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I heard they smoked SMU today … by 30+

If you can’t win your get-right game, then you’re the get-right game. That’s what No. 7 Texas was for Florida in Saturday’s 27-24 loss, a defeat that drove home a few realities about where the Longhorns are halfway through the 2026 season: — The offense is broken and I don’t think Steve Sarkisian can fix it. It’s beyond sticking with the running game or dialing up high-percentage throws to get Arch Manning into a rhythm. Outside of the opening script and a late touchdown drive highlighted by Manning’s desperation fourth-and-7 heave to Emmett Mosley V, Texas (4-2, 1-2 SEC) was abysmal offensively against one of the worst defenses in the SEC. There’s no identity. There’s no flow or rhythm. The only thing the Longhorns do consistently is fail to execute in critical situations and put the defense in bad spots. The whole operation is a disaster and was every bit of one on Saturday. Almost half of the 272 yards the offense gained were on the first two drives. After that, nothing went right. When Sarkisian made calls that could've worked, Manning either missed open receivers, missed reads, misdiagnosed blitzes or put the offense behind the chains. — Sarkisian’s game management has regressed. Saturday’s loss looked a lot like the losses the Longhorns suffered in 2021 (which, by the way, is the last time Texas lost back-to-back regular-season games). According to Chris Hummer of CBS Sports, the Longhorns are the top-10 team in the Associated Press Top 25 since 2003 to blow a double-digit lead in back-to-back games. When Texas got up 17-3, the Longhorns put it in neutral. The offense lacked urgency until the Gators took a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and the defense (a unit that's not without blame) was gassed The game flipped when Sarkisian went for it on fourth-and-1 from midfield with 3:23 left in the first half. A defense that had held its own finally cracked when asked to defend a short field (two of Florida’s three touchdown drives started in Longhorn territory). Florida (5-2, 2-2) ran 81 plays against Will Muschamp’s defense. Buster Faulkner followed the same plan that worked for Oklahoma, with Tramell Jones Jr. making his first career start: short, high-percentage passes to set up manageable third downs, which activated the play-action passing game thanks to Jadan Baugh being a threat in short-yardage situations (all eight of the Gators’ third-down conversions came with a to-go distance of seven or less). Jon Sumrall’s team kept chopping wood, just like Sooners did in the Red River Shootout last Saturday. The tougher team found a way to win, and for the second week in a row, it wasn't Sarkisian's squad. — It’s seriously time to look at moving on from Manning. I’ve been hesitant to buy into the Longhorns changing quarterbacks. But Manning isn’t making enough plays to offset catastrophic mistakes. Either Manning doesn’t have a feel for when to make a pull read on RPOs or read options or Sarkisian doesn’t trust him to make the read and the pull read isn’t a part of the play. Beyond that, Manning looked gun-shy, held onto the ball too long and for the second week in a row, turned the ball over on the offense’s last possession of regulation. The main question regarding Manning isn’t whether he’s regressed. It’s whether Manning can get to a point where he can be trusted to manage the game. If that can’t happen, Sarkisian has to look long and hard about what's best for the Longhorns. — The defense will have issues if Colin Simmons, who was carted back to the locker room in the fourth quarter with an apparent lower leg injury, is out for an extended period of time. Right now, Muschamp doesn’t have another defender who can take over a game like Simmons can. Whether Simmons was on the field or not, it’s hard to know how much of the defense’s issues are because of the lopsided play differential or Faulkner out-scheming Muschamp with an inexperienced quarterback and an offense that won the line-of-scrimmage battle. — We can stop talking about the College Football Playoff. We need to start talking about whether this team can pull the nose up offensively to qualify for a bowl game. Yes, it’s that bad right now. Saturday was a chance to get right. Instead, the loss reinforced everything that’s wrong with Texas. That there are too many questions and concerns to count at the halfway point is disturbing, especially since Sarkisian doesn’t have any obvious answers. View full news story

Happy game day! We'll post all things game related here. This thread will then turn into live updates at kickoff. PREGAME -- Florida will start Tramell Jones at QB in place of Aaron Philo. -- OL Jordan Coleman & DL Justus Terry are not listed on Texas' final injury report. FIRST QUARTER -- 11:42 -- 32-yard TD run by Raleek Brown ... Texas 7, Florida 0 -- 6:42 -- 38-yard FG by Gianni Spetic ... Texas 10, Florida 0 SECOND QUARTER -- 13:48 -- 45-yard FG by Patrick Durkin ... Texas 10, Florida 3 -- 11:27 -- 63-yard Ryan Niblett punt return TD ... Texas 17, Florida 3 -- 0:18 -- 7-yard TD reception from Tramell Jones to Lacota Dippre ... Texas 17, Florida 10 HALFTIME THIRD QUARTER -- 6:50 -- 8-yard TD reception from Tramell Jones to Lacota Dippre ... Texas 17, Florida 17 FOURTH QUARTER -- 10:40 -- 28-yard FG by Patrick Durkin ... Florida 20, Texas 17 -- 6:22 -- 11-yard Jadan Baugh TD run ... Florida 27, Texas 17 -- 4:21 -- 9-yard touchdown pass from Arch Manning to Cam Coleman ... Florida 27, Texas 24 FINAL

