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Texas was positioned to get the ball back with under four minutes to go in the third quarter of Saturday’s 35-10 loss to Georgia. The Bulldogs lined up for a fourth-and-1 from their own 36. With the Longhorns poised to seize momentum, the championship pedigree of Kirby Smart’s program took it back and held onto it en route to a third win over Steve Sarkisian’s club in 13 months. Texas (7-3, 4-2 SEC) cut the Georgia (9-1, 7-1) lead to four points when Arch Manning found Ryan Wingo in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown with 5:27 left in the third quarter. After Gunner Stockton and Chauncey Bowens connected for a 10-yard gain for the first of two fourth-down conversions on a 10-play, 73-yard touchdown drive, a surprise onside kick recovery and a 9-play, 53-yard march to another Bulldog touchdown, Manning and the offense faced a 28-10 deficit when it got back on the field at the 8:49 mark of the fourth quarter. Whether it was losing the line of scrimmage battle, a failure to execute in critical situations, dealing with one self-inflicted wound after another or Smart’s staff winning the chess match against Sarkisian and his assistant coaches, Georgia was better than Texas, across the board, for the third time in as many meetings as SEC foes. For the Longhorns to ascend to the next level as a program, they’ve got to get through the Bulldogs. With Georgia off the regular-season schedule until 2028, the only way Texas will get another crack at the Bulldogs over the next two years is if it reaches the SEC Championship Game. As the fourth quarter unfolded, one in which Texas was outscored (21-0), outgained (119-64) and outclassed, the preseason promise of the Longhorns competing for the SEC title and a national championship faded with every body blow the Bulldogs landed. As things stand, Texas won’t be back in Atlanta and, unless it benefits from a lot of unforeseen good fortune down the stretch, it won’t make a third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff. *** One of the reasons why Georgia is a bad matchup for Texas is the athleticism and length the Bulldogs possess up front. Once again, the Bulldogs won the battle at the point of attack in a landslide. Georgia sacked Manning three times, recorded seven tackles for loss and held the Longhorns to just 23 net rushing yards on 17 carries. Even when adjusting rushing yards to exclude sack yardage, 39 yards (2.8 yards per carry) wasn’t close to what Texas needed to achieve much-needed balance on offense. In their three losses to the Bulldogs over the last two seasons, the Longhorns have given up 16 sacks and 32 tackles for loss while mustering just 83 net rushing yards on 72 official attempts (1.15 yards per attempt). Georgia rushed for 128 yards (3.7 yards per attempt), 67 of which came in the fourth quarter, as the Bulldogs once again owned the line of scrimmage. *** The chatter regarding Sarkisian’s struggles against Smart won’t die down. In fact, after Smart pushed all of the right buttons in the second half while Sarkisian’s offense sputtered and the Texas defense wore down, it’ll be louder than ever. Sarkisian has done a lot of good in his five seasons on the Forty Acres. Nevertheless, his head-to-head win over Nick Saban in 2023 is starting to be overshadowed by Sarkisian’s combined 0-7 record against Smart (0-3), Kalen DeBoer (0-2) and Ryan Day (0-2), which account for his seven losses against top-five opponents while leading the Longhorns (1-7 record). Sarkisian’s success over the last two seasons has raised the bar to a championship standard. With that as the backdrop, Saturday’s loss adds even more importance to the regular-season finale against a Texas A&M team expected to roll into DKR with an unblemished 11-0 record. If Sarkisian’s Texas squad goes 0-3 against top-five opponents in 2025 while the Aggies and Oklahoma advance to the CFP (a realistic outcome after the Sooners’ 23-21 road win over Alabama on Saturday), it’ll be a long offseason with a lot of tough questions to answer throughout 2026. *** For the third consecutive meeting between the Longhorns and Georgia, the Bulldogs’ best players outpaced Texas’ top dogs. Manning wasn’t bad (27-for-43, 251 yards, one touchdown and one interception), but Stockton was better (24-for-29, 229 yards, four touchdowns, one interception and a rushing touchdown). Although Anthony Hill (six tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and an interception) and Colin Simmons (three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack) made plays, they didn’t dominate the game the way they needed to for the Longhorns to win. *** The final score isn’t a direct reflection of how far Texas is from reaching Georgia’s level as a program. Still, until the Longhorns can hold up better in the trenches, avoid shooting themselves in the foot (nine penalties for 58 yards) and play better situational football (a combined 4-for-15 on third and fourth down; the Bulldogs also went 4-for-4 in the red zone with four touchdowns), they’ll likely continue to suffer the same fate in games of this magnitude. View full news story

