In last Saturday’s Red River Shootout loss to Oklahoma, the Longhorns final numbers were pedestrian: 122 yards on 13 carries, with the longest coming on a 16-yard run by Derrek Cooper in the second quarter.

When considering Texas (4-1, 1-1 SEC) faced a stout Sooner front, however, the running game was more effective than the raw numbers indicate.

Texas finished the game with 132 yards on 30 non-sack rushing attempts, matching Georgia’s non-sack rushing yards (132 yards on 25 carries) in its 41-13 dismantling of Oklahoma on Sept. 26. Only the Bulldogs averaged more sack-adjusted rushing yards per carry (5.3) against the Sooners than the Longhorns (4.4) this season, with Oklahoma’s season-high in 10-plus-yard rushing attempts against a Power Four foe coming against Texas (four).

Immediately after the loss, Sarkisian described the running game as “a little hit and miss for us today.” The Longhorns have “been OK” running the football through five games, Sarkisian said, openly questioning whether his current schemes can generate the consistency he wants on the ground.

But after Sarkisian reviewed the rushing attack on film ahead of Monday's meetings and practice to start the week of preparations for Florida coming to town on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC), he felt Texas “ran it pretty good” against the Sooners.

“What you're hoping for is that you can find consistency and then, ultimately, pop one,” Sarkisian said. “I think historically, when we've ran the ball well against OU, we've popped a couple runs that have created a 40, 50, 60-yarder. All of a sudden, your number goes from 125 yards rushing to 175 or 200. We just didn't pop that big one Saturday, but I actually thought, from an efficiency standpoint, we were pretty good against a defense that thrives on negative plays in the run game.”

The Longhorns had success against Tennessee utilizing duo, insert and zone concepts. Jim Knowles’ defense created a lot of penetration up front, which blew up Texas’ counter and power schemes, but Sarkisian eventually got the running game untracked.

Against Oklahoma, the Longhorns found success through their zone running game. Ultimately, the result might've been different if Sarkisian had stuck with it, which could've kept the offense from spiraling in the second half (the Longhorns’ first five second-half possessions included three three-and-outs, a four-play drive that ended with a punt and a two-play drive that ended with an interception).

After analyzing 28 of Texas’ 30 non-sack rushing attempts against the Sooners (two Arch Manning scrambles were omitted), here’s what worked and (maybe more importantly) what didn’t:

— The Longhorns ran the ball well out of 11 personnel. Using Emmett Mosley V as the motion man (either as an escort blocker or to get the defense flowing away from the play) helped open things up. Texas ran the ball for 93 yards (5.2 yards per attempt) out of 11 personnel. Three of the Longhorns’ explosive runs (the aforementioned 16-yard run and an 11-yard run by Cooper and a 14-yard run by Hollywood Smothers) came with 11 personnel on the field.

— Texas didn’t get the bang for its buck running the ball out of 12 personnel. Two-tight end sets generated 25 rushing yards on eight attempts, none longer than five yards. Right now, Nick Townsend is the only tight end who can be considered a two-way threat as a blocker and a receiver. Any tight end combination that doesn't include Townsend makes the offense more predictable (even though Michael Masunas and Spencer Shannon were effective in their roles).

— Sarkisian’s counterpunch to defense wanting to take away the wide zone is one of two things: either the Longhorns are running more mid zone, which means the running back’s aiming point is the B gap between the guard and tackle, or Cooper’s feel for where the crease will develop and ability to hit it hard is just that good. The running back’s tighter aiming point forced Brent Venables to adjust. That's when Cooper creased a couple of off-tackle runs late in the first half. Regardless, Cooper needs more carries. Cooper’s violent twitch with the ball in his hands is something the running game hasn't had since CJ Baxter showed flashes of it late in the 2023 season. 

— Texas had four mid-zone runs for 21 yards (5.3 yards per attempt) on Saturday without split flow from the tight end. Three basic inside zone runs netted one yard and two outside zone runs (without split flow) went for 17 yards (including Cooper’s 16-yarder). Sarkisian still calls a lot of split-zone runs (the tight end blocks back across the formation to seal the backside), with 11 of those going for 46 yards. The Longhorns ran split zone out of 11 personnel with mixed results (gains of five, nine and seven yards and negative plays that lost three and five yards, respectively), but split-zone runs out of 12 personnel didn’t set the world on fire (five for 22 yards)

— Sarkisian called one counter run on Saturday and it was one of the offense's best plays of the game. It was on the fourth-quarter drive that ended with Gianni Spetic’s missed field goal. Still, Brandon Baker’s kickout block and Masunas' block to get a piece of Owen Heinecke, who shot a gap while hunting a negative play, got Smothers free for a 14-yard gain. It was a well-executed, tendency-breaking play the offense needed while trying to mount a game-winning drive.

— Sarkisian might want to look at running the ball more often out of the pistol. The Longhorns averaged 5.4 yards per attempt out of the pistol; it was 6.8 yards before Cooper was stuffed on an ill-fated crack-toss. The pistol might make the running game less predictable than the running back set to one side of the quarterback in the shotgun (especially since Manning rarely pulls the ball at the mesh point to run it, eliminating a threat for the defense).

— There’s a tendency to put the blame entirely on the offensive line when the running game isn’t clicking on all cylinders. Kyle Flood’s group had its issues, especially on a third-and-1 in the third quarter, when Cooper got stuffed after the Sooners caved in the right side of the line. Still, a few of the runs Sarkisian wanted to see pop might've popped if the wide receivers had collectively blocked better. There were numerous instances when a minimal gain could've turned into the 20-plus-yard run Sarkisian likely needed to stay dedicated to the running game if a block had been held a little longer or if the wideouts and won more battles against Oklahoma's defensive backs.

