'A problem' in his Texas debut, Rasheem Biles named co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week

AUSTIN, Texas — Rasheem Biles' impact in his Texas debut made a strong impression on the SEC office. Strong enough to garner co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors, the league announced Monday.

The weekly recognition comes on the heels of Biles recording five tackles, half of a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and an interception in a 59-7 season-opening rout of Texas State.

Biles’ forced fumble in the second quarter was scooped up by Graceson Littleton, who returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. His third-quarter interception of an attempted screen pass inside the Bobcats’ 40-yard line led a three-play touchdown drive, which ended with a 21-yard touchdown run by Raleek Brown.

Throughout preseason practice, Steve Sarkisian said Biles was “a problem” on the practice field, similar to how he’s described Colin Simmons’ on-field impact. Sarkisian said the same thing about the Pitt transfer on Monday, lauding everything Biles brings to the table ahead of the Longhorns’ highly anticipated clash with No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ESPN).

“He's a problem because he has a unique skill set. In high school, this guy was a DB, so he's got coverage skills; he's got route recognition; but on top of that, he's got instincts that are hard to quantify,” Sarkisian said. “The screen he gets the interception on, they were trying to deceive us with a bolt motion by the running back with kind of a tunnel screen coming back inside and he sees it, puts his foot in the ground. There's certain guys that the ball finds them or you can say they find the ball.

“He almost recovers the fumble that Maraad (Watson) causes, too. Not to mention, there's not many guys that are in a hole where there's about a five-yard space that would think, 'Here comes a runner, and my first thought is I'm going to six-inch punch the ball as I'm striking him in the face.’ Most guys are thinking, 'Just get him on the ground.' But he plays the game on another level intellectually,” he added. “A lot of guys probably can do that; he has the skill set to match it, to have the ability to do that. We're fortunate because he is versatile. He can play in pass coverage. He can play the run. He can rush the quarterback. He's got ball skills. He's got instincts. All of those things add up to he's a problem.”

Texas needs Biles to be a problem when the top-ranked Buckeyes come to town on Saturday. A Columbus native, Biles, who attended Pickerington Central, admitted during a preseason media availability that he didn’t consider returning home to play for Ohio State when he entered the transfer portal.

“They called, but I’m not — I didn’t want to stay in Columbus, if I’m being honest,” Biles said. “Obviously, we’ve got agents and made my list. I told my mom, ‘Columbus?‘I ain’t really trying to be in Columbus. I ain’t trying to be a Buckeye. They didn’t want me out of high school and I was right there; no point in trying to get me now.

“I’m excited for that game, definitely,” Biles said. “That’s circled on my calendar, for sure.”