Let’s start with what’s objectively fantastic about Texas hanging on for a 34-31 win over No. 9 Vanderbilt, and that’s the start of the game. The season-saving closing moments of last Saturday’s 45-38 overtime win over Mississippi State carried the Longhorns into a game at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for the first time in 42 days. With those two factors colliding, I would’ve been disappointed if we didn’t see the most inspired, ready-to-go-from-the-jump version of Steve Sarkisian’s team through nine games. And Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC) came out like a house of fire. Less than four minutes into the game, Arch Manning (25-for-33, 328 yards and three touchdowns) and Ryan Wingo (89 yards on two catches before exiting the game with a thumb injury) connected on a 75-yard touchdown, Colin Simmons forced a Diego Pavia fumble on a strip sack and the Longhorns had a 10-0 lead. I wanted Sarkisian to take the ball first (he didn’t get the choice since the Commodores won the toss and deferred their option to the second half). The opportunity to be the aggressor and set the tone the right way could get Vanderbilt (7-2, 3-2) on its heels. That’s exactly what happened. The Longhorns never trailed in the latest must-win game of the 2025 season. I couldn’t have envisioned a better start to a victory that keeps the team’s goals of a berth in the SEC title game and a third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff alive. *** Manning achieved back-to-back 300-yard passing games for the first time in his career with the most complete sampling of throws we’ve seen from him this season. On quick throws, screens, intermediate passes and the occasional shot down the field beyond 20 yards, Manning completed 10 consecutive passes at one point. While connecting on 22 of his final 27 attempts, Manning was 7-for-9 for 81 yards on third down and six of his completions moved the chains. Manning led Texas to points on six of the offense’s first seven drives, with the Longhorns failing to score only on a two-play drive at the end of the first half. *** Until the end of the game, when Texas was trying to drain the clock and make the Commodores use their timeouts, Sarkisian called the game he needed to call to position the Longhorns for a win. While I might be a prisoner of the moment, I'll say that the vast majority of the Vanderbilt game is up there with last season’s road win over Michigan and the 2023 road win over Alabama as games in which Sarkisian seemed to push all the right buttons on offense at a consistently high level. One of the things I liked was how Sarkisian helped the offensive line, which benefited from the return of Cole Hutson from injury. With Hutson in the lineup at left guard, Texas had the athleticism between Trevor Goosby and Connor Robertson that wasn’t there with either Nick Brooks or Connor Stroh. Sarkisian’s decision to maximize the Longhorns’ advantage on the perimeter with the quick passing game, well-executed screen passes to the running backs and the utilization of pre-snap movement to create a numbers advantage in the running game led to Quintrevion Wisner (75 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries) and C.J. Baxter Jr. (22 yards rushing and a receiving touchdown) rushing for a combined 97 yards on 25 carries. With only one tackle for loss allowed (Clark Lea’s defense came into Saturday’s game averaging 6.8 tackles for loss per game, which ranked 21st nationally) and the defense sacking Pavia six times (only seven sacks allowed through eight games) to go along with 10 tackles for