— Texas is 24-2 under Sarkisian when recording 40 or more official rushing attempts in a game, including wins this season over Ohio State and UTSA. When Sarkisian makes it a point to run the football, the Longhorns can do it effectively enough to stick with it. For an offense that currently has the highest rate of three-and-out drives in the SEC, a running game that can set up manageable third downs and move the chains (according to CFBStats.com, the Longhorns have the sixth-best rushing offense in the SEC on third-and-3 or less, with 86 yards, 14 first downs and three 10-plus-yard runs on 16 attempts) would be a godsend.

The Sooners beat the Longhorns in the trenches in the second half, out-rushing Texas (4-1, 1-1 SEC) by 30 yards (82-52) and forcing two turnovers. Arch Manning, not John Mateer, made catastrophic mistakes, with two interceptions that led to 10 points for Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1), including Tate Sandell’s game-winning 47-yard field goal.

The inexplicable loss isn’t solely on Manning’s shoulders.  The Longhorns couldn’t get a push in the running game when it mattered, Steve Sarkisian’s play-calling was as questionable as ever and Will Muschamp’s defense faltered down the stretch (although the defense was by far the better of the three phases on Saturday).

Texas is an undisciplined team that can’t run the football when it needs to, is inexplicably sloppy on special teams and failed to put its foot on the gas with a double-digit lead for the second consecutive game.

***

Oklahoma had a distinct path to victory. The action at the Cotton Bowl unfolded in the Sooners’ favor.

The Longhorns lost the turnover battle, 2-0.

Oklahoma improved to 16-2 under Brent Venables when scoring a non-offensive touchdown.

Mateer (18-for-26 for 155 yards) avoided making the backbreaking mistakes that plagued him through the Sooners’ first four games.

Oklahoma won the line-of-scrimmage battle when it mattered and seized the momentum when Texas left the door open for a potential comeback. We’ve seen Red River upsets unfold similarly in the past, which is why the Sooners taking the Golden Hat back to Norman isn’t a surprise, given how things unfolded in Dallas.

***

Even though Oklahoma’s defense lived up to its billing, seven three-and-outs, a pick-six and a missed field goal would’ve been more than enough to question where Sarkisian’s offense is going.

Then there was the last drive of the game.

The four-play drive that ended with Courtland Guillory’s interception of Manning felt like a microcosm of what’s wrong with the Longhorns on a side of the ball that’s putting out a product on par with last season's lackluster showing. Whether it’s a lack of hot routes or built-in advantage throws against blitzes, Manning’s inability or unwillingness to get the offense out of bad plays or questionable football IQ in a two-minute situation, Texas is too disjointed to take advantage of the talent Sarkisian’s organization acquired in the offseason.

Inconsistency is the only thing consistent about the Longhorn offense. The boom-or-bust nature of Sarkisian’s offense has a low ceiling for a team that can’t rely on the kicking game to do anything other than put the defense on short fields or give up points.

***

While the season isn’t over, the loss means that Sarkisian has no choice but to look in the mirror and see what changes must be made to improve the product.

Texas’ offensive identity, when push comes to shove, is still to snap the ball to Manning and hope something good happens. When it works, it’s great. When it doesn’t work, you get the outcome you got on Saturday.

Sarkisian can figure out what’s working and hammer those concepts so that the Longhorns can lean on a few things. Or he can keep dialing things up that, while they might look cool enough on tape to put on the call sheet, aren’t doing anything other than getting the offense behind the chains.

***

The opening kickoff going out of bounds was a bad omen.

I don’t like calling for a coach’s job. Still, for Jeff Banks’ unit to answer a forgettable showing against Tennessee with a performance that was worse against the Sooners is troubling, to say the least.

***

There aren’t enough adjectives to describe the nature of Saturday’s loss.

After doing what it needed to do to keep their College Football Playoff fate out of the selection committee’s hands through the first four games, Texas now has little to no margin for error. Unless Sarkisian's long-awaited desire for his club to play consistent complementary football is realized, the loss to Oklahoma won't be the last that the Longhorns suffer before the end of the regular season.

Texas did enough right to win the Ohio State and Tennessee games. It didn't do enough right to win on Saturday, with a lot of mistakes and misfires looking all too familiar.

The Longhorns have played with fire more than once this year. They finally got burned.

Justus Terry, who has been dealing with turf toe, remains QUESTIONABLE.

Jordan Coleman will miss his second consecutive game while recovering from turf toe. According to OTF's Hank South, there's optimism that Coleman could return as soon as next week's home game against Florida.

The Sooners, however, have three noteworthy changes:

— Eli Bowen, who OTF's CJ Vogel reported is dealing with an ankle issue that popped up late in the week, is on the report as QUESTIONABLE for the game.

— Michael Fasusi, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury throughout the season, has officially been downgraded to OUT. He hasn't played since the season opener against UTEP and wasn't expected to be available against the Longhorns.

— Eddy Pierre-Louis has been downgraded from QUESTIONABLE to DOUBTFUL. If Pierre-Louis misses the game, it would deal a significant blow to an offensive line that's struggled to find its footing early in the season.

— Nick Townsend isn't on the report, indicating he's good to go for Saturday

— Kaliq Lockett and Zion Williams join Jordan Coleman as OUT for the game

— Justus Terry has been upgraded from DOUBTFUL to QUESTIONABLE

— Oklahoma's Fred Hinton has been downgraded from DOUBTFUL to OUT

— While Michael Fasusi remains DOUBTFUL for the game, four Sooners (Jer'Michael Carter, Cole Sullivan, Michael Boganowski, and Jack Van Dorselaer) were upgraded from QUESTIONABLE to PROBABLE

Steve Sarkisian's team traveled to the Cotton Bowl reeling after dropping their SEC opener on the road against Florida, their second loss of the young season. The Longhorns pulled the nose up with a convincing 23-6 upset of the Sooners and made a run at a third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff, which is why they're not taking their wounded rivals lightly on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ABC).

