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    Jeff Howe
    With Emmett Mosley V hopefully making his Texas debut on Saturday, when the ninth-ranked Longhorns travel to the Swamp to face Florida (2:30 p.m., ESPN), and the Gators expected to have true freshman Dallas Wilson available for the first time this season, Arch Manning and DJ Lagway could get some much-needed perimeter weaponry for their respective offenses.
    If Mosley and Wilson are on the field, the wide receivers might do more than beef up the Texas (3-1) and Florida (1-3, 0-1 SEC) passing games. Stressing the opposing defense enough to give the running game a boost could be the difference between winning and losing, especially if the weather gets sloppy and the ground attacks become more of a factor.
    Neither running game has set the world on fire through four games. Based on the raw yardage output, the Longhorns have been good, ranking 37th nationally and seventh in the SEC in rushing yards per game (202.8).
    Still, the team’s average yards per rushing attempt (4.89) is behind last season’s pace (5.01) with one quarter of the regular season in the books.
    Getting Quintrevion Wisner and potentially C.J. Baxter Jr. back will give Texas two proven commodities in the backfield. The return of either runner will take some of the running game burden away from Arch Manning, although his legs will likely continue to be a major part of Steve Sarkisian's game plan.
    Where Wisner and Baxter need to make an impact is their ability to maximize runs. That’s one way to bring some juice to a running game lacking explosiveness.
    Texas has 24 rushing attempts that have gone for 10 or more yards this season, which ranks ninth in the SEC. Alabama and Oklahoma are the only SEC clubs with fewer rushing attempts that have gained 20 or more yards than the Longhorns (three), none of which have come from running backs.
    Manning’s 20-yard touchdown run on a scramble against San Jose State and two big gains in the Sam Houston game by Ryan Wingo (32 yards on an end-around) and Matthew Caldwell (an option keeper for 50 yards) account for the offense’s three longest rushing attempts from scrimmage. Baxter had an 18-yard run against San Jose State, which is the longest by a Texas running back this season.
    With running backs Jaden Baugh and Ja’Kobi Jackson back from last season, along with four starting offensive linemen (preseason All-American Jake Slaughter and preseason All-SEC pick Austin Barber among them), Florida’s running game has the pieces to be arguably the best in the SEC.
    Instead, the Gators are averaging 123 yards per game, which is the third-worst in the conference and No. 106 in FBS.
    Florida averages less than four yards per rushing attempt (3.94) and, like Texas, hasn’t been able to lean on big plays on the ground. Alabama’s offense is the only SEC attack with fewer rushing attempts that have gained 10 or more yards than the Gators (13), who’ve matched the Longhorns’ three gains from scrimmage of 20 or more yards (a 27-yard run by Jackson in a road loss to Miami is the longest gain on the ground for Florida through four games).
    Whether either running game gets untracked on Saturday will be easier said than done.
    Texas is No. 3 nationally against the run (59.8 yards per game allowed), leads the SEC in yards per rushing attempt allowed (2.13), has held five consecutive opponents to under 100 yards rushing and has allowed only five rushing attempts to go for 10 or more yards. The Gators are a top-40 defense nationally against the run (111.3 yards per game and 3.37 yards per attempt allowed) with a Pro Football Focus team tackling grade of 85.7, which is the second-best in the SEC and ranks No. 6 in the country.
    While the Longhorns cruised to a win in last year’s meeting with Florida, with a 49-17 drubbing in Austin, Anthony Hill Jr. remembers the Gators rushing for 197 yards. Florida’s output was second to Arizona State’s 214-yard effort in the Peach Bowl for the most rushing yards allowed by the Texas defense in 2024.
    With Billy Napier’s offense returning a lot of the pieces the Longhorns saw last season, they're preparing for a fierce trench battle on Saturday.
    “We know the type of athletes they have,” Hill said on Monday. “We know who they recruit — we've probably lost some recruits to them — so we know they have the athletes. We're just going to go out there and play the best football we can.”
    Jeff Howe
    When the dust settles on Saturday’s SEC action, including a pair of top-25 showdowns — No. 13 Ole Miss hosts No. 4 LSU in Oxford and No. 5 Georgia welcomes No. 17 Alabama to Athens — everyone will get a better feel for the conference pecking order entering October.
    The good news for Texas, even with an open date on the schedule, is that more football must be played before clear-cut frontrunners for SEC Championship Game berths emerge.
