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    Jeff Howe
    One of the few times Texas attacked the line of scrimmage with multiple defenders against Texas State was one of the plays made in the 59-7 win over the Bobcats that needs to carry over to the Longhorns’ blockbuster non-conference battle with No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC).
    After Texas State converted a third-and-4 on its opening drive, it tried to crank up the tempo. While trying to catch Will Muschamp’s defense flat-footed on second-and-6 from the Bobcats’ 40-yard line, Rasheem Biles and Justin Cryer busted loose into the backfield. Torrance Burgess Jr. slipped away from the Texas linebackers, but Jelani McDonald was right there to clean up the play, resulting in the defense’s first tackle for loss of 2026.
    Texas State’s average to-go distance on third down was 4.3 yards. The Bobcats faced third-and-4 or less on nine (5-for-9) of the 14 times (8-for-14) they lined up to try and move the sticks on third down.
    Expect Muschamp to be more aggressive on early downs to try and get the Buckeyes behind the chains. Ohio State was 5-for-11 on third down in its 56-3 season-opening win over Ball State, with an average to-go distance of 8.1 yards, which is how the Longhorns would prefer the Buckeyes to operate on critical downs.
    ***
    Texas has held Ohio State to a 6-for-22 mark on third down in the last two meetings. Still, the Buckeyes’ combined 2-for-3 mark on fourth down in their two wins over the Longhorns went a long way toward deciding the outcome; one of the conversions was Will Howard’s 18-yard run on fourth-and-2 in the Cotton Bowl en route to the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, while the other was CJ Donaldson’s 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal in Columbus last season.
    Texas held Texas State to a 1-for-3 mark on fourth down, with the first stop coming long before the outcome was decided. After Biles made a tremendous play in space to stop Brad Jackson for a 2-yard loss on third-and-2 from the Longhorns’ 40-yard line, Alex January got the defense off the field by sticking his paw up and knocking Jackson’s fourth-and-4 pass attempt to the ground.
    The Bobcats called a good fourth-down play, with Chris Dawn Jr. and Blake Smith crossing up Cryer and Graceson Littleton in coverage. Thankfully, January made the kind of play the Longhorns must get to flip the script in the Ohio State series.
    ***
    Steve Sarkisian needs to be at his best as a play-caller if Texas is going to get the scarlet-and-gray monkey off its back. That will require setting up big plays the way he did on the offense’s second possession.
    A swing pass to Raleek Brown helped set up Arch Manning’s 21-yard completion to Ryan Wingo on fourth-and-2 from the Texas State 40-yard line in the second quarter. On both plays, Sarkisian sent Nick Townsend in motion from the short side of the field to the wide side, forming a trey set (a tight end and two receivers on one side of the field in a three-by-one formation).
    On the pass to Brown, Townsend motioned toward the field as a lead blocker, leading the way for Brown’s 11-yard gain. The Longhorns ran the same action on fourth-and-2 and, with Townsend and Brown selling the swing pass, Manning’s slight pump fake sold the short pass long enough to hold the Bobcat defenders and allow Wingo to get open down the sideline.
    ***
    The game has slowed down significantly for Manning since he walked into the Horseshoe for last season’s opener for his third carrier start. More in tune with the offense and playing off his instincts, Manning selling the swing pass to Brown before hitting Wingo for a chunk-yardage play on fourth down was one of several plays he made that can’t be appreciated if you’re only looking at the box score.
    On the Texas offense’s third scoring drive, Manning made a savvy play after getting the Bobcats to jump into the neutral zone on third-and-9 from the Texas State 46. Instead of taking a deep shot or taking a risk he otherwise wouldn’t, knowing he had an upcoming third-and-4 in his back pocket, Manning carried out the play, slinging the ball to Hollywood Smothers for an 11-yard gain and a first down at the Bobcats’ 35-yard line.
    Six plays later, Raleek Brown scored from 13-yard out behind Townsend and Trevor Goosby to make it a three-score game, 21-0. What Manning did leading up to the touchdown, including a 16-yard pickup on a pass to Wingo out of a scramble situation and a quick pass to Townsend for nine yards on first down from the Texas State 21, are tangible signs that the Buckeyes aren’t facing the same quarterback they saw last season.