“We know we're going to get OU's best shot. They're a really good team. They're a very talented team and they've got good coaches,” Sarkisian said Thursday during his pregame Zoom call with reporters. “Sometimes, things don't go your way and you just don't quite get the momentum that you need. Hopefully, they don't figure it out Saturday either. Hopefully, we can cause a little more chaos for them. But I know we're going to get their best shot and I know they're going to have a great plan. I know their kids are going to play hard and physical and tough because that's what that program is built on. We know it's going to be a four-quarter game — rivalry games generally go that way — and we know we're going to need to play good football if we want to come out on top.”

If Texas (4-0, 1-0 SEC) wants to avoid an upset and retain the Golden Hat when the dust settles on the program’s 122nd all-time meeting with Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1), these are the matchups the Longhorns must win.

WHEN TEXAS RUNS

A healthy amount of focus will be on how well Brandon Baker, Connor Robertson and Dylan Sikorski handle a stout Oklahoma interior defensive line rotation led by Jayden Jackson and David Stone. But the head-to-head battle that will go a long way toward determining whether the Longhorns can generate explosive plays and convince Sarkisian to stick with the running game is Hollywood Smothers’ ability to maximize runs against the Sooners' active, experienced linebackers.

Even with Cole Sullivan (questionable) and Owen Heinecke (probable) listed on Wednesday’s availability report, Kip Lewis’ return from injury against Georgia will make it tough for the Texas running backs to get yards after contact. As the Longhorns’ best zone runner (Raleek Brown has been better in his career and this season on gap and power runs), if Smothers (who signed with Oklahoma out of high school and played for the Sooners in 2022) can find the cutback lanes that will be open against Brent Venables’ hard-charging defense, Texas can control the ball, the clock and the game.

WHEN OKLAHOMA RUNS

Arguably the most effective way the Sooners can run the football is whenever John Mateer scrambles. According to Pro Football Focus, Mateer has gained 69 yards on 12 scrambles, including one of Oklahoma's three 20-plus-yard runs from scrimmage (a 22-yard scramble against Michigan).

Mateer has also accounted for 23.3 percent of the 193 yards the Sooners have gained on D-gap runs. That’s the most yards Oklahoma has gained in any direction through four games, according to PFF, putting the fate of a Sooners running game that’s gained just 169 yards (2.82 yards per attempt) between the C-gaps in the hands of the Texas edge defenders and linebackers.

Maintaining a disciplined pass rush, setting the edge and eye control at the second level and beyond will be paramount, especially whenever Will Muschamp’s defense is in man coverage. The longest run the Longhorns have allowed in four games was a 32-yard scramble by Brad Jackson in the season opener against Texas State, when Jackson took off while the Texas defenders in coverage had their backs to him.

WHEN TEXAS PASSES

Expect Venables’ Oklahoma defense to attack the line of scrimmage similar to how UTSA and Tennessee got after the Longhorns. Both defenses disguised their looks well and brought extra defenders on delayed blitzes, with Jim Knowles and the Vols using slants and stunts to break through Texas’ pass protection.

Sarkisian’s game plan must include more hot reads and quick-hitting, stationary routes than it did in Knoxville so that Arch Manning has somewhere to go with the ball when the Sooners bring the heat. The key matchup, however, will be the Longhorn wideouts winning their one-on-one battles against the Oklahoma defensive backs when those opportunities arise.

One of the few times Manning got the ball out of his hands before Tennessee's pressure got to him, he hit Cam Coleman down the sideline for a 30-yard gain. While the Sooners pressured Gunner Stockton on nine of his 19 dropbacks two weeks ago, the Georgia quarterback went 3-for-7 for 77 yards and a touchdown, with an average depth of target of 27.5 yards, according to PFF.

Stockton was 3-for-9 for 106 yards and a touchdown on pass attempts that went 20 yards or more downfield. Manning's deep ball opportunities will likely be few and far between, but he and the Texas receivers need to capitalize when they're available.

WHEN OKLAHOMA PASSES

The Longhorns must know where Isaiah Sategna and Rocky Beers are lined up before every snap. Sategna and Beers have accounted for 38 of Oklahoma’s 73 receptions this season, 522 of the Sooners’ 889 receiving yards and they've been on the receiving end of four of the offense’s eight pass touchdowns.

While Texas will face more prolific offenses the rest of the way, Sategna and Beers can change the game whenever one of them touches the football. That’s why the pass rush getting home is the best answer for whatever new wrinkles Ben Arbuckle might throw at Muschamp to help get the ball to one of Oklahoma’s top two playmakers.

The defensive line recorded nine of Texas' 10 sacks against Tennessee, including Colin Simmons' school-record 5.5 sacks. Simmons can control the game on his own, but the dominance of Kenny Baker's and LaAllan Clark's groups goes beyond what Simmons brings to the table.

When the Longhorns needed winning plays up front against the Vols and Ohio State, the defensive line delivered. The Longhorns' deep rotation makes Muschamp's front tough to handle, especially late in games when relatively fresh bodies are on the field for high-leverage snaps.

With Michael Fasusi not expected to play, Texas must win up front against an undermanned Sooner offensive line to lighten the load for a secondary facing an offense that can get easy yards by drawing defensive pass interference calls in the deep part of the field. The help will be imperative whenever Muschamp decides to play more man coverage and devote more resources to pressuring Mateer while hunting negative plays and turnovers.

