OTF Premium Burning Question Revisted: How well did Texas defend Texas State's passing game?

[Jeff Howe]

It’s time to revisit On Texas Football's “One Burning Question,” where we ask a significant question of the Texas Longhorns heading into a game.

Entering Saturday’s 59-7 win over Texas State, our burning question for No. 5 Texas was:

How will the Texas pass defense fare in its first test under Will Muschamp?

Although there were a few hiccups, the Longhorns kept Brad Jackson and the Bobcats’ passing attack from producing the eye-popping they posted last season.

Jackson’s 150 passing yards on a 15-for-23 afternoon marked his lowest output through the air since the 2024 season, when he threw for 102 on a 4-for-6 outing in a blowout win over Southern Miss. The 188 passing yards Texas State mustered are its fourth-fewest in 41 games under GJ Kinne, while Saturday’s route saw Texas hold the Bobcats without a passing touchdown for only the fourth time in Kinne's tenure.

Texas State ended the game with three pass completions of 20 or more yards, a hair below the 3.6 per game the Bobcats averaged last season (tied with the Longhorns and five other programs for No. 34 nationally with 47 20-plus-yard completions). Just one of those chunk-yardage connections (a 41-yard strike from Jackson to Tucker Cusano in the second quarter) led to a touchdown, which might’ve been the only coverage bust Muschamp’s defense experienced while defending 29 official pass attempts.

Defending the deep ball was only part of the challenge Texas faced against the Texas State aerial attack. Thankfully, the Longhorns minimized the damage the Bobcats did after the catch; Texas State’s 109 yards after the catch and 5.5 yards after the catch per reception (according to Pro Football Focus) were under its 2025 season averages of 137.7 yards per game and 7.05 yards per reception, respectively.

Of the 109 yards Texas allowed after the catch, 61 of them came on three plays. Cusano’s catch, where Jackson dropped the ball into him after he got behind the Longhorn linebackers in coverage, kickstarted a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, but the Bobcats couldn’t turn either of their other two long catch-and-run plays into points.

Texas overcame a 24-yard catch-and-run by Davian Jackson, who Graceson Littleton rode out of bounds at the 5-yard line after Brad Jackson pulled up during a scramble and flipped the ball to his running back for big yardage. The defense stood tall, denying the Bobcats the end zone on a 13-play, 82-yard drive, which ended with a missed field goal.

Chris Dawn Jr. beat Bo Mascoe on an angle route out of the backfield in the second quarter, ripping off a 22-yard gain before Jonah Williams tackled him at the Longhorns’ 36-yard line. Two plays later, Rasheem Biles (whose interception on an attempted screen pass by Jackson in the third quarter was the defense's third takeaway of the game) punched the football out of Taji Atkins’ arms, leading to Littleton’s 59-yard scoop-and-score touchdown.

PFF credited Jackson with a 2-for-6 performance on passes thrown 10 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage for 53 yards. That exemplifies how the Texas defense executed Muschamp’s game plan: get lined up quickly to combat the opponent's tempo, don't let the ball get behind you and prevent ball carriers from ripping off extra yards after the catch by making plays in space.

Muschamp shouldn’t have been expected to be too exotic against Texas State with a showdown against No. 1 Ohio State next on the schedule. The Longhorns will face a Buckeye passing game that was clicking on all cylinders in a 56-3 rout of Ball State; Julian Sayin threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns on a 21-for-25 performance, with Jeremiah Smith recording 151 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions.

In two games against Texas, Smith has caught seven passes for 46 yards and didn’t find the end zone in either meeting. Like a lot of things that can be said about the Longhorns coming out of the win over the Bobcats, the challenge facing the pass defense will be much tougher when Ohio State is occupying the visiting sideline at DKR next Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC).

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[Jeff Howe]

If I were grading the pass defense, I'd give it an A-minus. The good outweighed the bad.

Still, it'll be a different world against Ohio State. Is this when Jeremiah Smith finally has a big game against Texas?