    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).
    Jeff Howe
    Arch Manning’s performance in Saturday’s 59-7 season-opening win over Texas State mirrored the product No. 5 Texas put on the field.
    Manning opened the 2026 season completing 20 of 27 passes for 305 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Like the Longhorns as a group, Manning had plenty of good things he can take away from the first game of the season (two touchdown passes to Cam Coleman, a 7-for-8 day throwing the ball on third down and leading two touchdown drives to start the second half after a sloppy sequence before halftime) and a few things he’d like to have back (an interception in the end zone on the last play of the first half).
    Overall, Manning and the Longhorns have enough things to fix coming out of the game that they should keep them from riding high for too long, especially with the countdown to a showdown with No. 1 Ohio State underway in earnest.
    ***
    For the most part, when Manning was behind center, Texas State's defense was in a single-high safety look for most of the game. The Bobcats devoted more resources to stopping the run after Texas got the ground attack going early, which is when Manning started to push the ball down the field.
    Eight of Manning’s 20 completions were explosive (15 or more yards), including a 44-yarder to Coleman (three catches for 70 yards) and a 45-yard strike to Ryan Wingo (seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half).
    ***
    While the deep ball carried the passing game Saturday, a couple of Manning’s clutch throws were the kind of layups Steve Sarkisian has said Manning needs to hit more frequently.
    One was when he got Texas State to jump into the neutral zone on third-and-9, resulting in a swing pass to Hollywood Smothers (70 yards rushing, 28 yards receiving and a 13-yard touchdown catch) for 11 yards and a first down (Raleek Brown scored six plays later). The other was a fourth-and-4 strike to Emmett Mosley V (37 yards on three receptions), which gained seven yards as Manning made the throw (from the hash mark closest to the home sideline going into the visiting sideline) look effortless.
    ***
    What was disappointing about Manning’s interception into a crowd of Texas State defenders is that he eliminated those kinds of mistakes in the second half of last season. Hopefully, it was a first-game mistake and Manning will reserve the right to kick a field goal and get points for the offense in those situations going forward.
    ***
    Raleek Brown’s (34 yards rushing and two touchdowns) aforementioned 13-yard touchdown run in the second quarter capped an impressive 13-play, 80-yard drive after the Bobcats missed a field goal. That drive featured some of the best and most consistent blocking the Texas offensive line has ever put on display this early in the season under Steve Sarkisian.
    With the tight ends (namely Nick Townsend and Spencer Shannon) setting a physical tone, the Longhorns owned the line of scrimmage, converting a second-and-1 (a 5-yard run by Cooper) and a third-and-1 (a 5-yard run by Smothers) en route to the end zone.
    Unfortunately, the combination of Texas State sending more bodies toward the line of scrimmage, Texas going with fewer multiple-tight-end sets and the Longhorns looking like they weren’t staying on their blocks long enough to let runs get beyond the line of scrimmage caused the running game to bog down.
    Sarkisian called a delayed handoff/draw for Brown in the third quarter, which got him into the end zone from 21 yards out essentially untouched. It was a welcome sight.
    Still, as high as the highs were on Saturday, the lows felt a little too low when Texas tried to pound the rock.
    ***
    Between the high-risk, high-reward nature of Will Muschamp’s defense (on top of what seemed like a bland game plan), the explosive nature of Texas State’s offense and the tempo the Bobcats utilize, it should’ve been expected that the Longhorns would give up some big plays.
    While Texas was torched too many times for comfort (three 15-plus-yard passes and five rushing attempts of at least 10 yards), the Longhorns earned their three takeaways.
    Rasheem Biles and Maraad Watson punched the football loose twice and Biles watched Brad Jackson’s eyes the whole way on an attempted screen pass he intercepted.
    Muschamp’s defense can give up plays here and there, as long as they make more than they give up. That was the case on Saturday.