SPECIAL TEAMS

If the Sooners flip the game with a momentum-shifting play in the kicking game, it’ll likely be when Mac Chiumento is on the field with the Texas punt team. Oklahoma is 15-2 under Venables when scoring a non-offensive touchdown, putting the focus on Chiumento executing his directional kicks and making it hard for the Sooners to set up a return for Sategna, whose 18.6 yards per punt return is No. 8 in FBS, and on the protection holding up for the Longhorns to avoid getting a punt blocked.

“The team that runs the ball, the team that converts third downs, the team that wins a turnover battle and the team that can pressure the quarterback generally comes out on top,” Sarkisian said Monday. “You get back to the core fundamentals of what the game of football is all about. As much as we want to talk about the emotions of the game, as much as we want to talk about the trick plays or the craziness that can happen in this game, it generally comes back to the things that are important to football, right? Who can run the ball? You know who can convert third downs and extend drives? Who can create turnovers? Who can take care of the ball? And then, ultimately, who can pressure the other team's quarterback to affect him?”

If Sarkisian is going to become the first Longhorn coach since David McWilliams to win three in a row over the Sooners and give No. 1 Texas (4-0, 1-0 SEC) the program’s first three-game winning streak over Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1) in almost 30 years (1997-99), his squad must continue to execute four core principles of football at a winning level inside the Cotton Bowl. In winning the last two meetings by a combined score of 57-9, the Longhorns have dominated Brent Venables’ team in the statistical categories that matter when the two long-time rivals lock up in Dallas on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ABC).

RUSHING YARDS

The team that’s won the rushing yardage battle has won 25 of the last 28 meetings. That’s been the case in Sarkisian’s five games against the Sooners, with Texas owning the line of scrimmage over the last two seasons.

The Longhorns out-gained Oklahoma on the ground in 2024 (177-89) and 2025 (136-48). Even excluding lost yardage on sacks, Texas has still dominated the Sooners on the ground; the Longhorns had a 183-120 edge two years ago and won the rushing yardage battle 142-80 last season.

Texas played defense at such an elite level in last year’s 23-6 victory that Sarkisian didn’t need to abandon the run. Even in the face of Oklahoma racking up 12 tackles for loss and almost half of the Longhorns’ net rushing yards coming on two plays (a 37-yard run by Tre Wisner in the second quarter and a 29-yard game-clinching run by Arch Manning), Sarkisian kept plugging away long enough that only three of Texas’ 21 non-sack rushing attempts in the second half were stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage.

“Everybody wants to run the ball and sometimes it's not always pretty. Everybody wants to run the ball and the first run doesn't go for eight yards. Sometimes, it goes for one. You can't just give up,” Sarkisian said. “I think what also helps you stay committed to the run is playing good defense. When you're playing good defensive football, sometimes, games aren't pretty early on, but you can stay committed to it and then, inevitably, the dam starts to break and you can start to snap off some longer runs that way.”

If Hollywood Smothers and Nick Townsend return from injury, the Longhorns should run the football more effectively than they did in their 20-17 win over Tennessee on Sept. 26, when they recorded a season-low 61 rushing yards (94 yards and 3.1 yards per attempt when adjusted to exclude sacks).

Venables' run defense is a respectable 42nd nationally, allowing 115.5 yards per game. Oklahoma is 36th in FBS in yards per rushing attempt allowed (3.23) and is tied with the Longhorns for allowing the third-fewest 10-plus-yard runs among SEC defenses (13).

Still, the challenge the Sooners face stopping the Texas running game isn't as daunting on paper as what's in front of Oklahoma on the other side of the ball. Ben Arbuckle's offense will try to establish the run against a Longhorn defense allowing fewer than 100 rushing yards per game (99.3, ranked No. 26 nationally) while holding opponents to under three yards per rushing attempt (2.84 yards per carry allowed is No. 18 in FBS).

Oklahoma enters the game with the 131st-ranked rushing offense in the country (99 yards per game) and is 133rd nationally in yards per rushing attempt (2.93). Stanford is the only FBS offense with fewer 10-plus-yard runs than the Sooners (nine).

The advanced statistics paint Oklahoma's running game in a less favorable light. According to CFBData.com, the Sooners are last in the SEC in line yards per carry (2.5), second-level rushing yards, open-field rushing yards, stuff rate and power success rate.

TURNOVERS

The winner of the turnover margin has won 19 of the last 28 meetings. That includes the last four games, with Texas racking up a plus-4 in turnover margin in the last two seasons (plus-5 in Sarkisian’s three wins).

Since 1999, the team that wins the rushing yardage battle and the turnover margin in the same game is 17-0.

Playing turnover-free football helped the Longhorns weather the storm in last season’s win over Oklahoma. The Sooners, meanwhile, couldn’t recover from John Mateer’s three interceptions, including one right before halftime that was equal parts a bad decision by Mateer and questionable clock management by Venables.

Texas left Knoxville with a win despite losing the turnover battle, even if one of the lost turnovers was an onside kick recovery by the Vols that the SEC later clarified was an illegal kick. While the Longhorns are even in turnover margin on the season, Oklahoma’s minus-6 deficit (tied for the worst among Power Four clubs) includes an SEC-leading 10 giveaways, with six fumbles lost tied for the second-most in FBS.

THIRD-DOWN EFFICIENCY

Somehow, despite facing third-and-7 or more 11 times, Texas was 10-for-17 on third down in last year’s Red River Shootout while facing an average to-go distance of nine yards. The Longhorns can’t expect the same results in third-and-long situations against a Sooner defense that’s held opponents to a 23.1-percent third-down conversion rate (12-for-52) through four games, the third-best mark in the country.

