CJ Vogel

Could be a heck of day though. I was in a wedding in Cabo in June. People say I had an absolute blast!

True luck of the Irish swing here

Yes!

Ole Miss did a great job offensively of getting out ahead earlier. It took Mizzou out of their desired game plan of sticking with the run and feeling like they had to force the throwing game to get back in it. What was interesting, the Mizzou offense had four red zone trips result in three points vs. Ole Miss in that game. Additionally, they are 115th in the country red zone TD %. So holding to three instead of seven is paramount for Texas on Saturday.

If we haven't seen Filsaime or Mack to this point, I have no reason to think their number will be called on the road vs. a top 25 team. Warren Roberson will be the first off the bench if Littleton is out (Mascoe moves to nickel). If Phillips is also out, it will be Smoke, with Mascoe still at nickel. Those guys are going to have to carry the load because have seen nothing to suggest Texas is hoping to put Filsaime or Mack on the field so far this season.

I am upset I missed you @No13Seed Jim! You have been a tremendous member of our OTF community, hope to see you around the OTF HQ or on campus here soon!

The interior line and the linebackers are probably the safest bet to the Who Shows Up Saturday question. They have been ultra reliable this season and I don't think their performance reverts on Saturday. Continuing to generate pressure is going to be the key, especially with a few backups set to see time this weekend in the secondary.

Where Does Mizzou Go With the Ball Offensively? *** When you talk about the Missouri offense, often times the conversation begins and ends with the running game, and rightfully so. Missouri running back Jamal Roberts has been one of the conference's best this season. Roberts currently sits atop of the SEC rushing leaders as the only back in the conference over 1,000 yards on the season. So obviously, a key focus will be geared towards keeping the Mizzou run game in a box. However, what is lost in the shuffle is the ability from Austin Simmons to create with his arm. Simmons only has two interceptions on the season despite 240 pass attempts. Any way you spin it, Simmons has done a fine job of protecting the football. Additionally, the Tigers have found themselves a really impressive No. 1 wide receiver in the form of Cayden Lee, a transfer from Ole Miss who arrived at the same time as Simmons. Next in line at receive is Donovan Olugbode, a 6–2 sophomore out of Chicago, who has really burst onto the scene in 2026. But the point of the article is to then point out – who else is a threat for Missouri? Teams that have had success against the Tigers limited the running game and lived with the Tigers force feeding passes to Lee and Olugbode. In the 34–3 loss to Ole Miss, both Lee and Olugbode received 12 targets a piece and Roberts rushed for just 39 yards on 20 attempts. In the 31–24 loss to Mississippi State, Lee led the way with 13 targets, and Olugbode followed behind with eight. In both contests combined, only one other pass catchers saw five targets. We have seen Texas aggressive on the perimeter this season, and the performance of the nickel defender has been tested plenty this season. For this weekend, whether it is Graceson Littleton or Bo Mascoe in the slot, the point remains: Get ready to be tested. Missouri is fixated on their two wide receivers to offset the running game, but there is not exactly a coveted third option in the passing game who has consistently shown up for the Tigers. And none of the tight ends for Mizzou have provided a consistent option in the passing game so far this season. 82.2% of Cayden Lee's snaps have come while lined up in the slot. As things currently stand, Lee is just one target shy of leading the SEC on the season. To the point about a third option, there really is not one that stands out. Lee leads the team with 53 receptions, Olugbode comes in with 40 of his own, and then no one else on the roster has more than 14 receptions this season. It truly is a mixed bag of tight ends, running backs and lesser involved receivers that make up the remaining passing attack. 55% of the passes attempted this season for Missouri have been in the direction of Lee and Olugbode. For Texas, one of the keys will be to not fall asleep with the other pass game options. When the injury report is revealed on Wednesday evening, it is going to be really interesting to see what conclusions can be made in regard to how the Longhorns plan to slow down the Missouri offense – especially the passing attack.

It's under the radar because the PPG isn't shiny. Thank the special teams and Texas offense for that. I believe the Texas defense is comfortable the #1 defense in the country in the advanced metric of adjusted EPA/play.

A full look at the conference 3-and-out rate. Has not been a fun statistic to update each week.

Trend to Watch for Saturday *** Back with another statistic that isn't too favorable for the Texas offense. I know, I know. It's not very fun to talk about, and I am sure this is a point that is getting tiresome. But it quite literally could not have a larger discrepancy in conference rankings. We are back talking about three-and-out rates on offense. For a few weeks now, I have been tracking SEC offenses and their likeliness to punt after failing to gain ten yards and move the chains on their first three plays of a drive. It has been a true Achilles heel for the Texas offense so far this season, and the number has continued to rise over the last couple of weeks – How? Well, I don't want to get into that. But, here is the key statistic. *** Texas has the highest 3-and-out rate in the SEC so far this season. In eight games, the Longhorns have a 31.25% rate of going 3-and-out on offensive drives. On 96 drives, the Longhorns have punted after three plays on 30 so far this season. A sobering statistic. *** On the flipside, Missouri is the very best in the country at moving the chains on a given drive. Missouri has the lowest 3-and-out rate in the SEC so far at 12.12%. Only 12 of the Tigers' 99 offensive drives have gone 3-and-out. *** So when it comes to game flow, and when it comes to finding a way to play complementary football, there is no statistic that I have found so far in my early game prep that leads me to think the flow of the game will be more heavily dictated than one way or the other. How can Texas help itself out? No false starts, five men in the backfield penalties, or illegal shifts. The Longhorns had one of each against Mississippi State on Saturday in the 31–3 victory. Playing on the road is difficult in the SEC, Texas doesn't need to make it tougher than it already is.