[4thandFive]

Texas by 13

[Jeff Howe]

4 minutes ago, 4thandFive said:

Texas by 13

I don't care if the Longhorns win by one or 100. They need this one. No credit for playing it close, IMO.

[4thandFive]

Just now, Jeff Howe said:

I don't care if the Longhorns win by one or 100. They need this one. No credit for playing it close, IMO.

SICK of losing to:

A) Georgia 

B) Ohio State 

[Jeff Howe]

Just now, 4thandFive said:

SICK of losing to:

A) Georgia 

B) Ohio State 

I don't know if you watch "Lunch with the Coach," but Coach Erwin addresses this and shares your sentiment. It'll be worth the watch when it goes up on the channel tomorrow.

[4thandFive]

5 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

If I were grading the pass defense, I'd give it an A-minus. The good outweighed the bad.

Still, it'll be a different world against Ohio State. Is this when Jeremiah Smith finally has a big game against Texas?

Who do you trying will be the primary guy on Smith and how do you suspect Muschamp will approach it?

Also- how would you compare our Top-2 WR to theirs? How many people can match Coleman + Wingo?

[Jeff Howe]

1 minute ago, 4thandFive said:

Who do you trying will be the primary guy on Smith and how do you suspect Muschamp will approach it?

Also- how would you compare our Top-2 WR to theirs? How many people can match Coleman + Wingo?

Devin McCuin is good. I think the edge in the receiver group is WR3 because I like Emmett Mosley more than Brandon Inniss. With the top two on both sides, it's a draw.

[HonkEm]

@Jeff Howe

This is one of those matchups where Texas has to show it’s finished letting the same national powers dictate the outcome. No pats on the back for hanging around - the result has to land on our side. The roster’s built for these moments, and it’s time to prove it.

That said, I’m curious how you see a few things lining up:

How aggressive do you think Muschamp gets with his coverage calls early -- does he stay patient or start throwing curveballs at Sayin?

Do you expect Texas to lean more on the front seven to disrupt timing, or do you think the secondary has to carry the load?

And from your perspective, what’s the single matchup that swings this thing one way or the other?

[Beldar]

33 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

If I were grading the pass defense, I'd give it an A-minus. The good outweighed the bad.

Still, it'll be a different world against Ohio State. Is this when Jeremiah Smith finally has a big game against Texas?

Hard to defend Tx State passing game with that O and QB and WR. They are going to score on most people they play rest of way.

 

[Jeff Howe]

29 minutes ago, 4thandFive said:

Who do you trying will be the primary guy on Smith and how do you suspect Muschamp will approach it?

Also- how would you compare our Top-2 WR to theirs? How many people can match Coleman + Wingo?

I wouldn't focus on putting one guy on Smith. You're going to have to roll coverage to his side, whether that's a trap situation, putting a safety over the top or something else. You've got to mix it up. The pressure on Sayin will also be a huge part of that for Texas. Ohio State did a good job of protecting him in last year's game, but I don't expect that to be the same this year.

[4thandFive]

We need Colin to eat and the refs to call holding if/when it happens.

I’ve never seen anyone take over a game like Suh for Nebraska against us moons ago. I wish we had anyone in that stratosphere on the interior.

[HookEm]

1. I want to know how fast Littleton got up to on that fumble return because he put distance between him  and Dawn Jr, who is pretty fast and had the angle. 

2. Jonah closed quickly on that crossing route. That was an impressive close for him. 

 

I think the coaches are going to find out who are just gamers. They might mess up in practice but they make up for it when the lights come on. 

Edited 1 hour ago by HookEm

[Jeff Howe]

15 minutes ago, HonkEm said:

@Jeff Howe

This is one of those matchups where Texas has to show it’s finished letting the same national powers dictate the outcome. No pats on the back for hanging around - the result has to land on our side. The roster’s built for these moments, and it’s time to prove it.

That said, I’m curious how you see a few things lining up:

How aggressive do you think Muschamp gets with his coverage calls early -- does he stay patient or start throwing curveballs at Sayin?