loss, Texas dominated the line of scrimmage against a team that prides itself on winning with a physical, methodical brand of football. The hard-to-stomach final few minutes of the game could push the winning trench effort aside. It shouldn’t, but it’s understandable if it’s hard to see it through the muck of an almost catastrophic fourth quarter. *** The game turned on a play that nearly put the nail in Vanderbilt’s coffin. Manning’s 33-yard touchdown strike to Emmett Mosley V (69 yards and a touchdown on seven catches) was correctly overturned and ruled an incomplete pass. However, the officiating crew failed to call defensive pass interference or defensive holding on cornerback Kolbey Taylor, who had a handful of Mosley’s jersey, restricting his left arm from helping him complete the play. Instead of a touchdown that would’ve put Texas up 40-16 (extra point pending) with 4:09 to go, effectively ending the game, Mason Shipley’s failed field goal try from 51 yards out on the next snap put into motion a forgettable end to an otherwise strong outing. *** Two things are true about the end of the game. I try as hard as I can to leave the officials out of the discussion of how things played out. With that said, I don’t know what else Simmons (five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two hurries and a forced fumble) has to demand more holding calls. Even though Trey Moore (three tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and two hurries) drew one on Vanderbilt’s last possession, it’s hard for me to believe that Simmons’ constant disruption and the Vanderbilt offensive line’s inability to block him couldn’t get him more calls (and I don’t have the that's without getting into the Commodores’ two-point conversion, which was upheld after a review with a flimsy explanation from the replay booth to the ABC crew working the game as to why it stood). Still, there’s no excuse for the breakdowns on the back end, which helped the Commodores nearly pull off an upset that would’ve dashed the Longhorns’ postseason hopes. Pavia, who threw for 365 yards, rushing for 43 and accounted for four touchdowns (three passing and one rushing), went 12-for-16 through the air in the fourth quarter, racked up 205 yards and threw two touchdowns. Vanderbilt averaged 11.3 yards per play in the fourth quarter, went a combined 4-for-5 on third and fourth down and converted a fourth-and-19 from its 2-yard line on a 12-play, 89-yard touchdown drive. Yes, Texas missed Michael Taaffe and Jelani McDonald. But the absence of the two veteran safeties can’t singularly account for the egregious breakdowns in the fourth quarter, which helped make the game closer than it should’ve been. *** While the closing minutes are ripe for criticism, the Longhorns have a top-10 win in their pocket heading into the bye week. Manning seems to be hitting his stride, Sarkisian might’ve found something to help the offense click with AJ Milwee’s move to the press box and the offensive line should come out of Saturday’s win with a little confidence. The most concerning thing coming out of the game is that for two consecutive games against two different passing attacks, the pass defense has been shredded. Texas needs Taaffe and McDonald back in a bad way, but things need to tighten up and get cleaned up. The Longhorns have looked exploitable in SEC play. With Gunnar Stockton (Georgia), Taylen Green (Arkansas) and Marcel Reed (Texas A&M) left on the schedule, the issues on the back end must get resolved with an extra week to prepare for a highly anticipated trip to Athens on Nov. 15. View full news story