Even though Texas was 3-for-12 on third down in its win over Tennessee, it's still a top-20 offense in college football on third down, moving the chains at a 50-percent clip (30-for-60). A 9-for-16 effort in the team’s Sept. 12 win over Ohio State included a 4-for-5 showing in the fourth quarter.

Will Muschamp’s defense has performed well enough on third down in the last two games to bolster a No. 48 national ranking in third-down defense (34.6 percent conversion rate allowed). Texas held UTSA and the Vols to a combined 5-for-28 on third down; the Longhorns are tied for No. 35 nationally and third in the SEC on fourth down (3-for-8), with only Tennessee (0-for-5) and LSU (1-for-4) boasting better fourth-down defenses.

The current trend bodes well for Texas against an Oklahoma offense that’s a combined 10-for-32 on third down in its last two losses to the Longhorns. The Sooners are 109th nationally on third down this season (18-for-53), including a combined 5-for-27 (18.5 percent) effort in losses to Michigan and Georgia.

SACKS

The 11 sacks the Texas defense has piled up in two consecutive wins over Oklahoma almost matches the historic 10-sack game the Longhorns recorded in their road win over Tennessee. Texas’ run defense in Dallas has opened the door to get after the quarterback; the Longhorns got Mateer on the ground five times in an upset victory in 2025.

While Oklahoma finished last season’s loss to Texas with 12 tackles for loss, only one of those was a sack of Manning, which came on the Longhorns’ first possession. The offensive line’s protection and Manning’s ability to escape pressure minimized negative plays on a day when the offense struggled to stay on schedule.

This season, Manning has been a more effective passer under pressure than Mateer.

According to Pro Football Focus, Manning (pressured on 43 of 146 dropbacks) is 14-for-26 for 190 yards and a touchdown under pressure, with four big-time throws, one turnover-worthy play and an adjusted completion percentage of 71.4. Mateer (pressured on 46 of 127 dropbacks) is 16-for-32 for 237 yards and two touchdowns, but has thrown two interceptions, has committed five turnover-worthy plays and has an adjusted completion percentage of 55.2.

Mateer has been better at preventing pressure from turning into sacks. His pressure-to-sack rate of 15.2 percent (seven sacks on 46 pressures) is on track to be better than his 2025 mark of 19.7 percent (27 sacks on 137 pressured dropbacks).

Sacked on 13.3 percent of the pressures Texas allowed last season when he was behind center (22 sacks on 165 pressured dropbacks), Manning has been sacked 10 times in four games. His 23.3 percent pressure-to-sack rate is the fifth-highest among 17 SEC quarterbacks who’ve been pressured at least 25 times.

Making these two quarterbacks feel the heat is only part of the battle. Getting home and getting the quarterback on the ground is a formidable challenge for two aggressive, talented defenses.

Entering Saturday’s 20-17 win over No. 14 Tennessee, the burning question was:

Will the Longhorns start to form an identity on offense against the Vols?

In short, no.

Texas lacked the consistency needed to string together successful possessions and didn’t capitalize on opportunities to put Tennessee on the ropes. The Longhorns were out-gained by the Vols on the ground (70-61), lost the turnover battle (2-1), went 3-for-12 on third down and had more three-and-outs (six) than scoring drives (four).

Yet amid the trash heap of forgettable moments, Texas did some things well. Well enough that if they build on them during the bye week, the Longhorns could come out of the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma on Oct. 10 (2:30 p.m., ABC) with a clearer sense of who they are and what kind of team they can be offensively.

It’s unrealistic to think every call Steve Sarkisian makes will work. Still, one of the most frustrating things about the offense’s performance in the SEC opener is that when the Longhorns weren’t beating themselves and trusting proven concepts, Jim Knowles and the Vols couldn’t handle Sarkisian’s attack.

For starters, Sarkisian’s opening script was executed to perfection, with Raleek Brown's 9-yard touchdown run punctuating a 7-play, 75-yard drive on the offense’s first possession.

After Arch Manning connected with Ryan Wingo on an 8-yard, high-percentage pass on the first play from scrimmage, two tough, between-the-tackles runs (one by Brown and another by Derrek Cooper) set up Manning’s 43-yard play-action bomb to Emmett Mosley V. Two plays later, Brown reached the end zone with help from Connor Robertson and Brandon Baker, who walled off their defenders to create an alley, and Ryan Wingo, who’s second-level insert block (lined up stacked behind Melvin Siani at the snap) got Brown loose.

“To get the ball in that environment and to go seven plays, 75 yards, to take the lead 7-0 on the road, I thought, was really big for us about owning the environment, owning the arena,” Sarkisian said Monday. “I've never been to a game where the opposing fans were all in their seats by the time we took pregame warmups. That was a different environment.

“That was a really cool way to start,” he added. “From that point forward, until about the second-to-last offensive drive, we did not play very good offensive football. I'd love to say it was this or that. It literally was us taking turns not doing the things that we had practiced to do.”

Texas mounted four scoring drives against Tennessee: the game-opening touchdown drive; a 10-play, 62-yard drive in the second quarter for a field goal (a 22-yarder by Gianni Spetic); a 6-play, 48-yard drive in the third quarter for another field goal (a 44-yarder by Spetic) and an 8-play, 60-yard drive in the fourth quarter for a touchdown (Brown’s 4-yard rushing touchdown with 5:41 left in the game).

Even though a clunky goal-to-go sequence and a delay-of-game penalty on third-and-2 forced the Longhorns to settle for field goals on two of those possessions, the offense was humming on those four drives:

— Total Plays: 26

— Total Offense: 230 yards

— Yards Per Play: 8.8

— Arch Manning: 11-for-13, 184 yards

— Rushing Offense: 15 carries, 46 yards (3.1 yards per attempt) and two touchdowns

— Sack-Adjusted Rushing: 13 carries, 56 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and two touchdowns

— First Downs: 12

— Third Down: 2-for-4

— 10-Plus-Yard Plays: 7

— 20-Plus-Yard Plays: 3

What worked for Texas on those possessions:

— Sarkisian leaned mostly on duo and insert as the primary running game concepts, ditching long-developing plays and running the ball without pulling linemen.