Do you expect Texas to lean more on the front seven to disrupt timing, or do you think the secondary has to carry the load?

And from your perspective, what’s the single matchup that swings this thing one way or the other?

1. @Bobby Burton talked about this on "Lunch with the Coach," which we recorded today, but it starts with run blitzing and being aggressive on early downs to try and get Ohio State behind the chains. That's where it starts before we get to coverage. Overall, though, I'd expect Muschamp to be more aggressive.

2. You lean on your strengths in a game like this, which is finding ways to put Biles and Simmons in positions to impact the game. The defensive plan starts with weaponizing those two specifically.

3. I think it's whoever is on McCuin and/or Inniss. Texas did a great job on Smith the last two times it's played Ohio State, but Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate made huge catches in those games. 

[Jeff Howe]

Just now, HookEm said:

1. I want to know how fat Littleton got up to on that fumble return because he put distance between him  and Dawn Jr, who is pretty fast and had the angle. 

2. Jonah closed quickly on that crossing route. That was an impressive close for him. 

 

I think the coaches are going to find out who are just gamers. They might mess up in practice but they make up for it when the lights come on. 

The last part of your post is why I think the coaches went with Kobe Black. I don't think he had a great camp, but the coaches saw something that gave him the nod over Derek Williams.

[Jeff Howe]

5 minutes ago, 4thandFive said:

We need Colin to eat and the refs to call holding if/when it happens.

I’ve never seen anyone take over a game like Suh for Nebraska against us moons ago. I wish we had anyone in that stratosphere on the interior.

As a college defensive lineman, Suh might've been a once-in-a-lifetime player. As good as guys like Casey Hampton and Tommie Harris were in college, I didn't see anyone do what Suh did before him or since.

[Jeff Howe]

11 minutes ago, Beldar said:

Hard to defend Tx State passing game with that O and QB and WR. They are going to score on most people they play rest of way.

 

Yep. They pose a lot of problems. That's a legit offense.

[HookEm]

@Jeff Howe

Did we love Simmons dropping into pass coverage so much. That was a little surprising. Not just once. Multiple times. 

[mmdaytontexas]

@Jeff Howe

Jeff, who was the main coverage person on Smith last year? Who caught the long TD over Gillbeaux, and a couple of other big passes? I'm afraid I was having flashbacks watching Bo Mascot yesterday. He seemed to be a step behind all have long.

[Jeff Howe]

1 minute ago, HookEm said:

@Jeff Howe

Did we love Simmons dropping into pass coverage so much. That was a little surprising. Not just once. Multiple times. 

Four is four more than I want, but I didn't mind it too much yesterday.

[Jeff Howe]

Just now, mmdaytontexas said:

@Jeff Howe

Jeff, who was the main coverage person on Smith last year? Who caught the long TD over Gillbeaux, and a couple of other big passes? I'm afraid I was having flashbacks watching Bo Mascot yesterday. He seemed to be a step behind all have long.

It depended on where Smith lined up because they move him around a lot. It felt like it was Manny Muhammad for the most part and Littleton when they moved him inside.

Carnell Tate caught the touchdown. Unless the Titans want to loan him back to Ohio State for a day, he's gone.

[alrightalrightalright]

Just now, mmdaytontexas said:

@Jeff Howe

Jeff, who was the main coverage person on Smith last year? Who caught the long TD over Gillbeaux, and a couple of other big passes? I'm afraid I was having flashbacks watching Bo Mascot yesterday. He seemed to be a step behind all have long.

Graceson Littleton trailed him inside and Carnell Tate caught those big passes. 

[4thandFive]

I bet Colt still has nightmares of Suh. Amazing physical talent.

[Jarveaux]

59 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

I don't know if you watch "Lunch with the Coach," but Coach Erwin addresses this and shares your sentiment. It'll be worth the watch when it goes up on the channel tomorrow.

I will be watching. Thank you Jeff