Not a surprise, but Texas offered Georgetown OL Kaden Scherer tonight. Scherer, a Stanford commit, is the tentatively scheduled for an official visit next weekend for the Arkansas game.

When No. 11 Texas faces fifth-ranked Georgia in Athens next Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC), it will do so on the heels of the Bulldogs’ most complete performance of the season. Kirby Smart’s team rolled up a season-high 567 yards of total offense in Saturday’s 41-21 dispatching of Mississippi State. Georgia (8-1, 6-1 SEC) ran for 303 yards and averaged 7.7 yards per play on an afternoon in which Gunnar Stockton (18-for-29 passing for 264 yards and three touchdowns) led five consecutive touchdown drives after a first-quarter fumble in the red zone. A defense entered Saturday’s game with a Power Four-low eight sacks recorded through eight games. After allowing a 14-play, 75-yard drive to open the game, the Bulldogs forced two three-and-outs, four total punts, a fumble and a turnover on downs to help Georgia build a 38-7 lead by the 9:58 mark of the third quarter. The Longhorns won four consecutive SEC games after losing to Florida. Texas (7-2, 4-1) has earned the opportunity to position itself as a threat to get back to the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff if it can hand the Bulldogs their second conference loss. With Georgia’s trip to Starkville out of the way, the countdown to the third meeting between the Longhorns and the Bulldogs in 392 days is officially underway. — Along with a healthy running back room (Nate Frazier’s 59-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter highlighted a 12-carry, 181-yard performance against Mississippi State), Georgia’s offensive line looks just as good, if not better than the group Stacy Searles put on the field last season. Texas will come into the game with arguably the best run defense in the country. It should be a hellacious trench battle next Saturday. — The tight end position is a significant piece in Mike Bobo’s offense, which is why Lawson Luckie’s departure after he was leveled on a hit that led to safety Jahron Manning’s ejection for targeting is a significant development. Smart said after the game that Luckie wanted to get back on the field after he was ruled out, providing hope of a positive prognosis. Regardless, Luckie’s availability is one of the early health-related storylines to monitor, along with the status of Ryan Wingo (thumb) and Jelani McDonald (concussion protocol), both of whom suffered injuries in the Longhorns' 34-31 win over Vanderbilt. — Zachariah Branch and Noah Thomas both hauled in touchdowns from Stockton on Saturday. The Bulldogs have upgraded at wide receiver since the last time Texas saw Georgia, with the transfer wideouts responsible for two of Stockton’s completions against Mississippi State that were explosive in nature (gained 15 or more yards), including Thomas’ 64-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. — The toughest task the Longhorns have in front of them is figuring out how to run the football with some level of consistency against a defense that came into the weekend as a top-15 unit against the run (94.1 yards per game and 3.01 yards per attempt allowed). Even though Texas is last in the SEC in rushing yards per game in conference play (84.1), Quintrevion Wisner has a track record of getting the job done in big games. Wisner’s most productive games this season have come against Ohio State (80 yards on 16 carries), Oklahoma (22 carries for 94 yards and five receptions for 35 yards) and Vanderbilt (75 yards on 18 carries and 28 yards on two catches), the seventh, eighth and 17th-ranked FBS run defenses heading into the weekend. With Wisner running behind an offensive line that might've found its best combination with Cole Hutson at left guard and Connor Robertson at center, the Longhorns have at least a puncher’s chance to move the ball on the ground. — Georgia is elite in the kicking game. While turnovers doomed Texas in the first meeting with Georgia last season, Brett Thorson’s ability to flip the field and help the Bulldogs dominate field position was a significant factor in the Longhorns’ struggles. Texas is much improved on special teams from last season, but it needs its best game of the season to match or top Georgia's kicking game, which might be the best in the country. View full news story

Live from Gonzales, La. at East Ascension High for Tuesday afternoon practice

Steve Sarkisian was asked about the possibility of being the second team in the last six years to beat three AP Top 10 teams in a single season, as well as the grind of the leading Texas into the SEC as second year members: "This conference is grueling. You know every year, I think people look at schedules and (say) 'Oh, they got an easy schedule' or 'They got a hard one,' – you don't really know until teams start taking the field and you got to start playing. Teams deal with injuries, some teams don't. Teams fire their coaches, some teams don't. We have had a very challenging slate for sure. Of not only the quality of the opponents that we are playing, but also some of the environments and the road games at night. But I think one thing about our conference that just holds true week in and week out – literally anybody in our conference, it doesn't matter who they are – can beat anybody else in our conference on any given Saturday. And I think that is what makes our conference so difficult. It is not about getting up for one or two games a year, it is not getting up for three top ten matchups or the third one this year, you got to get up for them every single week. Because every team is capable of beating anyone else. And I think that is the toll that it takes when you play in this conference. There is a physical toll that this league takes on your team, but there is also a mental toll and I think that is where the toughness aspect is so critical in the SEC. There is a physical toughness you have to have, but there is a mental toughness you have to have to get yourself prepared to play every single Saturday and to be at your best. Because if you are not, you are going to be in a dog fight trying to find a way to win late. And so, you learn a lot about your team in this league and we have learned a lot about our team. Like I said, it is a great league to be a part of, it is challenging but you have to grow up and have to grow up quickly." Steve Sarkisian on the grind of an SEC schedule on a weekly basis after the addition of Texas and Oklahoma. "Well I think it was very strategic by the SEC – if (they) were going to expand, how were they going to expand? Obviously they went got two great brands that are national brands, but yet are in the southwest and are very influential. But really, nationally for the Southeastern Conference now to expand the way that they did west I think was great for the conference. But you have two national brands, high quality programs that have won a lot of games and championships over the years. But yet, they are two programs that know at the end of the day are going to be good year in and year out. The conference is tough, it is only going to get harder when we go to nine games. It is like 'Holy cow, here we go. We are playing eight now, and now we are going to nine.' So we have to recruit well and keep developing our players because it is hard to keep everybody healthy for that long of a season."