Baker and Siani caved in the front side of the line on Brown’s 4-yard touchdown run, clearing a path for Emaree Winston to lead Brown into the end zone. The only negative play on 13 non-sack rushing attempts was a 3-yard loss when the Vols’ penetration swallowed up Cooper for a 3-yard-loss on a zone run behind the right side of the line.

— Most of Manning’s completions on those four drives came on hard play-action passes set up by positive rushing plays, quick throws to stationary targets or screens and other quick throws to the perimeter.

The football moved through the air when Sarkisian stuck with those calls and Manning pulled the trigger at the right time. The Longhorns found themselves behind the chains in a world of trouble when some combination of long-developing pass plays, poor pass protection and communication breakdowns didn’t give Manning enough time to find an open man before Knowles’ pressure got home.

— Texas either avoided stubbing its toe and made plays to recover from its mistakes on the four scoring drives.

The most pivotal moment came on the fourth-quarter touchdown drive, with the Tennessee defense sacking Manning for an 8-yard loss on the first play. But Winston and Trevor Goosby opened a lane over the left side of the line on the next snap, springing Brown loose for a 10-yard gain. From there, with the offense recovering from second-and-18 to face third-and-8, Manning hit Wingo down the seam for 18 yards and a first down, one of four first downs the Longhorns picked up on the drive.

No college football offense is perfect. Still, what Texas must avoid, by building on the things the offense does well, are possessions that destroy the fabric of complementary football.

There were three drives in the Tennessee game when the Longhorns could’ve mashed the gas and cruised to a win:

— A second-quarter drive from their own 43-yard line after Faizon Brandon left the game with an apparent shoulder injury. Texas led, 10-3, with 12:38 remaining in the half.

— Another possession in the second quarter, this time with 10:17 on the clock and the ball at its own 38-yard line.

— With 4:50 remaining in the game, the Longhorns had the ball at the Vols’ 41-yard line after Alex January sacked Brandon, forcing a Tennessee turnover on downs.

What happened on those three drives?

— A two-play drive that ended when Kayin Lee intercepted Manning’s attempt to hit Cam Coleman on a post route at the 4-yard line.

— A three-and-out that started with a 12-yard loss when Manning couldn’t handle a high snap from Robertson.

— A three-and-out that ended on third-and-8 from the Tennessee 40-yard line, with Arion Carter and Tyree Weathersby converging on Manning for the Vols’ sixth sack of the game.

With three chances to pull away, the Texas offense gained 16 yards on eight plays, didn't record a first down, punted twice and lost their fifth turnover of the season. When the Longhorns needed to execute, they couldn’t protect the quarterback and failed to run and protect the football.

After 60 minutes, Texas had enough on its four scoring drives to overcome a litany of self-inflicted wounds and failed attempts to execute. The Longhorns must eliminate the extended lulls that have plagued the offense through four games before a stretch of eight consecutive SEC games begins against the Sooners in Dallas.

The Longhorns controlled their victory over the Volunteers throughout the program’s first-ever trip to Neyland Stadium. Texas (4-0, 1-0 SEC) notched its 12th win over an AP Top 25 opponent since the start of the 2024 season thanks to a defensive effort highlighted by 10 sacks, five of which came from Colin Simmons.

Simmons tied Shane Dronett’s single-game school sack record (set against Texas Tech on Nov. 3, 1990), helping the Longhorns record the second double-digit sack game in school history. With the Texas defensive front dominating Tennessee (3-1, 0-1) at the point of attack, Will Muschamp’s defense held the Vols’ explosive offense to 2.9 yards per play, 1.6 yards per rushing attempt and a 6-for-21 showing on money downs (4-for-17 on third down and 2-for-4 on fourth down).

The coming week will be the 53rd in the history of the AP Poll that the Longhorns have been ranked No. 1. Texas is one week behind Georgia’s 54 weeks at No. 1 for the ninth-most appearances in the AP Poll’s top spot, fitting since the Bulldogs are on the Longhorns’ heels for positioning atop college football’s two major polls.

Texas earned 62 of 70 possible first-place votes from AP Top 25 voters. The remaining eight first-place votes went to No. 2 Georgia (six), No. 4 Miami (one) and No. 6 Indiana (one); No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 5 Ohio State round out the latest top five.

The same is true for the Coaches Poll. The Longhorns got 45 of the 73 first-place votes, followed by the second-ranked Bulldogs (17) and fifth-ranked Hoosiers (eight). The third-ranked Fighting Irish received three votes; the Hurricanes are No. 4 in the Coaches Poll, with the Buckeyes No. 6.

The No. 1 ranking and an undefeated record position Texas as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender entering the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma on Oct. 10 (2:30 p.m., ABC or ESPN). The Longhorns' higher priority is to use the bye week to get healthy and clean things up before their annual grudge match with the Sooners in Dallas, which begins a stretch of eight consecutive SEC games to conclude the regular season.

Although Tennessee dropped to No. 17 after Saturday's loss, the Vols are one of six current AP Top 25 clubs on Texas' SEC schedule. Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1) isn't ranked. Neither are Arkansas or Texas A&M. Still, the Longhorns are scheduled to face No. 8 Florida (Oct. 17), No. 9 Ole Miss (Oct. 24), No. 16 Mississippi State (Oct. 31), No. 25 Missouri (Nov. 7) and No. 11 LSU (Nov. 14) over five consecutive weeks.