    ***
    Although the Bobcats got loose in coverage more than a few times, attacking the Texas defense at the second level and in the middle of the field in the process, it felt like the Longhorns tackled well. Credit to Jonah Williams for an open-field tackle on Chris Dawn Jr. to limit a catch-and-run on an angle route out of the backfield to a 22-yard gain (Biles’ forced fumble and Graceson Littleton’s scoop-and-score came one play later).
    Muschamp’s crew at least made Texas State earn its chunk-yardage plays.
    ***
    The defense has areas of concern. Namely, how the linebackers and safeties will hold up in coverage against the Buckeyes and beyond and too many runs that helped the Bobcats stay on schedule (Texas State’s average to-go distance on third down was 4.3 yards).
    Nevertheless, I’d expect Muschamp to show a lot more against Ohio State, which won’t test Texas the same way the Bobcats did (tempo, wide splits on the outside and a massive offensive line are veer-and-shoot staples that make GJ Kinne’s offense tough to deal with for four quarters).
    ***
    The Longhorns had four accepted penalties for 35 yards in the opener. Compared to a penalty-riddled 2025 season, that would’ve tied the Oklahoma game for the season-low in penalties and been the second-lowest penalty yardage total of the season (31 against the Sooners).
    ***
    Speaking of penalties, what more does Colin Simmons, who recovered the fumble Watson forced, have to do to draw a holding call?
    ***
    All told, the win over Texas State was as good an outing as Sarkisian and Texas could’ve hoped for.
    There were a lot of good things to take away and be excited about going forward, but there's a lot to clean up before Ohio State comes to town.
    Jeff Howe
    The first official Texas depth chart of the 2026 season was released a few hours before Saturday’s season opener against Texas State.
    Here’s who Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorn coaches plan on featuring in the first game of his sixth season on the Forty Acres:
    OFFENSE
    QUARTERBACK
    1. (16) Arch Manning (6-4, 222, Sr.-2L)
    2. (9) Karle “KJ” Lacey Jr. (6-0, 188, Soph.-SQ)
    3. (6) Dia Bell (6-3, 206, Fr.-HS)
    RUNNING BACK
    1. (2) Hollywood Smothers (5-11, 196, Sr.-TR) — OR — (0) Raleek Brown (5-9, 193, 5YSr.-TR)
    2. (5) Derrek Cooper (6-1, 212, Fr.-HS)
    RUNNING BACK
    1. (11) Michael Terry III (6-3, 229, Soph.-SQ)
    2. (21) Ryan Niblett (5-10, 189, Sr.-1L)
    3. (31) James Simon (5-11, 208, Soph.-SQ)
    WIDE RECEIVER (Z)
    1. (8) Cam Coleman (6-3, 204, Jr.-TR)
    2. (18) Sterling Berkhalter (6-3, 196, 5YSr.-TR)
    3. (13) Kohen Brown (6-0, 202, Fr.-HS)
    WIDE RECEIVER (H)
    1. (3) Emmett Mosley V (6-2, 199, Jr.-1L)
    2. (4) Jermaine Bishop Jr. (6-0, 166, Fr.-HS) — OR — (17) Daylan McCutcheon (5-11, 183, Soph.-1L)
    WIDE RECEIVER (Z)
    1. (1) Ryan Wingo (6-2, 214, Jr.-2L)
    2. (7) Kaliq Lockett (6-2, 181, Soph.-SQ)
    3. (14) Chris Stewart (6-0, 184, Fr.-HS)
    TIGHT END (Y)
    1. (83) Spencer Shannon (6-7, 260, Sr.-2L) — OR — (15) Michael Masunas (6-5, 259, 5YSr.-TR)
