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CFB Week 2 Thread Starting this early this week with 19 SMU at Florida State I know it's technically a "week 1"game due to holiday, but I'm calling in Week 2 with it being a Monday game

Derrek Cooper Update OTF spoke with a source close to the freshman running back. The source said Cooper has a “high ankle sprain”. His timetable for a return isn’t locked in right now. To add, several people close to Cooper were scheduled to fly from South Florida to Austin for the Ohio State game Saturday. Those plans have been cancelled. Steve Sarkisian said during Monday’s media availability that Cooper will be in a boot “until the foreseeable future.”

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). View full news story

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.” View full news story

Re-watched the game as my usual number crunching on Sundays and couldn't help but be really encouraged by this trend. 12 personnel was phenomenal on Sunday. Texas averaged 10.05 yards per snap with two tight ends on the field Saturday – with the starting offense on the field. In comparison to the 2025 season, that would have been the 2nd highest mark of the season, only behind the 12.45 yards per play in 12P which was greatly aided by an 83-yard touchdown pass. Big plays: 45-yard rush by Smothers 21-yard catch by Wingo 16-yard catch by Wingo 13-yard run by Brown TD 44-yard catch by Coleman 18-yard catch by Winston Really encouraging start to the season with 4 tight ends all rotating in and contributing heavily.

Seems like we have good reason to have a thread to chat on all summer and through the season. Team workouts begin June 1, I believe

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. View full news story

Texas DB Xavier Filsaime didn't dress out for the Longhorns' opener against Texas State on Saturday. He was with the team in warmups (wearing sweats) and on the sideline throughout the afternoon. OTF has checked in with multiple sources who have relayed that Filsaime is not expected to be out for an extended period of time. One source noted it's a minor leg injury but the hope is he's back this week for Ohio State. Another source simply told OTF "he's fine." Filsaime was listed as second team nickel on the initial depth chart for the season.

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. View full news story

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) View full news story

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. View full news story

We reported in August that Texas safety commit Junior Tu'upo was expected to take visits this fall to Alabama and Auburn despite his commitment to the Longhorns. We've learned that will start this weekend with the talented DB prospect set to unofficially visit Alabama for the Crimson Tide's season opener vs. East Carolina. A source with knowledge of Tu'upo's recruitment reaffirmed that the four-star DB is very firm with the Longhorns despite the visits, even noting it's not like he's hopping on a plane to go see an out-of-state school. Tu'upo is expected back in Austin next weekend for the Ohio State game.