Saturday's win over Tennessee validated Steve Sarkisian's belief that his team's big-game experience will be an asset as Texas faces one of the nation's toughest schedules, with the Longhorns winning 12 of their last 17 games against AP Top 25 opponents.

After struggling on the road last season, Sarkisian isn't taking a win over the Vols for granted.

"We’ve got a real schedule," Sarkisian said during his postgame press conference in Knoxville. "That's why I say, 'I'm not going to apologize for winning on the road against a top-15 team,' when other teams don't even play them on the road. We're going to enjoy this. We need to get better. We need to play better. But I know there's more to come. We've got to have a mentality when we go on the road against these good teams that we're going to find a way to win. The easiest way to do that is to play well, but when you're not at your best in one phase or another phase, can you find a way to win the game and then get better going into the next week?”

The Volunteers didn’t score on the drive, one of their 11 possessions that failed to put points on the scoreboard. Will Muschamp’s defense put Josh Heupel’s offense in a vice, with the opponent’s only offensive touchdown coming with 1:22 left in the game.

Still, Simmons’ 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for "simulating using the restroom” after sacking Faizon Brandon in the second quarter was a microcosm of the self-inflicted mistakes that plagued Steve Sarkisian’s team.

Texas (4-0, 1-0 SEC) committed 11 penalties for 115 yards and lost the turnover battle, 1-0 (Arch Manning’s second-quarter interception was the lone turnover for either side). Officials nullified Jermaine Bishop Jr.'s 22-yard punt return in the third quarter after ruling that Ryan Niblett made a hand motion indicating a fair catch. The kicking game gave up a Tennessee (3-1, 0-1) touchdown on a 57-yard punt return by Qua Moss.

The Vols mounted a furious comeback, cutting the deficit to a field goal before recovering an onside kick. Thankfully, the Longhorn defense stepped up and put the kibosh on what would've been an improbable come-from-behind win.

Rasheem Biles sacked Brandon and Hero Kanu forced a holding penalty on Tennessee’s last possession. Jelani McDonald knocked down Brandon's desperation heave to the end zone on the final play of regulation.

The offense slipped gears all day, but Simmons recovered from his forgettable moment when his team needed him. Simmons led a historic defensive charge to get Texas out of Neyland Stadium with a win.

Simmons’ five sacks tied Shane Dronett’s school record for a single game, which the late Longhorn great set against Texas Tech in 1990. The 10 sacks Muschamp’s defense racked up are the second-most ever in program history and, even with Brandon leading a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, the Vols only mustered 221 total yards (2.9 yards per play), went 4-for-17 on third down (2-for-4 on fourth down) and kicked a field goal on their only trip to the red zone.

Sarkisian’s offense heads into the bye week with more questions than answers after an erratic showing. Other than Gianni Spetic’s leg (2-for-2 on field goals, including a 44-yarder in the third quarter), the special teams can’t be considered a strength right now.

Nevertheless, Saturday further proved Muschamp’s defense is championship-caliber. The Longhorns needed every bit of Saturday's performance to head back home with an undefeated record intact.

***

Other than Tennessee’s fourth-quarter touchdown drive, Muschamp’s defense did what he was hired to do.

Texas threw a lot of different looks at Brandon (17-for-29, 145 yards and a touchdown; two net rushing yards on 23 official carries), making it impossible for the Vols to get the passing game going.

Tennessee's best vertical throws were Brandon chunking the ball and hoping for a defensive pass interference call (Bo Mascoe was flagged twice). Brandon’s only completions of 15 yards or more were to Mike Matthews on the Vols’ touchdown drive, including a 30-yard touchdown, with Matthews getting position on Mascoe near the front pylon.

The Longhorns suffocated Tennessee’s ground attack, which finished with 70 net yards on 44 official rushing attempts (1.6 yards per carry). The Vols had 143 sack-adjusted rushing yards (4.2 yards per attempt), well below their three-game season average (298.7 yards per game and 6.7 yards per carry).

Entering the game with an FBS-leading 29 10-plus-yard runs from scrimmage, Muschamp’s defense limited Tennessee to four. It's longest gain was 16 yards on a scramble by Brandon on the touchdown drive.

***

Muschamp brought pressure and played tight man coverage on the back end. A healthy portion of the defense’s success, however, was the defensive line winning in the trenches against the Tennessee offensive line.

Simmons’ redemption arc saw him finish with eight tackles (six solos), a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble. If Zina Umeozulu hadn’t grabbed Brandon’s facemask on the Vols’ last possession, Simmons would’ve had the half-sack he needed to break Dronett’s record.

Simmons, Kanu, Umeozulu, Maraad Watson and Alex January tallied nine of the 10 sacks. Even when Brandon got loose and escaped pressure, Biles (13 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and a quarterback hurry) and Justin Cryer (nine tackles and a pass breakup) were on top of him.

Ian Geffrard had one hurry in the box score. Regardless, the Arkansas transfer made an impact when he was on the field, helping clog the middle of the line to stymie the Tennessee running game.

There shouldn’t be two happier coaches on the team’s flight home than Kenny Baker and LaAllan Clark. Their guys delivered a dominant performance.

***

It’s unrealistic to expect the Texas offense to do what it did on its two touchdown drives over a four-quarter game.

On those two drives, which ended with Raleek Brown (17 carries for 67 yards)rushing touchdowns, the Longhorns were the high-powered, balanced unit everyone expected them to be coming into the season.

