Texas left Dallas with more than a loss to Oklahoma. It left with a reminder that its season still has both ceiling and hazard baked into it.
That’s the uncomfortable truth for a team that entered the weekend with an undefeated record, a loaded roster and wins over two top opponents, including a comeback against then-No. 1 Ohio State and a road win over Tennessee in one of the SEC’s toughest settings.
Those accomplishments still matter. A game-winning kick from Oklahoma doesn’t erase them.
But it also doesn’t hide what Texas keeps showing people when the lights get bright. The Longhorns have looked every bit like a contender in stretches, and just as much like a team that can trip over itself before the finish line.
The numbers from the biggest games tell part of that story. Against Ohio State, Tennessee and Oklahoma, Texas has averaged 22.7 points.
It has converted only six of its last 26 third downs. In its last two games, punter Mac Chiumento has been called on 15 times.
And yet, the defense has stayed sturdy enough to keep Texas in every fight.
Tennessee, which had been scoring 47.7 points per game, was held to 10. Oklahoma was limited to 238 total yards and 13 points by the Longhorns’ defense. That unit has not gone away, and it remains the reason Texas can still talk about the playoff picture at all.
The problem is what keeps happening around it.
Arch Manning passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday, but he also threw two interceptions that changed the shape of the game. Texas had two drives that looked destined to end in touchdowns and another that required only one play to score, but it also stalled out with seven three-and-outs and vanished for a stretch through the third quarter.
That pattern is what makes the loss sting. Too often, Texas creates its own trouble and forces the defense to clean it up.
The penalties have piled up, too. Texas has been flagged 19 times over its past two games. Steve Sarkisian’s message has also shifted from “They didn’t hire me to keep it close,” to a third-quarter approach that looked overly cautious with a 10-point lead.
Then came the decision to try a 53-yard field goal on fourth-and-2, a choice that stood out even after Sarkisian has shown a willingness to take chances in the past.
One turnover can be lived with. One bad quarter can happen. But when the same problems keep surfacing - the stalled drives, the penalties, the head-scratching calls - they stop feeling random.
Texas is still 4-1 and ranked No. 7, with plenty left on the schedule to reshape its case. Florida is next on Saturday, then Ole Miss and the rest of the SEC slate.
The defense gives the Longhorns a chance every week. What remains to be seen is whether the offense will stop making that defense work so hard just to keep the season upright.
Dallas didn’t end Texas’ season the last time this happened, and there’s nothing here that says it has to end now either.
In Other News...
Sarkisian's Latest Officiating Frustration Will Fire Up Texas Fans
Steve Sarkisian had plenty to say after Texas took a hit in the loss to Oklahoma, and one of his sharpest complaints centered on a pass-interference flag against cornerback Kade Phillips. Sarkisian said Phillips made a good play on the ball, a reaction that fit with the larger frustration around a Longhorns secondary that has been living with these calls all season.
Phillips has been flagged for pass interference three times this season, and senior cornerback Bo Mascoe has drawn two more, which only adds to the sense around the program that the balance of those calls has not gone Texas way. Sarkisian also pointed to the broader issue of the Longhorns not getting similar breaks in their favor, a grievance that is likely to resonate with a fan base already looking for reasons to feel the officiating has been working against them. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Suddenly Has A Draft Question Texas Fans Didn't Expect
Arch Manning has spent this season under a spotlight that seems to grow brighter by the week, and his name is already being pulled into 2027 draft conversation despite being in the middle of his Texas run. The numbers have been solid enough to keep the noise going, with a 63-percent completion rate, 1,122 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions through five games, but the bigger picture has always been about how much more football he wants to play before making the leap.
So when NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay left Manning out of his top 10 quarterbacks for the 2027 draft, it added a twist Texas fans probably did not see coming. The omission does not settle the question of whether Manning will eventually declare or choose to stay for a fifth college season, but it does underscore how early and unsettled the discussion already is around his future. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Must Fix One Offensive Problem Around Arch Manning Fast
Texas offensive issues have been hard to ignore, and the loss to Oklahoma only sharpened the focus on a bigger concern around Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisians attack. The Longhorns have flashed enough talent to suggest the ceiling is still high, but the rhythm has been uneven, and the overall approach has at times felt too easy for defenses to read.
Sarkisian has already pointed to the need to branch out beyond 10 personnel and keep opponents from anticipating what comes next. That makes the development of pieces like Cam Coleman, along with freshmen Jermaine Bishop Jr. and Derrek Cooper, especially relevant as Texas looks for more variety and more answers before the offense gets boxed into the same looks again. [Read more 🡒]