    TIGHT END (H)
    1. (81) Nick Townsend (6-3, 250, Soph.-1L) — OR — (85) Emaree Winston (6-1, 245, Soph.-1L)
    3. (87) Will Randle (6-4, 249, Sr.-SQ)
    LEFT TACKLE
    1. (74) Trevor Goosby (6-7, 325, Sr.-2L)
    2. (77) Andre Cojoe (6-6, 339, Sr.-1L)
    LEFT GUARD
    1. (56) Dylan Sikorski (6-4, 335, Jr.-TR) — OR — (50) Laurence Seymore III (6-2, 316, 5YSr.-TR)
    CENTER
    1. (62) Connor Robertson (6-4, 316, 5YSr.-3L)
    2. (76) Jackson Christian (6-5, 308, Soph.-SQ)
    RIGHT GUARD
    1. (73) Brandon Baker (6-4, 315, Jr.-2L)
    2. (58) Devin Coleman (6-5, 340, Soph.-SQ) — OR — (75) Jaydon Chatman (6-4, 330, Sr.-2L)
    RIGHT TACKLE
    1. (71) Melvin Siani (6-6, 317, Sr.-TR)
    2. (79) Jonte Newman (6-4, 310, Soph.-TR)
    DEFENSE
    JACK
    1. (1) Colin Simmons (6-3, 246, Jr.-2L)
    2. (99) Richard Wesley (6-4, 258, Fr.-HS)
    DEFENSIVE TACKLE
    1. (93) Hero Kanu (6-5, 309, Sr.-1L)
    2. (15) Justus Terry (6-5, 289, Soph.-1L)
    3. (33) Myron Charles (6-4, 312, Soph.-SQ)
    DEFENSIVE TACKLE
    1. (88) Maraad Watson (6-3, 333, Jr.-1L)
    2. (97) Alex January (6-5, 308, Jr.-2L)
    NOSE TACKLE
    1. (95) Ian Geffrard (6-5, 375, Sr.-TR)
    2. (90) Josiah Sharma (6-4, 341, Soph.-SQ)
    END
    1. (40) Lance Jackson (6-5, 274, Soph.-1L)
    2. (19) Zina Umeozulu (6-5, 272, Jr.-1L)
    WLB
    1. (3) Rasheem Biles (6-1, 222, Sr.-TR)
    2. (18) Kosi Okpala (6-3, 235, Fr.-HS)
    MLB
    1. (28) Justin Cryer (6-1, 241, Sr.-TR)
    2. (14) Brad Spence (6-2, 249, Sr.-1L)
    SLB
    1. (14) Brad Spence (6-2, 249, Sr.-1L)
    2. (92) Colton Vasek (6-5, 252, Sr.-2L)
    CORNERBACK
    1. (8) Kade Phillips (6-0, 191, Soph.-1L)
    2. (11) Samari Matthews (6-1, 197, Fr.-HS)
    FIELD SAFETY
    1. (6) Kobe Black (6-2, 202, Jr.-2L)
    2. (2) Derek Williams Jr. (6-2, 199, Sr.-2L)
    BOUNDARY SAFETY
    1. (4) Jelani McDonald (6-2, 201, Sr.-3L)
    2. (9) Jonah Williams (6-3, 210, Soph.-1L)
    CORNERBACK
    1. (5) Bo Mascoe (5-11, 199, Sr.-TR)
    2. (24) Warren Roberson (6-0, 189, Sr.-2L)
    NICKEL
    1. (29) Graceson Littleton (6-0, 182, Soph.-1L)
    2. (17) Xavier Filsaime (6-1, 193, Jr.-2L)
    SPECIAL TEAMS
    PUNTER
    1. (43) Mac Chiumento (6-4, 228, 5YSr.-TR)
    2. (45) Mikey Bukauskas (6-2, 210, Fr.-HS)
    KICKER
    1. (44) Gianni Spetic (6-3, 221, Sr.-TR)
    2. (49) Jake Collett (6-0, 182, Fr.-HS)
    KICKOFF
    1. (44) Gianni Spetic (6-3, 221, Sr.-TR)
    2. (49) Jake Collett (6-0, 182, Fr.-HS)
    SNAPPER
    1. Trey Dubuc (6-1, 213, Sr.-TR)
    2. Trott O’Neill (6-1, 224, Fr.-HS)
    HOLDER
    1. (43) Mac Chiumento (6-4, 228, 5YSr.-TR)
    2. (45) Mikey Bukauskas (6-2, 210, Fr.-HS)
    KICKOFF RETURN
    1. (21) Ryan Niblett (5-10, 189, Sr.-1L) — AND —  (0) Raleek Brown (5-9, 193, 5YSr.-TR)
    PUNT RETURN
    1. (21) Ryan Niblett (5-10, 189, Sr.-1L)
    2. (4) Jermaine Bishop Jr. (6-0, 166, Fr.-HS)
    Jeff Howe
    It’s time to tackle “One Burning Question,” an On Texas Football in-season feature where we’ll examine a significant question facing the Texas Longhorns entering a game.