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

AUSTIN, Texas — The elixir for what’s ailed the Texas passing game through the first five games of the 2026 season could be facing Florida’s secondary. The Gators will roll into Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to take on the seventh-ranked Longhorns on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC), with the nation’s 131st-ranked pass defense in tow. In addition to allowing 268.7 yards per game through the air, opponents have torched Jon Sumrall’s defense for 10 touchdowns and 22 completions of 20 yards more, tied for 118th in FBS. If Texas (4-1, 1-1 SEC) is going to turn a corner offensively after Steve Sarkisian’s unit wilted in the second half of a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout, it must produce against Florida (4-2, 2-2). A critical stretch of three October home games for the Longhorns begins with their third game in as many seasons against the Gators, who are 90th nationally in yards per play allowed (5.64), are ranked 121st in third-down defense (46.7 percent conversion rate allowed) and are tied for 87th in FBS in red-zone touchdown rate allowed (63.6 percent, with 14 red-zone touchdowns tied for 109th in the country). Sarkisian said during his Thursday pregame Zoom meeting with the media that the running game is closer to becoming something Texas can count on, “than maybe we're getting credit for.” Even though the offense started clicking late in the loss to the Sooners when the Longhorns operated out of 10 personnel (four wide receivers, one running back and no tight ends) with Jermaine Bishop Jr. on the field, Sarkisian wants a balanced offense. “Don't get me wrong, our 10 personnel is really good to us. It's grown as the season's gone on and it's been effective, but you have layers to that,” Sarkisian said. “Your run game can get limited, your pass protections can get limited, so you have to have other things to offset that if people are trying to attack that aspect of your game.” No matter which personnel packages Texas utilizes against Florida, Arch Manning will look to pick up where Austin Simmons and LaNorris Sellers left off against the Gators. Simmons completed a season-high 76.7 percent of his passes (23-for-30) and threw for 340 yards (one yard shy of tying his career high) in Missouri’s 45-17 rout of Florida on Oct. 3. Sellers threw 279 yards and a season-high four touchdowns last Saturday, helping South Carolina deliver a 38-19 smackdown at the Swamp. To shine against the Gators, who picked Manning off twice and sacked him six times in last season’s 29-21 win over Texas in Gainesville, Manning must reverse a couple of unsavory trends. Manning, who has an 11-0 record as a starter at DKR, has thrown five interceptions in five games, including two critical misfires against Oklahoma. According to Pro Football Focus, 56 of Manning's pressured dropbacks have resulted in 12 sacks, a 21.4-percent pressure-to-sack rate that’s pacing well ahead of his 13.3-percent mark in 2025 (22 sacks on 165 pressured dropbacks). If Manning gets rid of the football quickly and protects it, the Longhorns can build on what went right against the Sooners. The list includes a season-high four completions of 20 or more yards, Cam Coleman’s first 100-yard game as a Longhorn (110 yards and a touchdown on five receptions) and Bishop’s first-career touchdown catch (a 15-yard strike from Manning in the fourth quarter). Beyond whatever numbers the passing game produces on Saturday, Sarkisian wants to see the offense start to look like a unit that’s making strides “to a point to where we can beat the elite teams, knowing that that's who you have to beat if you want to have a really good record at the end of the year.” “I look more at our execution, our level of consistency, knowing the quality of players and the quality of coaches and the environments that we play in,” he said. OTHER STATS AND MATCHUPS TO WATCH WHEN THE LONGHORNS FACE THE GATORS — According to PFF, Manning has been blitzed on 40.3 percent of his dropbacks this season (73 of 181). Florida enters the game with a season-long blitz rate of 30.6 percent, according to PFF. Expect the Gators to dial up pressure with extra pass rushers against Manning like UTSA (blitzed Manning on 22 of 42 dropbacks) and Tennessee (blitzed on 13 of 30 dropbacks) did in recent weeks. The matchup between Manning and Brad White, however, extends beyond the six- and seven-man pressures the Florida defensive coordinator is expected to throw at the Texas quarterback. While Sarkisian wants Manning's legs to be a weapon, Manning has to pick his spots wisely. Manning has scrambled out of a clean pocket 15 times among 22 total scrambles this season, according to PFF. That helps explain why Manning's average of 7.5 yards per scramble is down from last season (10.9 yards per scramble) and why he hasn't been as effective on the move as he was in 2025. — Whether Aaron Philo plays or Tramell Jones Jr. makes his first career start at quarterback for the Gators, Vernell Brown III’s return will test the secondary in the deep part of the field. Brown, who missed Florida’s losses to Missouri and South Carolina with a knee injury and is considered a game-time decision, has been targeted 11 times this season, six of them on attempts of 20 yards or more downfield, according to PFF. Brown has caught three of the six deep shots, which have accounted for 97 of his 133 receiving yards. If Brown and Eric Singleton Jr., who has been working his way back from an ankle injury he suffered in the Gators’ 66-21 season-opening win over Florida Atlantic, are in the lineup alongside Dallas Wilson and Bailey Stockton, the Florida wideouts might be the most talented group of wide receivers the Longhorn secondary will face in 2026, other than Ohio State. — A healthy Florida team on the perimeter means Will Muschamp can’t devote all of his resources to slowing down Jadan Baugh, who ran for 107 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries against Texas last season. The lack of viable threats in the passing game helped Missouri and South Carolina focus most of their attention on stopping Baugh. Both defenses kept him from getting loose and taking over the game, which will be one of Muschamp's primary objectives. The Tigers held Baugh to 13 yards on 12 carries, while the SEC’s third-leading rusher (112 yards per game and 6.1 yards per carry) finished with 59 yards on 15 carries against the Gamecocks. Muschamp’s defense hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher this season. Currently, Bo Jackson’s 74-yard outing in the Longhorns’ 24-23 comeback win over Ohio State on Sept. 12 is the best performance an opposing running back has had against Texas in 2026. Georgia and South Carolina are the only two SEC defenses to allow fewer 10-plus-yard runs than the Longhorns (15) this season, with only Mississippi State allowing fewer 20-plus-yard runs than Texas (three). After the Gators ran for 159 yards (4.3 yards per carry) against the Longhorns at the Swamp last season, Saturday’s game is an opportunity for the Texas defense to send a message that it isn’t the same unit that lost the line-of-scrimmage battle in a landslide when the two clubs met more than a year ago. View full news story