It’s time for the 2026 debut of "Who Has the Edge?," an On Texas Football in-season feature that looks at how the Texas Longhorns stack up with their opponent. This week, it’s Texas State, with the Bobcats making the short drive up Interstate 35 for No. 5 Texas' season opener at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ESPN). WHEN TEXAS RUNS THE FOOTBALL Exiting the game healthy and keeping penalties to a minimum are two significant boxes the Longhorns can check on Saturday. So too is putting a better product on the field when running the football. Steve Sarkisian overhauled the offensive line and reloaded the running back room after last season’s lackluster ground output. The offseason moves were in response to Texas finishing in the bottom half of the SEC in rushing offense (10th with 4.19 yards per attempt and 11th with 137.77 yards per game), which is why the ground attack won’t get a grace period from the masses. The Longhorns also need to execute when trying to pound the rock on critical downs; the Bobcats ranked 114th in FBS last season in rushing yards allowed on third down with three or fewer yards to go, allowing 4.73 yards per attempt (tied for 105th in FBS), with 29 of the 37 times Texas State faced such situations resulting in first downs. EDGE: Texas WHEN TEXAS STATE RUNS THE FOOTBALL Even with Brad Jackson and his team-leading 17 rushing touchdowns back behind center, the Bobcats are going through a rebuilding year in the backfield. Leading rusher Lincoln Pare (1,128 yards, 5.4 yards per attempt and five touchdowns) exhausted his eligibility in 2025. Greg Burrell (671 yards, 6.7 yards per attempt and three rushing touchdowns in 2025) was dismissed from the program in April. Running backs coach and program legend Barrick Nealy stepped down in July to spend more time with his family. Even with college football’s biggest offensive line paving the way, GJ Kinne and Texas State don't have reliable, proven ball carriers. That's not where the Bobcats want to be against a Texas run defense that was stout in camp and has more than enough mass to match the Bobcats’ offensive trench beef. EDGE: Texas WHEN TEXAS THROWS THE FOOTBALL If Arch Manning is on, this is where the game can get away from the Bobcats. The offense wasn’t clicking on all cylinders in camp. Still, Sarkisian praised their ability to create explosive plays, which Manning connected on when targeting Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo down the field. Whether Trevor Goosby plays or not, the Texas offensive line should be much better in pass protection and give Manning more time to operate than he had last season. Manning was one of the most pressured quarterbacks in the country (pressured on 165 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus, which was the sixth-highest total in FBS), which shouldn't be the case in 2026. DonTerry Russell, Texas State’s top returning pass rusher, is reportedly a game-time decision. Even if Russell plays, the Bobcats will likely have to send multiple defenders at Manning in their quest for negative plays and turnover opportunities. At best, that’s a roll of the dice. Manning was one of the best quarterbacks in college football last season when opponents blitzed him, completing 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,550 yards and 13 touchdowns, with just two interceptions. EDGE: Texas WHEN TEXAS STATE THROWS THE FOOTBALL Not only do the Longhorns have to deal with Jackson and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers (Beau Sparks had 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns on 84 catches while Chris Dawn Jr. caught 65 passes for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns), but they’ll be going against an offensive line that was an elite pass-blocking unit in 2025. With 6-foot-7-inch, 327-pound tackle Sully Burns (No. 57 on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List) back to lead the Bobcats in the trenches, Texas State was tied for No. 16 in FBS in pass-blocking efficiency rating (91.0), according to PFF, allowing only 69 pressures (tied for 20th in FBS) on 448 opportunities. With that said, we’ve yet to see how Will Muschamp will unleash Colin Simmons and Rasheem Biles, who was one of the nation’s best pass-rushing linebackers last season. Expect an experienced, explosive Bobcat offense to make plays against Muschamp's defense. For Sarkisian and Muschamp, the Longhorns will hopefully continue the camp trend of the defense making more plays (five interceptions in two scrimmages) than it gives up. EDGE: Texas SPECIAL TEAMS Both teams are breaking in new punters. Hopefully, we see more of Texas State’s Tom Flintoff than Mac Chiumento, who will kick to Sparks (72 yards on 13 returns last season) when he’s called upon. Something to monitor when the Bobcats punt is whether they gamble and kick to Ryan Niblett. Also, could Jeff Banks shake things up and decide to come after Flintoff, a freshman from Australia, early? Gianni Spetic is the more experienced transfer kicker in the game. He was solid in the team’s two camp scrimmages. Still, it’ll be good for Spetic to attempt a field goal on Saturday rather than have his first try in a Texas uniform come under the lights against Ohio State. Dylan Cunanan was 23-for-32 in two seasons at Toledo, including an 8-for-11 mark in 2025 (long of 46 yards). Field goals won’t keep Texas State in the game, but the Bobcats lining up for three will give one of the 11 Longhorns on the field a chance to fill Ethan Burke’s shoes as the team’s next field goal-blocking specialist. EDGE: Texas COACHES Sarkisian is 12-0 at Texas against non-Power Four opponents, winning those games by a combined score of 536-95. The Longhorns haven’t allowed a Group of Six opponent to score more than 10 points since a 41-20 win over UTSA on Sept. 17, 2022 (the week after a last-second 20-19 loss to No. 1 Alabama), a span of eight games. Whether that streak continues will largely hinge on the matchup between Kinne’s offense and Muschamp’s defense. Muschamp hasn’t been an in-game defensive play-caller since 2020 (his last season as South Carolina’s head coach). That gives Muschamp, who spent the last five seasons in various roles on Kirby Smart’s Georgia staff, an edge on Kinne, who doesn’t know what to expect on Saturday. Sarkisian is facing a new defensive coordinator for the second consecutive season opener. Needless to say, Matt Patricia’s Ohio State defense, loaded with future NFL draft picks, was a much tougher challenge than the one Texas will get from Texas State’s defense, led by Will Windham. Previously the defensive coordinator for Major Applewhite at South Alabama, Windham's approach is the opposite of what Sarkisian wanted when he hired Muschamp. Kinne ditched a high-risk, high-reward style of play in favor of Windham, an experienced play-caller who wants to confuse opponents with active, multiple fronts and simple coverages on the back end (front multiplicity and coverage simplicity are how Windham has described his defensive style). Unfortunately for Windham, his debut for the Bobcats is against an offense eying a fast start to a season it enters with national championship aspirations. EDGE: Texas SCORE PREDICTION Texas 41, Texas State 14 View full news story