Longhorn DB Health Update *** Sarkisian mentioned on Monday that the Texas safety room was back to strength with the return of Michael Taaffe, Jelani McDonald and Xavier Filsaime on Monday. Texas DBs Michael Taaffe and Xavier Filsaime were both rocking green non-contact jerseys on Tuesday. Jelani McDonald (concussion protocol) had no jersey designation and was a full participant. All three were active participants and as expected, all three are expected to be available on Saturday.

It's a top 10 matchup in Athens, Georgia on Saturday. A great opportunity for Texas to cause a real stir in the CFP picture while also immediately boosting their playoff resume. While many would argue that the current rankings don't matter – and I would agree with them – that would defeat the purpose of watercooler talk that makes this sport as enjoyable as any during the midweek. Here is how I view the top ten teams in the country entering week 12. **** No. 1 Ohio State (9–0) The team with the fewest flaws in the country is very clearly Ohio State. I don't think it is far-fetched to say this team is better than the team a year ago who won the National Title. Overwhelmingly my title favorite. No. 2 Indiana (10–0) A scare in Happy Valley ended up being a rallying cry for Heismendoza ticket holders everywhere. Indiana pummels inferior opposition, something that should not be overlooked. But a team like Penn State should be a warning sign for why Indiana's Title run will fall short. No. 3 Texas A&M (9–0) Credit to A&M, they have won every game they have played this season. They have ended coaching tenures and look to be breaking the mold of their annual 8–4 run. Still, there are some flaws here. The key to beating Texas A&M is forcing Marcel Reed to read a defense. Against Missouri, only 3 of Reed's 26 pass attempts were beyond 10 yards downfield. It's clear Collin Klein wants to keep everything short and let the most dynamic WR duo work after the catch. No. 4 Alabama (8–1) Alabama is the best team in the SEC for my money's worth, the loss on the sheet obviously negates their ability to jump A&M in the rankings. Ty Simpson is the best quarterback in the conference as well. If there was a concern here, it would be the run game – Alabama doesn't have one. No. 5 Texas Tech (9–1) Hear me out. Tech has the most productive front seven in all of college football with an edge rushing combo that is in the conversation for being the best in the country and a linebacker who is rightfully receiving some Heisman noise. The lone loss came on the road with 0:25 left after starting a backup quarterback. No. 6 Georgia (8–1) The Georgia Bulldogs' identity has shifted rather drastically in 2025. A defense that relies on bending rather than enforcing their will and an offense that is as efficient as anyone in the SEC. Kirby Smart will have some tricks up his sleeve for the Longhorns this weekend, but altogether this is a Georgia team who doesn't mirror those trophy winners of the previous six years. No. 7 Ole Miss (9–1) A tough spot for Ole Miss, because their record and resume probably outweighs the 7th position in the rankings, but that is where things stand when there is a head to head loss to Georgia. Ole Miss plays with its food more than any of the teams ranked ahead of them at the moment, wirtg monitoring with Florida and the Egg Bowl remaning. No. 8 Oregon (8–1) Man, Kinnick Stadium almost claimed another victim on Saturday night. Oregon left a nasty, gross, miserable evening in Iowa with a win after some absolutely dialed throws from Dante Moore to get into field goal range late. No. 9 Notre Dame (7–2) Notre Dame gets the nod over Texas for me for the highest 2-loss team in the country. After two losses by a combined four points in the first two weeks of the season, Notre Dame has won seven straight and boasts one of the most explosive running games in the country. I am using a bit of the eye test with Notre Dame here as well – they have allowed 14 points or more just one since week 3. No. 10 Texas (7–2) And alas, Texas. What a rollercoaster it has been for the Longhorns, from the preseason No. 1 to being unranked and having questions about the quarterback and playcaller needing to be addressed. But back in the top ten and right in the hunt for a Playoff spot. Offensively, the Longhorns are playing their best ball of the season and should be returning two major starters in the back end of the secondary ahead of the Georgia contest this weekend.