It’s time to tackle “One Burning Question,” an On Texas Football in-season feature where we’ll examine a question facing the Texas Longhorns as they enter a game. On Sunday, we’ll revisit the question to see whether Steve Sarkisian’s team answered it successfully. This week, with No. 1 Texas welcoming Florida to Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC), the question is: Can Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning get on the same page? For all of the talk about personnel packages, the lack of an identity, play-calling concerns, offensive line issues and whether the Longhorns can count on the running game in 2026, the Texas offense won’t go anywhere until there’s synergy between the play-caller and the quarterback. When the Longhorns turned over a new leaf offensively in the second half of the 2025 season, it felt like Sarkisian understood what he had in Manning, whose playmaking ability became the identity of the offense. By the end of the season, Manning looked primed to take the next step, which led to grandiose expectations for the Texas offense this season, Manning’s fourth in the program and his second full season as QB1. Unfortunately, the ascent hasn’t happened through five games. Whether Manning has regressed is subjective. What’s clear is that he hasn’t taken off as expected, eroding Longhorn fans' patience and turning questions about Manning’s development and potential into legitimate concerns. Late last season, Sarkisian tailored the offense to maximize Manning's skill set. He doesn't fit the mold of the quarterbacks who’ve succeeded in Sarkisian's system, but things were trending upward by the time Manning accounted for 376 yards and four touchdowns in a Citrus Bowl win over Michigan. Sarkisian’s offense works best when rhythm and timing are keeping things on schedule. Considering the links Sarkisian has to Don Coryell (through Norv Turner), Bill Walsh (through Norm Chow and Pete Carroll) and Kyle Shanahan (who he succeeded as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator), Sarkisian’s offense blends the discipline and precision of the West Coast offense with Air Coryell’s vertical passing game, topping it off with the running game, RPO and pre-snap elements he picked up from his time in the NFL and when he ran Nick Saban’s Alabama offense. Manning can do some of those things, but he’s at his best when he can use his athleticism and instincts to thrive in chaos. Down the stretch last season, Sarkisian called more quarterback runs and gave Manning the green light to scramble when opportunities presented themselves, which helped bring balance to an offense that couldn’t rely on a traditional running game. Coming into 2026, Manning had to improve within a structured offense. Manning's mastery of the offense would make him an extension of Sarkisian on the field. He'd be trusted to get the offense out of bad plays and articulate what he likes and what doesn't in certain situations. Manning's legs and ability to ad-lib when things break down around him would further elevate the offense, with impossible-to-defend aces up Sarkisian’s sleeve, capable of making college football’s best defensive minds wrong on any given snap. Needless to say, that hasn’t been the case through five games. After last Saturday’s 27-24 loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout, the program is at an offensive crossroads. Will Sarkisian scheme up easy completions to get Manning into a rhythm early against the Gators? Simpler, quick-developing reads, including deep shots that don’t take as long to develop, could help Manning get his feet underneath him. Does Sarkisian need to trust Manning to make good decisions before the snap? Or does the quarterback need to do more to show the play-caller he can handle more responsibility than what he appears to have now? That extends to Manning running the ball. Yes, Manning’s legs are a weapon Sarkisian must incorporate into the offensive play more often, but Manning has to be smart when he takes off and protect himself when he’s vulnerable in the open field. It also means that when Sarkisian does scheme things open with advantage throws for Manning, he must make his layups. At some point, Sarkisian and Manning need each other at their best to become the kind of offensive team Sarkisian believes the Longhorns can be. But doing what they’ve done will result in more of what they've produced. Something has to change. We’ll see what those changes are in a few hours. When the dust settles, we’ll have a better idea of whether the offense can truly turn the corner in the second half of the regular season. View full news story

This chart maps every pass by depth and direction, with completions, touchdowns, interceptions, drops and receiver errors identified in the key. Each section also includes his completion numbers, yardage, touchdowns, interceptions and success rate. It adds some context beyond the completion percentage. Take a look below. What stands out to you, and which areas would you like to see Texas attack more?