    On Sunday, we’ll revisit the question to see whether Steve Sarkisian’s team answered it successfully.
    This week, with No. 5 Texas hosting Texas State in the 2026 season opener on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ESPN), the question is:
    How will the Texas pass defense fare in its first test under Will Muschamp?
    Had his reasons for moving on from Pete Kwiatkowski and bringing Muschamp back to the Forty Acres to run the defense. Arguably the most significant reason why Sarkisian pulled the trigger on the most notable staff change of his tenure after the Longhorns were officially left out of the College Football Playoff, however, was Kwiatkowski’s inability to tie his fronts and coverages together consistently.
    Other than the 2024 season, when Jahdae Barron emerged as an All-American en route to winning the Jim Thorpe Award, with a healthy Andrew Mukuba further elevating a secondary that was the defense’s Achilles’ heel in 2023, Kwiatkowski never found the front-to-back synergy at Texas that he had when Chris Petersen paired him with Jimmy Lake at Washington a decade ago.
    Things came to a head last season in SEC play.
    The Longhorns allowed 92 completions of 10 or more yards in eight conference games, with Vanderbilt’s 94 preventing Kwiatkowski's defense from falling to the bottom of the SEC in that category. The 32 completions of 20 or more yards Texas surrendered tied Mississippi State for the league's second-worst mark.
    Kwiatkowski’s unit intercepted 16 passes in 2025 (the second-most in the SEC), including nine in conference play. Still, the Longhorns were saddled with the SEC’s second-worst pass defense in league games (280.8 yards per game allowed).
    Only Sarkisian knows which straw broke the camel’s back. When push came to shove, the opportunity to hire Muschamp, whose specialty is the secondary, superseded the changes needed to make it more conducive for Kwiatkowski to return for a sixth season.
    There was more than one way to interpret Sarkisian declaring Muschamp as the head coach of the defense upon his hiring. One of the most significant changes is that while Kwiatkowski handled the defensive front and left the back end to his defensive pass game coordinator (Terry Joseph for four seasons and Duane Akina in 2025), Muschamp is responsible for calling fronts and coverages on game day.
    One message coming from one voice could be what the Longhorns need to field a championship-caliber defense. The 2026 season isn’t conducive to succeeding on defense amid communication breakdowns, with Texas set to face the best regular-season slate of quarterbacks the program has had to deal with since Muschamp’s first season with the program in 2008, when the Longhorns faced two eventual Heisman Trophy winners (Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III) and five other quarterbacks who went on to play in the NFL.
    The run of difference-making signal callers begins on Saturday, when Texas goes up against Texas State’s Brad Jackson. With a pair of 1,000-yard wideouts at Jackson’s disposal in Beau Sparks (1,200 yards last season) and Chris Dawn Jr. (1,007 yards in 2025), the Bobcats will test the Longhorns more than a typical Group of Six offense in an opening game.
    Texas handling the Texas State passing game comfortably won’t signal that Muschamp’s defense is destined to dominate its competition. It would, however, be a massive step in the right direction and should give Muschamp’s unit a shot in the arm ahead of Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and the Ohio State aerial attack coming to town.
    An offseason in which the defense showed flashes of being the havoc-causing unit capable of making more plays when the ball is in the air than it gives up is in the books. On Saturday, it’ll be time to see if Muschamp’s second tour of duty in Austin has the potential to be as successful as his first and whether Sarkisian’s call to bring him back was the right one for the Longhorns.
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