AUSTIN, Texas — Justin Cryer earned the opportunity to be a significant piece of what Steve Sarkisian believes is a championship-caliber puzzle because of the work he’s put in since joining the Texas program in January. Cryer will wear the green dot on his helmet as the Longhorn defender who will receive in-helmet communication from Will Muschamp when he’s on the field in Saturday’s season opener against Texas State (2:30 p.m., ESPN). According to Sarkisian, that happened because the 6-foot-1-inch, 241-pound Cryer “immersed himself to the process and the schemes” after transferring to Texas from Florida State, establishing himself as a leader and key defensive cog for the Longhorns before logging his first snap in burnt orange. “This guy is very, very smart,” Sarkisian said. “He's a really good communicator and it's not just communication with the players. He's a really good communicator with the coaches. He can talk and say exactly what he sees. Half of communicating is listening, right? His ability to listen to a call from Coach Muschamp, maybe a reminder, and then relay that communication to the defensive front or the other 'backers or the DBs, I think all of that is really important. “He's earned that because he's immersed himself in the scheme,” he added. “I think he knows it as good or better than anybody.” Cryer’s ability to operate efficiently within Muschamp’s scheme will be tested against a Bobcat offense led by Brad Jackson, one of the top returning dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. As an inside linebacker, Cryer should face more run/pass conflicts than any other Texas defender on Saturday. The design and function of GJ Kinne’s balanced, up-tempo offense (Kinne played for Gus Malzahn and Chad Morris at Tulsa and was with Chip Kelly in the NFL for three seasons, all of whom have influenced Kinne's offensive ethos) will keep Cryer on his toes. Cryer’s biggest challenge is the role he’ll play in defending Jackson, who finished seventh in the country in total offense in 2025 (305.2 yards per game). Jackson completed his redshirt freshman season with 3,968 total yards (3,224 yards passing and 744 yards rushing), breaking a program record that Barrick Nealy (who led Texas State to the then-Division I-AA semifinals in 2005, with Tom Herman calling the offensive plays for David Bailiff in San Marcos) held for two decades. “You don't get over 700 yards rushing on accident,” said Sarkisian, who acknowledged that defending Jackson requires accounting for three things. The game plan starts with preparing for Jackson’s ability to get the football out quickly to Beau Sparks (84 receptions, 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns last season) and Chris Dawn Jr. (65 catches for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns in 2025). It also means dealing with intricately designed quarterback runs, with Jackson’s prowess as a scrambler (his 391 yards gained on scrambles tied for the ninth-most in FBS, according to Pro Football Focus) adding another degree of difficulty. Whether he’s trying to stop Jackson from gaining yards with his legs or protecting the middle of the field as a pass defender, where the Longhorns will be most vulnerable to play-action passes and Jackson’s ability to manipulate the eyes of defenders at the mesh point, Cryer will be under the microscope from the jump. If Cryer, who allowed 13 receptions for 105 yards (8.1 yards per reception) and a touchdown on the 20 times he was targeted last season, according to PFF (a 41.5 season-long coverage grade was the third-worst among the 42 Seminole defenders who recorded at least one coverage snap across Florida State's 12 games), holds his own against one of the most potent offenses in the country (the Bobcats tied for 21st in FBS with 70 plays from scrimmage of 20 or more yards and averaged 6.68 yards per play last season, tying Ole Miss for No. 15 nationally), it’ll send a signal to opposing offense to think twice before immediately identifying him as the path of least resistance when trying to move the football against the Longhorns. TEXAS SAFETIES vs. TEXAS STATE WIDE RECEIVERS It’s a safe bet that Kinne and Jackson will force Cryer to make plays in space. The same is true for the Longhorn safeties, who will likely find themselves in one-on-one situations against Sparks and Dawn, the Bobcats’ 1,000-yard receiving tandem. Whenever Jelani McDonald, Derek Williams Jr., Jonah Williams or Kobe Black find themselves all alone against one of Jackson’s downfield threats, the goal should be to minimize the damage. Above all else, that means stopping the ball where it’s caught and limiting yards after the catch, a category in which Sparks (558 yards after the catch) and Dawn (535) ranked seventh and ninth among FBS wide receivers last season, respectively, according to PFF. TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE vs. TEXAS STATE DEFENSIVE LINE After an offseason chock-full of talk about the Longhorns running the football more effectively and efficiently than they did in 2025, it would be a welcome sight to see Kyle Flood’s group lean on the Bobcats’ defensive front. Although Texas State made a coordinator change on defense, with Will Windham coming over from South Alabama, and attempted to bolster their defensive front through the transfer portal, the Bobcats allowed 164.9 yards per game (91st in FBS) and 4.24 yards per attempt (71st in FBS) last season, while opponents recorded 74 rushing attempts of 10 or more yards in 13 games (tied for 28th in FBS). The Texas ground game needs to make a statement out of the gate that 2026 will be different when it comes to pounding the rock. A revamped running back room must do its part. Still, Longhorn fans would feel a lot better going into the Ohio State game (and beyond) if the new-look offensive line can generate a consistent push and clearly win the line-of-scrimmage battle against Texas State. View full news story