AUSTIN, Texas — As is the case with virtually every aspect of the Texas offense, Steve Sarkisian’s running game is at a crossroads. In last Saturday’s Red River Shootout loss to Oklahoma, the Longhorns final numbers were pedestrian: 122 yards on 13 carries, with the longest coming on a 16-yard run by Derrek Cooper in the second quarter. When considering Texas (4-1, 1-1 SEC) faced a stout Sooner front, however, the running game was more effective than the raw numbers indicate. Texas finished the game with 132 yards on 30 non-sack rushing attempts, matching Georgia’s non-sack rushing yards (132 yards on 25 carries) in its 41-13 dismantling of Oklahoma on Sept. 26. Only the Bulldogs averaged more sack-adjusted rushing yards per carry (5.3) against the Sooners than the Longhorns (4.4) this season, with Oklahoma’s season-high in 10-plus-yard rushing attempts against a Power Four foe coming against Texas (four). Immediately after the loss, Sarkisian described the running game as “a little hit and miss for us today.” The Longhorns have “been OK” running the football through five games, Sarkisian said, openly questioning whether his current schemes can generate the consistency he wants on the ground. But after Sarkisian reviewed the rushing attack on film ahead of Monday's meetings and practice to start the week of preparations for Florida coming to town on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC), he felt Texas “ran it pretty good” against the Sooners. “What you're hoping for is that you can find consistency and then, ultimately, pop one,” Sarkisian said. “I think historically, when we've ran the ball well against OU, we've popped a couple runs that have created a 40, 50, 60-yarder. All of a sudden, your number goes from 125 yards rushing to 175 or 200. We just didn't pop that big one Saturday, but I actually thought, from an efficiency standpoint, we were pretty good against a defense that thrives on negative plays in the run game.” The Longhorns had success against Tennessee utilizing duo, insert and zone concepts. Jim Knowles’ defense created a lot of penetration up front, which blew up Texas’ counter and power schemes, but Sarkisian eventually got the running game untracked. Against Oklahoma, the Longhorns found success through their zone running game. Ultimately, the result might've been different if Sarkisian had stuck with it, which could've kept the offense from spiraling in the second half (the Longhorns’ first five second-half possessions included three three-and-outs, a four-play drive that ended with a punt and a two-play drive that ended with an interception). After analyzing 28 of Texas’ 30 non-sack rushing attempts against the Sooners (two Arch Manning scrambles were omitted), here’s what worked and (maybe more importantly) what didn’t: — The Longhorns ran the ball well out of 11 personnel. Using Emmett Mosley V as the motion man (either as an escort blocker or to get the defense flowing away from the play) helped open things up. Texas ran the ball for 93 yards (5.2 yards per attempt) out of 11 personnel. Three of the Longhorns’ explosive runs (the aforementioned 16-yard run and an 11-yard run by Cooper and a 14-yard run by Hollywood Smothers) came with 11 personnel on the field. — Texas didn’t get the bang for its buck running the ball out of 12 personnel. Two-tight end sets generated 25 rushing yards on eight attempts, none longer than five yards. Right now, Nick Townsend is the only tight end who can be considered a two-way threat as a blocker and a receiver. Any tight end combination that doesn't include Townsend makes the offense more predictable (even though Michael Masunas and Spencer Shannon were effective in their roles). — Sarkisian’s counterpunch to defense wanting to take away the wide zone is one of two things: either the Longhorns are running more mid zone, which means the running back’s aiming point is the B gap between the guard and tackle, or Cooper’s feel for where the crease will develop and ability to hit it hard is just that good. The running back’s tighter aiming point forced Brent Venables to adjust. That's when Cooper creased a couple of off-tackle runs late in the first half. Regardless, Cooper needs more carries. Cooper’s violent twitch with the ball in his hands is something the running game hasn't had since CJ Baxter showed flashes of it late in the 2023 season. — Texas had four mid-zone runs for 21 yards (5.3 yards per attempt) on Saturday without split flow from the tight end. Three basic inside zone runs netted one yard and two outside zone runs (without split flow) went for 17 yards (including Cooper’s 16-yarder). Sarkisian still calls a lot of split-zone runs (the tight end blocks back across the formation to seal the backside), with 11 of those going for 46 yards. The Longhorns ran split zone out of 11 personnel with mixed results (gains of five, nine and seven yards and negative plays that lost three and five yards, respectively), but split-zone runs out of 12 personnel didn’t set the world on fire (five for 22 yards) — Sarkisian called one counter run on Saturday and it was one of the offense's best plays of the game. It was on the fourth-quarter drive that ended with Gianni Spetic’s missed field goal. Still, Brandon Baker’s kickout block and Masunas' block to get a piece of Owen Heinecke, who shot a gap while hunting a negative play, got Smothers free for a 14-yard gain. It was a well-executed, tendency-breaking play the offense needed while trying to mount a game-winning drive. — Sarkisian might want to look at running the ball more often out of the pistol. The Longhorns averaged 5.4 yards per attempt out of the pistol; it was 6.8 yards before Cooper was stuffed on an ill-fated crack-toss. The pistol might make the running game less predictable than the running back set to one side of the quarterback in the shotgun (especially since Manning rarely pulls the ball at the mesh point to run it, eliminating a threat for the defense). — There’s a tendency to put the blame entirely on the offensive line when the running game isn’t clicking on all cylinders. Kyle Flood’s group had its issues, especially on a third-and-1 in the third quarter, when Cooper got stuffed after the Sooners caved in the right side of the line. Still, a few of the runs Sarkisian wanted to see pop might've popped if the wide receivers had collectively blocked better. There were numerous instances when a minimal gain could've turned into the 20-plus-yard run Sarkisian likely needed to stay dedicated to the running game if a block had been held a little longer or if the wideouts and won more battles against Oklahoma's defensive backs. — Texas is 24-2 under Sarkisian when recording 40 or more official rushing attempts in a game, including wins this season over Ohio State and UTSA. When Sarkisian makes it a point to run the football, the Longhorns can do it effectively enough to stick with it. For an offense that currently has the highest rate of three-and-out drives in the SEC, a running game that can set up manageable third downs and move the chains (according to CFBStats.com, the Longhorns have the sixth-best rushing offense in the SEC on third-and-3 or less, with 86 yards, 14 first downs and three 10-plus-yard runs on 16 attempts) would be a godsend. View full news story