    The Longhorns, who’ve spent 36 consecutive weeks ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25, might not get another chance to prove themselves to the rest of the country as a championship-caliber squad until Nov. 15, which will mark their third meeting with Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs in 393 days. If Texas dispatches a reeling Florida squad in Gainesville next Saturday, upends an Oklahoma club without the services of John Mateer and gets through a run of games against Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt unscathed, it won’t move the needle nationally.
    Still, even if the Longhorns get the Gators’ best shot, the Sooners get Mateer back from his recent hand surgery in time for the Red River Shootout and the Wildcats, Bulldogs and Commodores prove themselves to be more formidable foes than what they appear to be on paper, it shouldn’t matter to Steve Sarkisian or anyone else inside the Moncrief Complex. With all due respect to the team’s upcoming SEC opponents, Texas must continue to look within and focus on self-improvement. Failing to embody the “being enamored us” mantra that’s driven the Longhorns to 28 wins in their last 34 games would greatly enhance the odds of Texas slipping up before the team’s second bye week (Nov. 8).
    Last Saturday’s 55-0 win over Sam Houston didn’t put the Longhorns in the fast lane to Atlanta in and of itself. Nevertheless, there were enough positive things that happened in the game that, if built on properly, can form an identity Texas could ride into the College Football Playoff.
    Specifically, the split zone RPO, which is enhanced by Arch Manning’s running ability, has the makings to be the focal point of the offense’s identity in the red zone. Instead of waiting, hoping the offensive line gets to a point where it can consistently win in short-yardage situations, the split zone RPO gives Kyle Flood’s group much-needed margin for error.
    DeAndre Moore Jr.’s return from injury provided a huge lift for the offense last Saturday. How much higher is the offense’s ceiling when Moore, C.J. Baxter Jr., Quintrevion Wisner and Emmett Mosley V are a part of Sarkisian’s game plan?
    Then there’s Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense, which has held its last five opponents to under 100 yards rushing, including Ohio State twice.
    The Longhorns have forced six turnovers in their last three games. The takeaways were evenly split between fumble recoveries (three) and interceptions (three), proving the defense can dominate the ball in multiple ways.
    Even with Anthony Hill Jr. (16 tackles, one tackle for loss and two fumble recoveries) and Colin Simmons (six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries) off to slow starts, Texas is holding opponents to an SEC-leading 3.58 yards per play (No. 5 nationally in total defense, allowing 211 yards per game). The Longhorns lead the conference in scoring defense (7.8 points per game allowed, which is No. 4 in FBS) and is among the top 10 nationally against the run, the pass and on third down.
    Texas can't do anything about the state in which their next five opponents arrive on game day. With that said, if the Longhorns handle their business and start to establish consistency, the last three games of the regular season will look a lot less daunting than they might appear, while positioning Texas for a finish befitting a team that benefitted from early-season growing pains.
    Jeff Howe
    At some point, opposing quarterbacks must stop picking on Jelani McDonald.
    According to Pro Football Focus, McDonald has been targeted 15 times in coverage through four games. That’s No. 1 among SEC safeties, and tied for 20th among FBS safeties, but McDonald has made teams pay for throwing in his direction.
    McDonald has allowed eight receptions for 76 yards (9.5 yards per reception). With two interceptions (PFF also has him down for one dropped interception), McDonald has held opposing quarterbacks to a paltry 28.1 NFL passer rating when targeting him.
    A dynamic athlete Texas recruited out of Waco Connally in the 2023 cycle, McDonald has thankfully found a position where he’s flourishing, quickly growing into one of the most impactful defensive backs in the SEC.
    “When we recruited him out of high school, we didn't really know what [position] we were going to play him,” Steve Sarkisian said after McDonald intercepted a pass and recorded a tackle for loss in last Saturday’s 55-0 win over Sam Houston. McDonald is targeted once every 7.2 coverage snaps, which ranks 14th among SEC safeties who’ve logged at least 20 coverage snaps, according to PFF.
    McDonald, whose 115 coverage snaps are the fifth-most by an SEC safety, has cushioned the blow the safety room absorbed when Andrew Mukuba’s eligibility expired at the end of the 2024 season.
    “He was playing high school quarterback and, initially, we thought he was going to be a linebacker. When he got here, we moved him to corner, then he found his way back at safety, so his development has been different,” Sarkisian said regarding McDonald’s development. “He's always been very physically gifted, but learning to play the game from that perspective is a little bit different when you've been an offensive type of player. But, to his credit, he's worked on his craft.”
