Four weeks into the season, Texas is still sitting undefeated at No. 1, and the bye week arrives at a good time. It also sets up the next stretch of the season to be unforgiving, with eight straight weeks ahead and a tough run of top-ranked opponents waiting.
That kind of grind usually means one thing: the Longhorns are going to need more from the players who haven’t been front and center yet. A few lesser-known names have already started to carve out roles, and the bye gives them a chance to come back with even more responsibility when Texas resumes play in week six.
Derrek Cooper is one of them. Texas already has Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown in the running back room, but the true freshman has kept earning snaps in the rotation.
At 6-foot-? no size listed?-his frame is the biggest of the three, and that has clearly worked in his favor.
His workload has been climbing, including a carry on a key third down early against Tennessee. For a first-year player still settling into college football, Cooper has already shown he can help, and with Smothers out, that role should keep growing this season.
Another freshman making noise is Bishop, who has long been treated like the ace up Steve Sarkisian’s sleeve. His speed gives Texas a different kind of weapon, and that showed up for the first time against Tennessee.
He finished with two catches for 34 yards, including a 29-yard grab that pushed the Longhorns inside the Volunteers’ 10-yard line. He also flashed in the return game with a punt return, though it was offset by a fair catch signal.
Even so, it was another reminder of how many ways he can be used. Texas has plenty of plans for him, and it’s obvious the staff wants him involved as much as possible.
On the defensive side, true freshman Wesley has been another name worth watching. He arrived in Austin with a big reputation as the No. 2 defensive end prospect in his class, and he has appeared in all four games this season.
So far, he has five solo tackles and one tackle for loss, which came in the win over UTSA. He has not recorded a sack yet, but with Texas already strong on the edge, getting Wesley into the mix would deepen that group and give him valuable reps for what comes next.
Then there’s McCutcheon, now in his second year with the program. He has played in 14 games for Texas and made his first start in last season’s bowl game against Michigan.
This year, he has appeared in all four games but has yet to put up any stats. Still, he’s a capable slot receiver, and in empty formations he could become a real problem for defenses trying to keep up with Texas’ crowded receiving room.
The bye week may be a pause on the schedule, but it also feels like a checkpoint for a roster that’s going to need depth. These four players have already shown enough to suggest Texas could lean on them more once the season kicks back up.
In Other News...
Hero Kanu Sends Clear Message On Colin Simmons Controversy
The postgame conversation around Colin Simmons did not linger long inside the Texas locker room, at least not if Hero Kanu had anything to say about it. The Longhorns defensive lineman stepped up to defend his teammate after a controversial celebration against Tennessee, framing it as a split-second mistake in the heat of competition rather than anything deeper about who Simmons is away from the field.
Kanus response fit with the broader tone from the program, where Steve Sarkisian has made it clear he would rather see celebrations shared by the whole team than spotlighting one player. For Texas, it is a small but telling reminder of how quickly a moment can become a talking point, and how important it is for teammates to close ranks when the noise starts building around one of their own. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Bye Week Has To Fix One Growing Offensive Concern
Texas heads into the bye week undefeated and sitting at No. 1, but the narrow escape at Tennessee also left a clear reminder that the offense still has room to grow. The Longhorns have won enough to keep climbing, yet they have not consistently stretched defenses the way Steve Sarkisians best attacks usually do, with explosive plays showing up too rarely and big completions or runs hard to find.
Sarkisian now gets a break in the schedule to clean up that side of the ball, and the focus is on execution rather than trimming the playbook to compensate. For a team with championship expectations, the challenge in the next stretch is obvious: keep the wins coming while making the offense more dangerous when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Defense Could Expose Oklahoma Where It Hurts Most
Texas heads into the rivalry game with a defense that has earned the right to believe it can make life difficult for Oklahoma in several places at once. The Sooners have had trouble generating steady pressure on the quarterback, their run defense has been uneven, and their offense has not found much rhythm on the ground, which gives the Longhorns a chance to dictate the game with toughness and field position.
The bigger concern for Oklahoma is how often its offense has put itself in precarious spots, especially with John Mateer at the controls. Turnovers have been a recurring issue, and if Texas can keep forcing hurried decisions while also taking away the Sooners already limited rushing answers, the game could tilt quickly toward the Longhorns in a matchup where hidden mistakes tend to matter just as much as headline plays. [Read more 🡒]