Snap Judgments: No. 7 Texas finishes strong, puts away No. 18 Missouri

Trailing 20-13 with 4:52 left in the third quarter after Missouri’s Naeshaun Montgomery ripped off a 75-yard touchdown, Texas did something I’ve longed to see under Steve Sarkisian.

The Longhorns scored the game’s final 21 points, with 14 in a dominant fourth quarter in Saturday’s 34-20 win over the Tigers in Columbia.

No. 7 Texas (7-2, 4-2 SEC) out-gained 18th-ranked Missouri (6-3, 3-3) by 102 yards (144-42) after falling behind. It played complementary football with Will Muschamp’s defense, which finished strong in the Longhorns’ fourth win of the season over an Associated Press Top 25 opponent.

***

After the Tigers pulled ahead, the Texas defense forced the following outcomes on Missouri’s last five possessions:

— Six plays, punt

— Three-and-out

— Three-and-out

— Three plays, forced fumble (the only turnover forced by the Longhorns)

— Turnover on downs

***
Whether Arch Manning (28-for-38, 297 yards and three touchdowns) fumbled or threw an incomplete pass on third-and-10 from the Tigers’ 39-yard line late in the third quarter will be hotly debated. Still, Emmett Mosley V deserves credit for recovering the football to set up Manning’s game-tying touchdown pass to Jermaine Bishop Jr.

The fortunate sequence gave the Longhorns a chance to close out a quality opponent on the road. Unlike Texas’ wins over Tennessee and Ole Miss, which came down to the last play, the Longhorns were in the victory formation on the last snap of a two-touchdown win over a club that was in the College Football Playoff discussion heading into the weekend.

***
Warren Roberson was picked on throughout the game. While watching the game at OTF Headquarters with Bobby Burton and Rod Babers, Rod reiterated what he mentioned during the second quarter of the “Watch With Us:” If you’re getting picked on as a defensive back, you need to make the opponent pay for it by making a play at some point.

Roberson stepped up when it mattered most.

With Missouri vying for a tying score, Roberson laid the wood to Cayden Lee on third-and-5 catch inside the final two minutes of regulation. Graceson Littleton snagged the loose ball and returned it to the 6-yard line (he should’ve finished off the run in the end zone for a touchdown, but Raleek Brown closed out the scoring three plays later, forcing the Tigers to burn their remaining timeouts).

***
My only legitimate gripe from Saturday’s win is that I can’t believe Sarkisian when he describes the brand of football he wants Texas to play as one that wants to establish the run and play with a physical edge on the ground.

The Longhorns successfully ran the football on Saturday. Brown (85 yards rushing, 23-yard receiving and two touchdowns) had four carries for 36 yards by the 6:43 mark of the first quarter; he had three combined carries in the second and third quarters.

Thankfully, Sarkisian went to Brown in crunch time, putting the ball in his hands five times on a six-play, 54-yard drive, which ended with a 23-yard touchdown catch (Sarkisian drew up a beautiful wheel route for Brown out of the backfield on a score that put Texas ahead for good, 27-20, with 5:03 to play).

***
Manning wasn’t perfect on Saturday, but he’s doing a better job of executing the formula Sarkisian has found that’s worked during the team’s current three-game winning streak. Although the Longhorns still had protection issues on attempted deep shots, the quick game got Manning into a rhythm and opened up the intermediate and deep throws he connected on down the stretch.

***
Even when adjusting Missouri’s rushing yards to exclude sacks, Texas held the Tigers to 94 yards (4.1 yards per attempt). Missouri's 84 net yards (3.5 yards per carry) are the second-fewest for the Tigers this season, with SEC rushing leader Jamal Roberts (66 yards, 3.5 yards per attempt) recording his third-worst outing of the season.

Only three of Missouri’s 23 non-sack rushing attempts went for 10 or more yards.

Even after Ryan Niblett fumbled a kickoff return and Mac Chiumento (36 yards per punt) struggled to flip the field, the Longhorns didn’t lose the kicking-game battle. Missouri missed two field goals and Texas blocked a punt, with Jonathan Cunningham doing the honors in the second quarter.

***

The Longhorns achieved what should’ve been one of their primary objectives on Saturday by winning in the red zone.

Texas went 4-for-4 in the red zone and scored 20 points inside the Tigers’ 20-yard line, improving to an SEC-best 16-for-16 (11 touchdowns) in conference play. Missouri scored only 10 points on three red-zone trips, including a missed field goal.

***

I loved Bo Mascoe's tackle on Lee late in the first half. Lee’s forward progress denied Jelani McDonald a potential long return on a forced fumble. Still, Mascoe denied the Tigers a potential 2-for-1 scoring opportunity by fighting through a block to stop Lee short of a first down on a well-defended perimeter screen.

***

The guys dealing with injuries who tried to play deserve a tip of the cap.

— Littleton had four tackles and set up Brown’s game-ending touchdown run with a fumble return.

— Colin Simmons didn’t look anywhere close to 100 percent healthy. Nevertheless, anybody who wondered whether the future first-round pick would pack it in and preserve his health for the 2027 draft has their answer. It means something to Simmons to wear the burnt orange.

— Ryan Wingo had six catches for 53 yards, including a 12-yard reception two plays before Brown’s go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

— Kade Phillips had two tackles and spelled Roberson. He came in for a struggling Roberson and finished off a first-half drive that ended with Missouri missing a field goal.

***

When the Tigers had the ball in a tie game with 9:42 remaining, Juice Cryer’s tackle for loss and Colton Vasek’s sack of Austin Simmons (23-for-43, 252 yards and two touchdowns) led to a critical three-and-out. The offense turned favorable field position into the go-ahead touchdown drive.

***

Good things happened when Sarkisian tried to get the ball to Bishop, who wasn't targeted in the first half. Bishop was targeted five times in the second half, recording four catches for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Bishop also drew a defensive pass interference call on a deep ball, which might've been a touchdown if he hadn't been grabbed.

***

Saturday's win means the rest of the regular season. The Longhorns head to Baton Rouge to face LSU next Saturday, playing with house money; as long as Texas doesn't get blown out, the CFP selection committee has positioned the Longhorns to get into the 12-team field with a 9-3 record.

That's only possible because Texas put its foot on Missouri's throat when it mattered.