    The Longhorns will face tougher challenges when the conference schedule begins next Saturday, when No. 10 Texas hits the road to face Florida (2:30 p.m., ABC). Still, with Michael Taaffe owning PFF's eighth-best coverage grade among SEC safeties (80.2), a top-tier safety tandem will go a long way toward the Longhorns developing into a championship-caliber pass defense, especially if McDonald continues his current upward trajectory.
    "Jelani has his physical ability, but now he's really tapping into the mental side of the game," Sarkisian said. "He's communicating at a high level, but his play-making ability is obviously elite. He's a great tackler — probably one of our best tacklers on our team. His ball skills are really good. I just think his confidence and who he's become as a leader, I think, has probably been the most impressive thing. This guy's a real leader on our team — he was a captain tonight — so I'm just really proud of all that he's done to get to this point in his career."
    Jeff Howe
    The Texas offense didn’t resolve all of its issues in last Saturday’s 55-0 win over Sam Houston.
    Still, getting DeAndre Moore Jr. back from injury went a long way toward helping the Longhorns cultivate an offensive identity heading into SEC play. A player that Steve Sarkisian said on Monday is “part of our personality,” Moore returned to action following an injury sustained during the team’s 38-7 win over San Jose State on Sept. 6, which caused him to miss the 27-10 win over UTEP on Sept. 13, with a five-catch, 79-yard effort in the victory, closing out the team's non-conference schedule with a bang.
    Moore's five receptions came on five targets, showing his value in the passing game by catching ball within each of the four passing depths tracked by Pro Football Focus: one catch for eight yards behind the line of scrimmage, two catches for 17 yards on short (0-9 yards down the field) passes, one catch for 16 yards on intermediate throws (10-19 yards) and a 38-yard catch on a deep (20 or more yards) ball from Arch Manning.
    Moore has a season-long PFF receiving grade of 72.6, which leads all Texas wideouts and ranks second to Emaree Winston (84.6) among all Longhorns on offense. Of Moore’s 13 targets, five have been behind the line of scrimmage (five catches for 18 yards, with 33 yards after the catch), three have been on short throws (26 yards on three receptions), four have come on intermediate throws (two receptions for 33 yards) and the deep shot against Sam Houston is the only time Moore has been targeted 20 or more yards down the field.
    Where Manning has struggled, and where Moore can help him evolve as a quarterback capable of attacking multiple levels of the field, is in the intermediate game.
    Before the Sam Houston game, Manning was 7-for-21 for 115 yards with a touchdown, two interceptions and two turnover-worthy plays (according to PFF, a TWP is a pass that has a high percentage chance to be intercepted or a poor job of taking care of the ball and fumbling) on intermediate throws. In the win over the Bearkats, Manning’s 16-yard connection with Moore was part of a 5-for-6, 77-yard night with a touchdown (a 13-yard RPO glance to Ryan Wingo) and no turnover-worthy plays.
    Along with the 16-yard catch, Moore was 21 yards down the field when Manning hit him for the 38-yarder, which was highlighted by Moore gaining 17 yards after the catch.
    “What DeAndre brings is our ability to work the middle of the field really well, and I think we saw that tonight,” Sarkisian said after the game. He highlighted Moore’s 16-yard catch, which came on third-and-9 on the offense’s first possession, a 12-play, 76-yard drive capped by Jerrick Gibson’s 13-yard touchdown run.
    Moore has turned 84.6 percent of his targets into receptions, which is a higher percentage than Parker Livingstone (73.3), Jack Endries (70) or Wingo (44.8) have turned in among Texas players who’ve been targeted at least 10 times.
    Along with the consistency Moore brings to the passing game, he upgraded the team’s perimeter blocking upon his return. In Monday’s film session with the team, Sarkisian said he celebrated the job Moore and Wingo did blocking on a bubble screen to spring Daylan McCutcheon for a 21-yard gain.
    For an offense in desperate need of confidence and energy entering the non-conference finale, Moore’s return came in the nick of time. The Longhorns got a much-needed shot in the arm before the SEC opener against Florida on Oct. 4, which Sarkisian expects to last beyond the Sam Houston game with Moore back on the field.
    “It's the confidence that DeAndre brings,” Sarkisian said after the game. “He's played a lot of football. This guy goes to practice with a great deal of energy, with a great deal of detail and he's hard on the guys around him about what they're supposed to do and how they're supposed to do it, whether he's in the play or not.