Stanford commit on offer watch Offensive line coach Kyle Flood watch Georgetown High OT/IOL and Stanford commit Kaden Scherer Friday night. OTF talked to a source close to the recruitment, and the feedback was Texas has liked what they have seen this season on tape, and in person Friday. OTF is placing the 6-foot-6, 285-pounder on potential "offer watch", and we will not be surprised if an OV is set up the Arkansas game weekend. Scherer picked Stanford over Northwestern and Kansas State after the May-June OV process. He cancelled an OV to Virginia.

Before he parlayed his red-hot finish while leading Texas to an overtime road win over Mississippi State into a banner performance in last Saturday’s 34-31 triumph over Vanderbilt, Arch Manning proved he could handle pressure. According to Pro Football Focus, Manning has been pressured 122 times through nine games, tying him with South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers for the second-most pressures faced among FBS quarterbacks. He’s produced when the heat has been on him; the 11th-ranked Longhorns hit their second bye week of the regular season with Manning carrying a PFF season-long grade of 68 when facing, tied for the eighth-best grade in FBS among quarterbacks who’ve been pressured on at least 20 dropbacks. With only 18 of those pressures resulting in sacks, Manning’s 14.8 pressure-to-sack percentage is tied for 60th among 171 qualifying FBS quarterbacks and sixth out of 17 qualifying quarterbacks in the SEC. To give Manning’s ability to avoid sacks more context, Jackson Arnold has the worst pressure-to-sack percentage in the SEC, with him getting sacked on 32.6 percent of the pressure Auburn has allowed. While Manning’s legs (specifically, his ability to extend plays) have been one of the elements of the offense that Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC) has been able to count on throughout the season, he’s becoming a top-notch quarterback at beating pressure with his arm. According to PFF, no SEC quarterback has completed more pass attempts against pressure than Manning (43). Manning has the second-most passing yards of any FBS quarterback against pressure (676) and his five touchdown passes when facing pressure are tied for the seventh-most in the country (the seven touchdown passes against pressure by Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar lead the SEC, with Manning, Taylen Green of Arkansas and Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed right behind him). This is a positive trend for the Longhorns that needs to continue against a Georgia defense that’s found it tougher to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks organically this season. Steve Sarkisian and the offensive staff should expect Kirby Smart and Glenn Schumann to throw the kitchen sink at Manning when Texas heads to Athens next Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC), even though Kyle Flood’s offensive line is coming off of arguably its best outing of 2025. According to PFF, Manning was pressured on just seven of his 34 dropbacks against the Commodores. Whether Clark Lea and the Vanderbilt defensive staff intended to blitz more coming into the game, or the Commodores shifted gears on the fly, the Longhorns made Vanderbilt pay for blitzing Manning 19 times. Manning had a 15-for-19 day against the blitz last Saturday, throwing for 248 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers committed or sacks allowed for a PFF grade of 91.6, Manning’s best of the season against the blitz and a perfect NFL passer rating (158.3). On the 50 combined blitzes he's faced in his last two games, Manning is completing 67 percent of his passes (30 of 45) for 508 yards with five touchdowns, no interceptions, no fumbles and four sacks allowed. In two meetings with Georgia last season, the Bulldogs blitzed Manning and Quinn Ewers on 41.4 percent of their combined dropbacks (46 of 111). Those 46 blitzes led to 20 pressures and six sacks, with Manning and Ewers combining to go 22-for-40 through the air for 256 yards with one touchdown and four turnovers (one interception and three fumbles). For Texas and Sarkisian to slay the dragon and get over the hump against Smart and the Bulldogs, Manning must continue his positive trend of delivering when opposing defenses bring the heat. View full news story

Steve Sarkisian and Chris Gilbert are on the road in DFW today, after watching Waxahachie last night. Sark and Gilbert are expected to be by Euless Trinity to see 5-star 2027 CB John Meredith III today. Meredith III is considered a Texas A&M lean. Texas Tech is being very aggressive here right now. Meredith III is expected to attend a Texas home game later this month.

