Texas walked out of Missouri with a 34-20 road win yesterday, and the performance had a little bit of everything: Arch Manning’s sharpest outing of the season, Raleek Brown making game-changing plays in the fourth quarter, Rasheem Biles stuffing the stat sheet again, and Steve Sarkisian putting together his best game as a playcaller this year.
On “Separation Saturday,” Texas didn’t just win - it looked like the tougher team. The offense turned in its most complete showing since Texas State, while the defense kept Missouri’s explosive attack in check for most of the afternoon. The game stayed tight, with neither team ever stretching the margin beyond seven points until the fourth quarter, but Texas kept finding answers.
Manning was at the center of it. He still had a few moments where the decision-making wavered, but overall he was decisive and accurate.
He finished 28 of 38 for 297 yards and three touchdowns, and he did it without turning the ball over in an SEC game for the first time this season. If Texas gets that version of Manning moving forward, the path is there for a 10-2 finish and a run at the CFP.
Another strong performance next week in Baton Rouge would go a long way toward building that confidence even more.
Brown was just as important. He totaled 133 yards and scored twice, with both touchdowns coming in the fourth quarter.
His work as a receiver keeps giving Texas a major weapon, and his vision and quickness in tight spaces have become a real problem for defenses. With Hollywood Smothers out for the season, Brown looks ready to handle the RB1 role.
This is now the second time in the last three games that he’s delivered the kind of runs and catches that swing a game Texas’ way.
Defensively, Biles keeps making his case as one of the most impactful additions Texas has made this season, outside of Will Muschamp. He piled up 6 tackles, 0.5 TFLs, 2 pass breakups and 2 quarterback hits, and he kept affecting the game at every level.
He was disruptive around the passer and also handled Cayden Lee in man coverage. Right now, it’s hard to point to many defensive players, let alone linebackers, playing at a higher level.
Once Colin Simmons returns, likely against LSU, Texas could have what looks like the best defensive duo in the country.
Special teams had its ups and downs, but Jonathan Cunningham delivered one of the biggest moments of the day. His punt block and recovery set up Texas for a game-tying field goal, and it was the kind of hidden play that matters in a must-win game. Cunningham has spent most of the season doing the dirty work on special teams, and this time he turned that role into three crucial points.
Sarkisian earned the coaching nod this week after another strong game from Muschamp in the SEC. This one was different, though.
It was Sarkisian’s best playcalling performance of the season, with the run and pass finally working together. Receivers were consistently open for Manning, and Texas hit six plays of 20 or more yards.
Especially in the second half, Sarkisian was at his best, and the win gave him his fourth Top 25 victory of the season. In a strange, chaotic year, Texas heads into the final stretch in a strong position for the CFP.
In Other News...
Warren Roberson Picked The Perfect Time For His First Texas Start
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 🡒]
Texas Gritted Out A Ranked Win But Two Problems Stood Out
Texas came away with a 34-20 win over Missouri and, on the surface, it was the kind of result that can steady a season. The Longhorns moved to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in SEC play, with Raleek Brown giving the run game a lift by finishing with 85 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Arch Manning kept the offense moving through the air with nearly 75 percent completions for 297 yards and three scores.
Still, the win did not clean up every concern. Texas had to work through too much pressure up front, and the offensive lines protection was a problem even in a game the Longhorns controlled for stretches. There was also plenty of frustration with the officiating, leaving the kind of lingering irritation that can follow a hard-fought conference win even when the scoreboard says the job got done. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Added Fuel To A Ranking Debate Fans Know Well
Week 10 turned the AP Top 25 into another reminder of how unsettled the national picture has been all season, with eight ranked teams falling and the poll getting a new No. 1 for the fifth time this year. Georgia climbed back to the top spot, while Ohio State and Ole Miss slid after losses, and Texas was among the teams to benefit from the reshuffling after a key victory of its own.
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 🡒]