— 15 plays

— 135 total yards (9 yards per play)

— Eight first downs

— Manning: 5-for-5 for 87 yards

— 2-for-2 on third down

— 10 carries for 42 yards (4.2 yards per attempt)

— Four explosive plays (Emmett Mosley V’s 43-yard catch, Ryan Wingo’s 18-yard catch on a critical third down and two 10-yard runs by Brown)

— 2-for-2 in the red zone with two touchdowns

— No turnovers

Then, there’s the offense's other 10 possessions:

— 40 plays

— 127 total yards (3.2 yards per play)

— Manning: 9-for-14 for 114 yards

— 1-for-10 on third down

— 26 carries for 19 yards (0.7 yards per attempt)

— Five explosive plays

— 1-for-1 in the red zone with a field goal

— One turnover (an interception thrown by Manning)

***

When the offense was good on Saturday, they met the defense's standard.

Sarkisian, who had another tough outing trying to move the ball against Jim Knowles’ defense (six sacks and 10 tackles for loss), finally ditched the long-developing pass plays that made it hard for Manning to scan the field and pivoted away from pulling linemen in the running game. Texas moved the football when Sarkisian dialed up more quick-hitters on the ground and used hard play-action passes off the run and quick throws (like a 14-yard screen to Wingo on the fourth-quarter touchdown drive) to open windows for Manning.

But when the offense was bad, it was putrid.

If the Longhorns had lost, two scoreless second-quarter drives that started with great field position while the Tennessee medical staff was examining Brandon for a possible shoulder injury might’ve been the Vols’ stay of execution. A two-play drive ended with an interception was followed by a three-and-out, a drive that opened with a 12-yard loss on first down when Manning couldn't handle Connor Robertson's high snap.

The offense wasn't good enough on Saturday. On a day when Texas hoped to find an identity, Sarkisian instead has a slew of inconsistent moments, out-of-sorts play calls, poor execution and self-inflicted wounds to sort through when he deconstructs his team's first regulation road win since the 2024 regular-season finale against Texas A&M.

At least the Longhorns get a bye week to sort things out before heading to Dallas to face Oklahoma.

On Sunday, we’ll revisit the question to see whether Steve Sarkisian’s team answered it successfully.

This week, with No. 1 Texas traveling to No. 14 Tennessee on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC), the question is:

Will the Longhorns start to form an identity on offense against the Vols?

It’s easy to identify the symptoms currently plaguing Sarkisian’s attack. The Longhorns can’t rely on big plays; the passing game hasn’t clicked as expected; and while the offensive line has met or exceeded early-season expectations, Texas doesn't have what could be described as a dominant running game.

Remedies include Arch Manning’s decision-making and Sarkisian’s willingness to establish and stick with a capable ground attack.

However, a lack of identity could be the root cause of what’s ailing the Longhorn offense.

The 2023 offense was rounding into a unit capable of producing Sarkisian’s ideal version of balance when Jonathon Brooks suffered a season-ending knee injury in November. Still, Texas rode an offense that was a top-25 unit nationally on the ground (25th with 188.4 rushing yards per game), through the air (17th with 289.1 passing yards per game) and on the scoreboard (15th with 35.8 points per game) to within one play of playing for a national championship.

The 2024 Longhorns tied a school record with 13 wins thanks to an explosive offense. No offense in FBS had more plays from scrimmage of 20 yards or more than Texas, which racked up 108 in a 16-game season en route to a second consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal berth (the Longhorns tied Ohio State for the fourth-most plays from scrimmage with 244 that went at least 10 yards, tied for fifth in the country in 30-plus-yard plays and ranked seventh in 40-plus-yard plays).

Last season, the offense’s identity could be best described as snap the ball to Manning and hope for something good.

When Manning was dialed in and dealing (wins over Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Michigan), the offense put a winning product on the field. When Manning struggled or didn’t get enough help from the pieces around him (losses to Ohio State, Florida and Georgia), the offense played a significant role in the team coming up short.

Even if Hollywood Smothers (lower leg) is limited or misses Saturday’s game in Knoxville, Sarkisian’s organization acquired enough pieces around Manning to lighten the load. While the Texas offenses in 2024 and 2025 threw the football to set up the run, the 2026 group showed in a 24-23 comeback win over the Buckeyes that they can win being a run-first unit.

Until the big plays become something the Longhorns can rely on, Sarkisian might be better served leaning into the running game, which could limit possessions for an explosive offense like Tennessee's. While it’s unrealistic to expect any offense to execute as well as Texas did down the stretch of the Ohio State game, ending regulation with 15, 13 and 12-play touchdown drives, entering Saturday’s game ranked No. 10 nationally in third-down conversion rate (56.3 percent) is proof that the current offense has the potential to be arguably Sarkisian’s best at executing in critical situations.

Running the football downhill with a fast, physical mentality is a sure-fire way to attack the structural integrity of the three-safety defense Jim Knowles took from Oklahoma State, Ohio State and Penn State to the Vols as Josh Heupel’s defensive coordinator.

Establishing a consistent, productive running game will go a long way toward the Longhorns leaving Neyland Stadium with a win. Texas is 24-2 under Sarkisian when recording 40 or more official rushing attempts in a game, which it didn’t do the last two times Sarkisian’s offense went up against a Knowles-coached defense (a 2021 loss to Oklahoma State and a 2024 loss to Ohio State), averaging 2.7 yards per attempt.

At the same time, Sarkisian's offense executing in critical situations against Knowles’ defense would be a significant step in the right direction for the Longhorn offense. In Sarkisian’s two head-to-head losses to Knowles, his offenses combined to go 10-for-33 on money downs (9-for-30 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth down), turned the ball over four times and went 4-for-6 in the red zone, scoring three touchdowns on six chances inside the 20.

Sarkisian's goal is to call the game however he needs if it ends with Texas staying unbeaten heading into the upcoming bye week. Beyond that, however, boarding the return flight to Austin with something to hang their hat on offensively would ease concerns about the Longhorns' offensive trajectory.