Texas has offered 2026 North Forney ATH Legend Bey, a current Tennessee commit, Friday afternoon. Bey is a freakish athlete. He plays quarterback and has offers at the position, but long term his highest ceiling position is at receiver in my opinion. I watched him at the Under Armour Dallas camp earlier in the year where he shined at the receiver spot in 1 on 1’s. Bey boasts elite speed, clocking a wind-aided 10.23 time in the 100m in April. Previously he had been sitting in the low 10.6’s. Sarkisian is in DFW, and this offer should be something to monitor moving forward.

Texas picked up a verbal commitment from Abilene RHP George Ferguson today. We’ll have more later, but this is a big addition for the Longhorns.

What shouldn’t get lost in the shuffle of Texas coming uncomfortably close to squandering a 24-point lead in last Saturday’s 34-31 win over Vanderbilt is the way the Longhorns put the Commodores in a four-score hole through three quarters. Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC) won the line of scrimmage battle in a landslide, something it hasn’t done consistently in 2025. Steve Sarkisian might’ve said it best during his weekly news conference on Monday when he pointed out how the Longhorns minimized Vanderbilt’s strength “and made it a strength of ours.” The remarkable effort by Clark Lea’s organization to turn a perennial SEC doormat into a contender for a berth in the College Football Playoff has centered around winning in the trenches. The Commodores came into the game with the third-best rushing offense in the SEC (203.4 yards per game, ranked 24th in FBS) while allowing only 26 tackles for loss (3.25 per game, ranked fourth nationally) and seven sacks (0.88 per game was tied for the top spot in the SEC and 11th in the country) through eight games. Vanderbilt was a top-25 defense nationally in tackles for loss (6.8 per game) and sacks (2.63 per game) and boasted a top-20 ranking against the run (101.9 yards per game allowed). Facing a formidable opponent up front, Texas dominated the game at the point of attack. “That's why I didn't think the score was indicative of how the game went,” Sarkisian said. We’ve got to play better in the fourth quarter, don't get me wrong, but we're playing better football right now.” The Longhorns kept Arch Manning upright, preventing the opponent from recording a sack for only the second time this season. The Commodores ended the game with one tackle for loss, tying Ohio State for the fewest tackles for loss allowed by Texas through nine games. Only four of the Longhorns’ 27 official rushing attempts were stopped for no gain or netting negative yardage. The 15 percent stuff rate allowed is the second-best mark Texas has recorded in 2025, topped only by a five percent stuff rate by the Buckeye defense (just two of 37 official rushing attempts in the season opener failed to get back to the line of scrimmage). The line of scrimmage play on offense came as close as it has to matching the continued excellence displayed by the defensive front. After sacking Diego Pavia six times (Vanderbilt allowed only seven through eight games) and recording 10 tackles for loss (one shy of a season high 11 notched in a road win over Kentucky on Oct. 18), Texas has racked up 23 sacks and 37 tackles for loss during its four-game SEC winning streak. The Longhorns currently own the top-ranked run defense in the SEC (78.2 yards per game allowed, No. 2 in FBS) and their 34 sacks lead the conference and the country (No. 2 in FBS with 3.78 sacks per game). Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense is also 18th nationally and fifth in the SEC in tackles for loss per game (6.8). The team's trench success came on a day in which the offense enjoyed a 7-for-11 performance on third down (tied for the season high with an identical 7-for-11 effort in a 55-0 win over Sam Houston on Sept. 20). Combine those aspects of the win with Mason Shipley’s 39-yard field goal in the first quarter on the heels of a strip sack and fumble recovery by Colin Simmons and Sarkisian is excited about the momentum Texas will look to capitalize on coming out of the bye week. Specifically, Sarkisian wants to see his club build on what he described as "a level of confidence right now with our team of, ‘Man, we're getting better.'" "We're taking care of the ball better. We're creating turnovers. We're stopping the run. We're starting to run the ball better — we need to run it better. We're converting third downs. We're doing a lot of things really well," Sarkisian said. "We're playing better at the line of scrimmage now on both sides of the ball. “There was a lot of things to point to in that game where it's like, ‘OK, we're starting to hit our stride a little bit more,” he added. “There's some things to clean up, we're not a finished product, but we're getting better." View full news story

