Texas walked into Columbia and left with exactly the kind of win playoff hopefuls need in November: tough, complete and built on contributions from everywhere.
The No. 7 Longhorns beat No.
18 Missouri 34-20 on Saturday at Faurot Field, closing the game with another 21-0 run - the same kind of surge they used against then-No. 1 Ohio State.
It was Texas’ third straight win after losses to Oklahoma and Florida, and it came with a little bit of everything: defense, offense, special teams and a loud traveling crowd that had plenty to celebrate.
As Texas fans packed the south end zone and roared, Longhorns stars Hero Kanu, Ryan Wingo and Raheem Biles ran to the railing to greet them.
Now sitting at 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the SEC, Texas is back in the mix after those ugly setbacks. The Longhorns should climb from No. 7 in the CFP rankings ahead of their next road trip to LSU, and even a loss there would still leave them with a strong shot at one of the 12 playoff spots if they handle Arkansas and Texas A&M.
This was the kind of night people like to call a “team win,” and for once the label fits. Texas got something from every phase, and the defense set the tone when the game tightened.
With edge rusher Colin Simmons limited by an ankle injury, Will Muschamp’s unit turned in one of its best bend-but-don’t-break performances of the season. Colton Vasek got home for a sack on Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons, and Warren Roberson delivered the hit on wide receiver Cayden Lee that led to the biggest takeaway of the season. Graceson Little’s decision to take a knee at the 4-yard line instead of scoring for a 14-point lead stood out, but the result still held.
Texas also did a strong job on Jamal Roberts, the nation’s third-leading rusher, holding him to 66 yards on 19 carries.
The biggest defensive test came after Texas had already turned it over twice. Jelani McDonald, usually one of the most dependable tacklers on the roster, came in too hard on an 8-yard sideline throw to Naeshaun Montgomery with about five minutes left in the third quarter. The missed stop turned into a 72-yard score, and suddenly Missouri had cut the lead to 20-13.
Texas answered that punch the right way.
“We said (Friday) night that adversity was going to strike and we needed to hang together,” Sarkisian said.“We needed to be mentally tough.”
Arch Manning was calm throughout and played his best SEC game yet, finishing 28 of 38 for 297 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Missouri brought pressure early and often, but Manning kept delivering, including a sharp throw to Raleek Brown on a wheel route that gave Texas the lead for good.
Special teams chipped in too, with Jonathan Cunningham blocking a punt.
That all adds up to a 14-1 record in November dating back to 2023, a run that gives Texas plenty to lean on as the schedule tightens again.
Next up is LSU, a matchup that will be only the third meeting between the programs in the modern era and the first since LSU’s 45-38 win in Austin in 2018, when Joe Burrow and Sam Ehlinger staged a shootout. This one will be in Baton Rouge, marking the first game in Death Valley between the teams since a 13-point Texas loss in 1953.
Texas needed a gut-check win, and it got one. The Longhorns earned it.
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Warren Roberson had been waiting for his first Texas start, and he made it count in a game the Longhorns needed to control from start to finish. In a 34-20 win over Missouri, the senior cornerback stepped into the lineup and delivered one of the biggest plays of the afternoon late in the game, helping Texas protect a lead that had still felt vulnerable.
Robersons forced fumble flipped the momentum at the right moment, and sophomore Graceson Littleton turned it into even more damage by returning the recovery 44 yards to set up the clinching touchdown. For a defense that needed a timely answer, the sequence was exactly the kind of complementary football Texas wanted, with a first-time starter helping close the door when it mattered most. [Read more 🡒]
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For Longhorns fans, the latest update only adds more fuel to a familiar debate about where Texas belongs when the dust settles around the sports weekly chaos. The rankings keep moving, and with Tennessee, Oregon and Alabama also moving up, the conversation around the top of the poll is getting tighter by the week, leaving Texas right in the middle of the national picture with plenty still to be decided. [Read more 🡒]