Elite of the Elite *** Scoring Drives Surrendered Talking about only points given up by the Texas defense, not special teams or offense. Drive length of opponents that resulted in points on the board. 5 plays, 75 yards: Texas State TD ... aided by plays of 31 and 42. 6 plays, 11 yards: Ohio State FG ... fumble deep in Texas' own end 10 plays, 81 yards: Ohio State TD ... INT downfield gave tOSU the ball, good drive put points on the board 9 plays, 63 yards: Ohio State FG ... Colin Simmons sack forced 3rd & 18, got the stop 4 plays, 49 yards: Ohio State TD ... failed 4th down attempt gave Buckeyes ball at midfield 7 plays, 43 yards: Ohio State FG ... all 43 yards on one play to Jeremiah Smith 13 plays, 59 yards: UTSA FG ... got to the outside a couple of times for big gains 5 plays, 10 yards: UTSA FG ... poor offensive drive + punt gives UTSA great field position 9 plays, 60 yards: Tennessee FG ... 30 yards in penalties surrendered 10 plays, 80 yards: Tennessee TD ... Late game situation, Tennessee connects on 30-yard pass for score 7 plays, 52 yards: Oklahoma FG ... 42-yard run allowed 6 plays, 47 yards: Oklahoma TD ... poor offensive drive + punt gives OU great field position 4 plays, 31 yards: Oklahoma FG ... pretty crazy throws and catches on this drive All in all, the Longhorns have surrendered two scoring drives of 65+ yards. On the season, the Texas defense has allowed five touchdowns and eight field goals in five games so far this season. Two of the five touchdown drives surrendered did not half of the football field (less than 50 yards). That's as good as it gets. *** Yards Per Play This graphic was tweeted out by Todd Fuhrman on Wednesday, highlighting the difference in offense and defensive yards per play so far by SEC teams. First, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Oklahoma are the bottom three. Crazy. But, the point to focus on is the Texas defensive yards per play allowed. 1.49 yards better than Tennessee, who is second in the conference. That is so unbelievably good, even if the opposing quarterback situation has not been good. Texas offense ranks 9th in yards per play. *** Random Defensive Stats – Texas is tied-2nd in the country in opposing red zone trips converting to touchdowns (4 touchdowns in 12 trips). – Texas 4th in the country in sacks per game despite combining for just three sacks vs. Texas State and UTSA. – Texas is 6th in the country allowing just 1.11 points per possession. Additionally, the Longhorns allow 0.81 points per possession in drives that begin between opponents' own 20–40 yard line. They are 4th in the country in those drives. – Texas is 9th in the country in tackles for loss per game (8.00). – Texas is 22nd in the country in 3rd down conversion percentage allowed (30.88%). – Texas defense has surrendered 23 points in two SEC games, the Texas special teams/offense has allowed 21. ***

