Texas walked out of last night with a 34-7 win over Ole Miss, and the box score had more than a few heroes. A handful of Longhorns delivered big-time performances, and one coach kept the whole thing stitched together. Without them, Texas is sitting at 4-3 and Sarkisian is under fire once again.
On offense, the spark came from Raleek Brown. This was the strongest showing from Texas’ portal additions on that side of the ball this season.
Smothers had the better outing against Ohio State, but Brown owned this one. He piled up a career-high 23 carries and a career-best 157 rushing yards, and he did it behind a strong night from the offensive line.
Brown turned those blocks into explosive gains and gave Texas a run game it could actually lean on. If that becomes the norm, it could wind up being the backbone of the offense.
The defense got its biggest lift from the linebacker duo of Rasheem Biles and Justin Cryer. The transfer pair changed the game, with each of them picking off a pass at critical moments.
They also added multiple PBUs at the line of scrimmage and held up well in open-field tackling. There were no sacks, but Biles and Cryer were at the center of a disruptive night for the Longhorns.
With Simmons out, they stepped right into the void and delivered an elite performance.
Special teams had only one clear headline, and it came from DT Alex January. His field goal block was the lone special teams play that truly swung things for Texas.
Hero Kanu said January called it before the snap, and the stop loomed huge late. January has been an unsung part of the Texas defense, but he made his presence felt in a major way here.
Without that block, the game’s finish looks very different.
The coaching nod goes to DC Will Muschamp, who keeps earning his keep every week. This time, he had to deal with Trinidad Chambliss, and he found a way to make life miserable for him.
Chambliss finished with 48% completions and three interceptions, both FBS lows for the quarterback. Muschamp generated pressure in unusual ways, shut down the Rebel run game, and helped Texas hold off a second-half push.
As the Longhorns look ahead to the CFP, their defense will keep giving them chances, and Muschamp deserves a big chunk of that credit.
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Arch Manning Showed Texas Fans Something They Hadn't Seen Before
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Manning also opened up about the emotional strain he dealt with earlier in the week, while making it clear how much it meant to be treated like a normal quarterback instead of the center of a constant spotlight. For a player whose last name has carried scrutiny everywhere he has gone, the moment felt notable not just for what he said, but for how different it looked from the composed public face Longhorns fans have grown used to seeing. [Read more 🡒]