Points Per Drive leaders in the SEC Entering Week 11 *** For those that have been around OTF for a while or followed me elsewhere, you will know that points per drive is a key factor in my evaluation of teams. Entering week 11, here is a visual of where the teams in the conference stand at the moment. You want to be in the upper right quadrant. A few takeaways: – Vanderbilt still has the most efficient offense in the country, averaging 3.74 points per possession. – Teams ranked 3-6 in the College Football Playoff are very similar to one another. You see A&M, Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss basically in the same spot on the graph here. – Arkansas has the 128th ranked defense in efficiency. It is an all-time bad defense. – It is starting to catch up for Tennessee on the chart. Beating no name schools 70–0 for three straight weeks to begin each season can only take you so far. They fail against quality opponents and will continue to do so. – Texas and Oklahoma possess a very similar statistical makeup. Both defenses are in the top two of the conference, and the offenses have been hit or miss throughout the season. – Kentucky is far and away the worst team in the country and it's a justifiable knock on the Longhorns that that game in Lexington went to overtime.

2027 DB on the Radar + Recap from 2027 DL *** A new in-state safety prospect has emerged on the radar for the Longhorns in the class of 2027. 6-foot-4-inch Whitehouse (TX) defensive back Malachi Allen visited the Longhorns on Saturday for the Vanderbilt game and should be considered a name to watch moving forward. Allen told me following his visit that he is being recruited at the STAR position, or as a hybrid safety/linebacker. The plan now is for a Texas coach to stop by on Thursday according to Allen – most likely being Keynodo Hudson, who Allen spent time with in the facility during the postgame. On Monday, Florida State became the first to offer Allen. Texas has invited Allen back for the Texas A&M game as well, which means they could get three in-person visits in the month of November alone. Will have an update later in the week, but this is one to keep an eye on for the winter as Texas gets its in-state safety board straightened out. *** Additionally, Kenny Baker hosted 2027 Pearland (TX) defensive lineman DeMarco Jenkins for the Vanderbilt game as well. The Longhorns offered Jenkins back in the first week of June, and he referred to his trip to Austin as one of the best he has taken so far. "I had a great time at the game man, the energy was high and i could literally feel the stadium shaking," Jenkins told On Texas Football after the game. "It was definitely one of my best visits and I plan on coming back soon or during the spring." Jenkins holds 23 offers at the moment – including offers from Arizona State, Auburn, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and plenty of others. Mizzou extended an offer to Jenkins on Monday as well. I would expect to see Jenkins' name rise heading into the winter evaluation period.

4-star LSU OT commit OV to Texas OTF believes that 4-star LSU offensive tackle Brysten Martinez (Gonzales, La./East Ascension) is likely to make an OV to Texas November 22-23 for the Arkansas game. The 6-6, 305-pounder made a two day OV to Texas over the weekend.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is speaking with the media following the Longhorns' 34–31 victory over Vanderbilt. The game was tight down the stretch, but ultimately it was a big resume boosting win and the best offensive performance of the season. Texas now has a bye week coming up, but before hear from the Texas head coach. View full news story

College Football Live Thread: Week 10 For all you CFB degenerates ... UTEP vs. Kennesaw State and James Madison at Texas State begins Week 10 tonight.

No. 20 Texas vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt Game Thread Here we go! The game... No. 20 Texas (6-2, 3-1) vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1) When: 11 a.m. CT TV: ABC The line ... Texas -3.5 O/U: 46.5