Going to call a spade a spade This is a post I didn't want to have to make. I'm a big fan of Arch Manning. Have been since seeing him for the first time in high school. He's a very hard worker. He carries himself the correct way. He cares. He's a very "good guy," just like he says he wants to be. That's what has been drilled into him by his family, and the family is great. I love his sense of humor, and he carries himself really well in a true fishbowl of life he will forever live in. I'm happy he's a Texas Longhorn. His commitment to Texas was and remains massive for the University of Texas. I've said before many times on the YouTube channel he's the first high school athlete that I've seen built up and broken down, as that is normally saved for pro athletes and a select few in college. Being Arch Manning comes with a lot of good to great, and some the exact opposite. He's certainly not going to be treated by the media in a click bait world like the normal athlete. It is what it is, and it's not easy for an 18-22-year-old figuring out life just wanting to be a college "kid" while developing his craft. It was going to be that way for Arch at any blue blood he signed with. With that said, I feel strongly that 20 starts and five games into the season with the fourth quarter vs. Oklahoma less than 24 hours removed is the time to address what has to happen moving forward for Manning. I thought back during the fourth quarter and after the game to the season opener vs. Texas State with 16 seconds remaining in the first half with Texas up 28-7. Texas was coming out of a timeout with the ball on the Texas State 10-yard line. I remember thinking (maybe saying on the Watch With Us) do not force a throw here. Even though the game wasn't in doubt, make the smart or correct quarterback play to end the half. Value points, value momentum, value the football. It all matters later in a season when games are on the line. Every play when a decision has to be made at the QB position is key part of development. Every single one. After an incompletion, Arch forced a throw over the middle into triple coverage that ended in a really bad interception. Did it hurt Texas in terms of winning or losing the game vs an inferior opponent? Of course not. Was it a really bad QB decision? Absolutely. Arch said it after the game and on Monday. I remember saying on the Watch With Us that needs to be the worst pass/decision Arch makes all season. Because anything close to that recurring would likely be a lot more meaningful in SEC play. Arch had some bad QB luck vs. Ohio State in the first half. He made two tremendous throws that were dropped - Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo. Two should have been TDs (or eventual TD with Coleman). He had a wonderful QB moment in the fourth quarter rally and victory over a very good Ohio State team. In order to be real, it's also very important to be fair. The first drive vs UTSA was solid. He got off to a quality start. There was seemingly progression in decision making vs Ohio State and UTSA. After taking the self inflicted big hit, that game changed. Around a number of errant throws in that game (and before the hit) was the illegal forward pass with 13:56 remaining in the third quarter. It happens for all quarterbacks, and has throughout the history of the game. Fast forward to the Tennessee game. I've never seen two illegal forward passes by the same quarterback in a game. Never. I'm sure it has happened, but my eyes weren't on the TV or in person for a game in history it happened. And I've certainly never seen three in two games, or an illegal forward pass by the same QB in back-to-back games. Again, it's probably happened somewhere in the history of the game, but my 51-year-old eyes have never seen it. To do that three times in two games, and back-to-back games, is truly head scratching plays at the QB position. Around all that there were plays in each game where Arch was outside the tackle box and ate the ball taking an unneeded sack vs throwing the ball away. Similar to the end of the half vs. Texas State, those decisions don't hurt a team when you are winning, but one should clearly put those away in the memory bank if the decision-making returns in game deciding situations or games. Well, the fourth quarter of the Oklahoma game happened less than 24 hours ago. The pick-six pass can't be made, period. Under duress, Arch did a good job keeping the play alive, but what happened next just can't happen at the QB position. At some point in a quarterback's development, one has to register in the moment when the play calls for innate feel, instincts or extremely quick processing to throw the damn ball away. Not taking a sack in a meaningless game and throwing the ball away reps mattered earlier in the season. Sadly, the INT into triple coverage to the end the half vs. Texas State did not remain the worst pass thrown all season. I'm not going to break down the entire why the decision/throw was horrible, because it doesn't even need to be broken down. The ball wasn't valued. The moment wasn't valued. The situation wasn't valued. It wasn't processed in real time by a QB. Then there was the second INT. The reaction to the blitz was a forced throw again. It was a tough spot, but Manning had time to throw an uncatchable ball to the Texas coaches standing along the sideline. And this isn't a nitpick, as one can look at many scenarios in which a QB makes the correct throw away under duress with the game on the line. So where is Arch Manning at through five games this season, and 20 starts into his college career? In my opinion, he's now at the most important part of his career and development to date. Some really bad quarterback decisions in meaningless games early in the season became major in a rivalry game against a struggling team. A game that was given away by the Texas special teams, offense and quarterback. The head scratcher plays have to begin to cease. If we are still talking about them continuing to happen in November, there is a bigger problem that will have to be addressed. The plays in which one is forced to question innate feel and instincts for the position need to be in the rearview mirror, starting Saturday vs. Florida. The growth in game in split second decision making has to happen October 17. Period. The reality is Texas is going to score more points, make more explosive plays in the passing game and "look" better on offense the next three games in October. Texas isn't facing Matt Patricia, Jim Knowles and Brent Venables defenses and overall personnel level the next three games. But that doesn't mean Texas has suddenly improved or "found it" offensively. That doesn't mean Arch Manning has figured it out. This isn't about stats. This is about in-game decision making, and seeing the correct growth. Time is no longer on Arch Manning's side, and on Texas' side. Growth has to be easily seen. The time is now. I'm rooting for Arch, as I always have been. The fishbowl and pressure of being a Manning following in massive footsteps is real. That will always be acknowledged when I speak about Arch. At the same time, he's in a position in which major and career arc changing growth at the position has to begin today. There is no other option after five games this season. I'm not expecting perfection, as that is not the real world. I am expecting key growth to begin now. It simply has to for Arch, and the Texas Longhorns 2026 season.

