mistake-free opener. That kind of outing could matter if Texas now has another alpha receiver to help spread the burden of drawing heavy defensive attention.
Coleman made his own loud statement. He arrived for warmups with tape on his hand, then played like the football was magnetized to it.
He caught three passes for 70 yards and scored twice on only four targets. If the volume climbs, Texas may get the kind of production Coleman couldn’t quite unlock at Auburn.
Hollywood Smothers also jumped right into the conversation. The NC State transfer finished with 98 all-purpose yards and a touchdown catch, and he opened Texas’ first drive with a 45-yard burst.
He also added three receptions and finished with more than double Raleek Brown’s yards per carry in similar volume. For a Texas offense that may have addressed its biggest shortcoming with his arrival, 2026 could be a huge year.
On defense, Rasheem Biles made his presence felt in a hurry. The Pitt transfer forced a fumble that Graceson Littleton scooped and returned 59 yards for a touchdown, and he also grabbed an interception. Biles finished with five tackles and looked every bit like a player ready for a major leadership role this season.
Up front, left tackle Trevor Goosby was another winner. He got the start in the opener less than three weeks after suffering a bone bruise in his knee, and he didn’t allow a single pressure.
Only right tackle Melvin Siani was charged with one pressure all game, and Manning was pressured on just 13.3% of his snaps. Against Texas State, the pocket stayed clean.
Against Ohio State in Week 2, Goosby will be dealing with a much tougher test as he faces a Matt Patricia game plan loaded with edge-rush looks.
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 Fans Endured A Brutal Season Opener Beyond The Blowout
The opener in Austin was supposed to be a feel-good start to a new season, and Texas delivered on the scoreboard with a lopsided win over Texas State. Arch Manning wasted little time setting the tone, throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns before leaving early in a 59-7 rout, giving Longhorns fans plenty to enjoy once the football settled in.
But the afternoon was punishing long before the final margin felt safe, with temperatures climbing above 100 degrees and multiple heat-related incidents forcing medical attention in the stands. Even in a game that turned quickly in Texas favor, much of the conversation around the opener centered on how fans scrambled for relief in the stadium's shaded pockets, a reminder that the toughest part of the day sometimes had little to do with the opponent. [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 🡒]