    “For DeAndre to be in practice all week, I think, kind of set the tone for what the expectation was.” 
    Jeff Howe
    Yes, it was against a woeful Sam Houston squad.
    No, the Texas offense isn't ready to be considered a juggernaut.
    Nevertheless, piling up 607 total yards, averaging 8.8 yards per play and scoring on nine consecutive possessions in Saturday’s 55-0 win over the Bearkats was the perfect palate cleanser for the Longhorn offense ahead of SEC play. An offense that hasn’t been able to get out of its own way through the first three games of the season executed as expected against an overmatched opponent.
    For a team that’s had a hard time playing up to its lofty internal standard, Texas (3-1) annihilating Sam Houston (0-4) should allow everyone inside the Moncrief Complex to exhale, sleep well and turn the page to the team’s Oct. 4 trip to Florida with some much-needed confidence.
    — The offense will continue to dominate the conversation regarding the team’s chances to compete for the SEC title. What doesn’t need to get lost in the shuffle, however, is the dominant night enjoyed by Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense (113 total yards, 2.2 yards per play and 27 yards on the ground allowed).
    The Bearkats went three-and-out on their first five possessions and finished the game 2-for-15 on third down (0-for-2 on fourth down).
    The Longhorns recorded a season-high five sacks, with Colin Simmons notching his first full sack of the season on the opening drive of the game.
    Steve Sarkisian wanted Texas to win the turnover battle, which it did, 1-0.
    Although the offense’s turnover-free night is the most notable part of winning the turnover margin, Jelani McDonald’s leaping interception on a heave toward the end zone on the last play of the first half was one of the defense's many highlights throughout the night.
    Shutting someone out in college football, no matter the caliber of opponent, should be celebrated. 
    — How do you bounce back from a performance in which you fired 10 consecutive incompletions?
    For Arch Manning, it was ending an 18-for-21, 309-yard night through the air (with three touchdowns and no interceptions) with 13 consecutive completions.
    Sandwiched between a 1-yard gain on a tight end screen pass to Jordan Washington were two touchdown connections with Ryan Wingo — a 53-yard bomb down the middle of the field (Manning dropped the throw into a bucket over Wingo’s shoulder) and a 13-yard strike on an RPO glance, a staple play in Sarkisian’s offense.
    He’s still getting a feel for the screen game, and he’ll find things on the tape he’ll wish he had back. Regardless, Manning put the ball where it needed to be more often than not, made plenty of plays with his legs (he stepped up to escape pressure on his 32-yard touchdown pass to Washington) and, hopefully, regained some of the confidence and swagger he didn’t play with in the first three games.
    — As Manning goes, so goes the Longhorn offense. He set the tone for the game with his boisterous reaction to a 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, after which Texas never looked back.
    — Manning and Wingo needed a game where they were on the same page. Wingo’s six targets turned into a four-catch, 93-yard performance, with a 32-yard gain on an end-around giving the sophomore a game-high 125 all-purpose yards.
    With that said, DeAndre Moore Jr.’s return made a huge difference from a personnel standpoint. Moore caught five passes for 79 yards after missing the UTEP game, serving as Manning’s go-to target on intermediate throws and providing the kind of perimeter blocking the Longhorns lacked in his absence.
    — Wingo’s big run and a 50-yard jaunt by Matthew Caldwell bolstered the running game’s final line (41 carries for 264 yards and four touchdowns, one each for Christian Clark and Jerrick Gibson).
    While five tackles for loss allowed contributed to seven rushing attempts going for no gain or a loss, the running backs averaged five yards per carry. Clark (62 yards on 13 carries), Gibson (11 carries for 53 yards) and James Simon (nine carries for 50 yards) each went over 50 yards on the night, showing varying levels of improvement from last week’s showing, one in which Texas was forced to lean on the ground attack.
    — The offensive line didn't overwhelm Sam Houston. Still, the Longhorns are gaining confidence in concepts (specifically, their pin-and-pull and outside zone runs) that can make for a serviceable running game.
    Just like Moore’s return gave the passing game a boost, Quintrevion Wisner’s ability to maximize runs as a proven commodity in the SEC should increase the offensive line’s margin for error.
    — Brad Spence, who came close to making several big plays against San Jose State and UTEP, was rewarded for his effort on Saturday, knifing into the backfield for a tackle for loss on a fourth-and-2 in the third quarter.
    — The biggest negative from the game? Nine penalties for 70 yards, including multiple pre-snap penalties on offense.
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