I thought this was interesting, and important given some of the challenges facing the Texas offense. Florida loves to bring pressure. I charted 39 passing plays for South Carolina in their victory in The Swamp a week ago. 12 of those 39 snaps saw Florida bringing 6+ rushers at the snap. Now, keep in my, South Carolina is very RPO heavy. So some of those triggers were the result of keys that RPOs typically bait defenders into. But, the splits between number of blitzers brought on a given pass snap is interesting. 3 or less: 4 snaps 4-man pressure: 21 snaps 5-man pressure: 2 snaps 6-men or more: 12 snaps Texas has been pressured often up the middle with the G–C–G trio being targeted. That will be an area of the game I look for Florida to test from the start. One other note on 6-man pressure packages from the UF defense – 10 of the 12 were in the first half. South Carolina led 17–10 at halftime and after two possessions, it was 24–13. The deficit took away Florida's aggressiveness. Something to keep in mind for Saturday.

They aren’t confident.

Texas was in 10 personnel for 8 plays that accounted 83 yards on Saturday vs. Oklahoma. Good for 10.38 yards per play. The eight snaps: 10-yard pass to Emmett Mosley V 15-yard pass to Cam Coleman 34-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo -- halftime -- Arch Manning pick-six 9-yard pass to Emmett Mosley V 0-yard run by Hollywood Smothers 15-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Bishop Jr. pass thrown away The pick-six is the clear blemish. But completions on 6/7 other attempts for 83 yards is a good day given how much the Texas offense struggled throughout the game. *** Texas is averaging 9.93 yards per play in 10 personnel in the two SEC games where 10 personnel has been utilized. *** The personnel grouping is responsible for the following explosives in the two games: 34-yard pass 29-yard pass 18-yard pass 15-yard touchdown pass 15-yard pass 14-yard pass

Thoughts on the ugly loss 1. It’s a horrible freaking loss. No sugarcoating. Period. There are few feelings in sports worse than feeling like you gave a game away. 2. Going into the game, Texas was the favorite for a reason. It was said all week the only way Oklahoma would win this game is if Texas helped them/gave them momentum. Well, Texas did it. And the team got the loss they deserved. A punt blocked for a TD after a bye week following a horrible special teams performance. You deserve to lose. A late throw pick six INT by a fourth year quarterback that doesn’t seem to be able to process in play when and why to throw a ball away. You deserve to lose. Two INT’s in fourth quarter. You deserve to lose. 3. I will give Oklahoma credit for winning the third quarter physically. They earned the 3rd quarter. 4. Texas defense is playing championship caliber football. The Texas offense and special teams is showing the possibility of pissing away a very good defensive team. Texas gave up 238 yards, and lost today. Oklahoma was 2-13 on 3rd downs, and Texas lost. That’s bad and rare, period. 5. Going into this game, the team that rushed for the most yards was 23-1-1 in the last 25 games. Texas won the rushing battle, but lost the game. 122 to 83. OU had one run of 42, and zilch otherwise save a couple of effective runs for 6-8 yards. 6. Texas out gained OU 382 to 238. And lost. 7. There is so much more to talk about, but the reality is Texas gave Oklahoma the opportunity to win the game. And when you do that, a loss is deserved. 8. Texas is a poor offensive football team. There is seemingly a refusal or will to win with physicality. It’s too hit or miss, and too clunky far too often in year six. And Arch makes way too many head scratcher plays with over 20 starts. —— Texas at 4-1, now has one game margin for error. With no bye week remaining and seven straight SEC games to follow, Texas is a ways away from being a contender for anything meaningful offensively. The offense will look like they are getting well or improving with lesser defensive teams coming in the schedule, but it may be the eyes fooling more than Texas making strides.

Texas earned Saturday’s 27-24 walk-off loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout. The Sooners beat the Longhorns in the trenches in the second half, out-rushing Texas (4-1, 1-1 SEC) by 30 yards (82-52) and forcing two turnovers. Arch Manning, not John Mateer, made catastrophic mistakes, with two interceptions that led to 10 points for Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1), including Tate Sandell’s game-winning 47-yard field goal. The inexplicable loss isn’t solely on Manning’s shoulders. The Longhorns couldn’t get a push in the running game when it mattered, Steve Sarkisian’s play-calling was as questionable as ever and Will Muschamp’s defense faltered down the stretch (although the defense was by far the better of the three phases on Saturday). Texas is an undisciplined team that can’t run the football when it needs to, is inexplicably sloppy on special teams and failed to put its foot on the gas with a double-digit lead for the second consecutive game. *** Oklahoma had a distinct path to victory. The action at the Cotton Bowl unfolded in the Sooners’ favor. The Longhorns lost the turnover battle, 2-0. Oklahoma improved to 16-2 under Brent Venables when scoring a non-offensive touchdown. Mateer (18-for-26 for 155 yards) avoided making the backbreaking mistakes that plagued him through the Sooners’ first four games. Oklahoma won the line-of-scrimmage battle when it mattered and seized the momentum when Texas left the door open for a potential comeback. We’ve seen Red River upsets unfold similarly in the past, which is why the Sooners taking the Golden Hat back to Norman isn’t a surprise, given how things unfolded in Dallas. *** Even though Oklahoma’s defense lived up to its billing, seven three-and-outs, a pick-six and a missed field goal would’ve been more than enough to question where Sarkisian’s offense is going. Then there was the last drive of the game. The four-play drive that ended with Courtland Guillory’s interception of Manning felt like a microcosm of what’s wrong with the Longhorns on a side of the ball that’s putting out a product on par with last season's lackluster showing. Whether it’s a lack of hot routes or built-in advantage throws against blitzes, Manning’s inability or unwillingness to get the offense out of bad plays or questionable football IQ in a two-minute situation, Texas is too disjointed to take advantage of the talent Sarkisian’s organization acquired in the offseason. Inconsistency is the only thing consistent about the Longhorn offense. The boom-or-bust nature of Sarkisian’s offense has a low ceiling for a team that can’t rely on the kicking game to do anything other than put the defense on short fields or give up points. *** While the season isn’t over, the loss means that Sarkisian has no choice but to look in the mirror and see what changes must be made to improve the product. Texas’ offensive identity, when push comes to shove, is still to snap the ball to Manning and hope something good happens. When it works, it’s great. When it doesn’t work, you get the outcome you got on Saturday. Sarkisian can figure out what’s working and hammer those concepts so that the Longhorns can lean on a few things. Or he can keep dialing things up that, while they might look cool enough on tape to put on the call sheet, aren’t doing anything other than getting the offense behind the chains. *** The opening kickoff going out of bounds was a bad omen. I don’t like calling for a coach’s job. Still, for Jeff Banks’ unit to answer a forgettable showing against Tennessee with a performance that was worse against the Sooners is troubling, to say the least. *** There aren’t enough adjectives to describe the nature of Saturday’s loss. After doing what it needed to do to keep their College Football Playoff fate out of the selection committee’s hands through the first four games, Texas now has little to no margin for error. Unless Sarkisian's long-awaited desire for his club to play consistent complementary football is realized, the loss to Oklahoma won't be the last that the Longhorns suffer before the end of the regular season. Texas did enough right to win the Ohio State and Tennessee games. It didn't do enough right to win on Saturday, with a lot of mistakes and misfires looking all too familiar. The Longhorns have played with fire more than once this year. They finally got burned. View full news story

Me hoping for early tank season to line up for 2027 draft

I wanted to go through a rabbit hole here about the propensity for the Oklahoma defense and special teams to score points in the Venables era. Obviously, any time your defense or special teams is able to add points to the board, your chances to win the football game greatly increase. I don't think that is breaking news in the slightest. Some teams do it more than others. And to me, Oklahoma has been one of the best in the country during his tenure when it comes to non-offensive scoring. So, I went through each game in the Venables era, dating back to week one in 2022 where I found 17 games in which the Sooners added points to their scoreboard without an offensive touchdown or field goal being the reason. First off, 17 non-offensive scores in a 56 game span is a remarkable rate. That is special stuff. That's 30.3% of games played seeing some sort of non-offensive score. But here are the numbers: 2 punt return touchdowns 4 scoop & scores 5 safeties 7 pick sixes Here is the real reason why I wanted to go down this rabbit hole. In a game like the Red River Shootout where the emotions of the game are as high as they are and the momentum swings can feel like euphoria then the closest thing to your dog dying in the matter of seconds, non-offensive touchdowns are a huge reason for the game. Taking care of the football is paramount. Since Venables took over as head coach at OU: Oklahoma is 15–2 in games they have a non-offensive score Oklahoma is 19–20 in games they do not have a non-offensive score *** As for Texas. Since 2021, the Longhorns are 52–20 in the Sarkisian era. Texas is 16–2 in games they have a non-offensive score Texas is 36–18 in games they do not have a non-offensive score Texas records a non-offensive score in 25% of their contests by my math. 1 kickoff return TD 2 safeties 3 scoop & scores 6 pick sixes 6 punt return TD *** I write all of this to say, if Texas is able to shutout the Oklahoma defense and special teams from bizarre scoring opportunities, they will win this football game on Saturday. The only path to victory I see for the Sooners is through non-offensive scores.

No. 1 Texas didn't report any changes to the SEC office for Friday's student-athlete availability report ahead of facing Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ABC). Justus Terry, who has been dealing with turf toe, remains QUESTIONABLE. Jordan Coleman will miss his second consecutive game while recovering from turf toe. According to OTF's Hank South, there's optimism that Coleman could return as soon as next week's home game against Florida. The Sooners, however, have three noteworthy changes: — Eli Bowen, who OTF's CJ Vogel reported is dealing with an ankle issue that popped up late in the week, is on the report as QUESTIONABLE for the game. — Michael Fasusi, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury throughout the season, has officially been downgraded to OUT. He hasn't played since the season opener against UTEP and wasn't expected to be available against the Longhorns. — Eddy Pierre-Louis has been downgraded from QUESTIONABLE to DOUBTFUL. If Pierre-Louis misses the game, it would deal a significant blow to an offensive line that's struggled to find its footing early in the season. View full news story

Texas OL Jordan Coleman has been dealing with a turf toe injury, a source close to the situation tells OTF. There's some optimism that he should be able to return for the Florida game next week, if not the Ole Miss game the following weekend.

Ready for tomorrow! One more sleep.