If No. 18 Mizzou wants to make a push for the College Football Playoff, it starts Saturday morning against No. 7 Texas. It’s the first three-straight top-20 matchups for Mizzou, with Georgia and Kentucky looming after. The last time a top-10 team came to Columbia, the Tigers defeated Florida in dominating fashion.
But Texas arrives presenting plenty of challenges on both sides of the ball for the Tigers. Despite dealing with injuries, Texas has playmakers that will make this a fun ballgame at Faurot
Field. With that being said, here are four questions ahead of Mizzou facing its old Big 12 foe.
Does Missouri contain Arch Manning and make things miserable for him in the pocket?
On Thursday, Colin Simmons noted the decline in the production of the Tigers’ pass rush in October.
“After 18 sacks through the first six games, Mizzou has managed just one over its last two contests. The Tigers have also totaled just three tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries during that stretch.”
Simmons also noted how the Longhorns offense has surrendered the third-most sacks in the SEC, while Arch Manning has been sacked a dozen times in the past three contests against Florida, Mississippi State and Mississippi.
Of course, losing Trevor Goosby, the Longhorns’ starting left, doesn’t help, but while quarterback Arch Manning could go in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft, he doesn’t handle pressure as well as other quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference.
Per Pro Football Focus, Manning’s adjusted completion percentage while under pressure is 65.9%, which ranks 10th among SEC starters. His pressure-to-sack percentage when pressured is 27.8% and 28.3% when blitzed. Both numbers are among the three worst in the conference.
When kept clean, Manning has been surgical. He has a 79.4% adjusted completion percentage while tossing for 12 of his 15 touchdowns. Texas’ passing attack hasn’t been the best when pressured. Mizzou will need to take advantage because it possibly will be facing a pair of talented wide receivers.
Speaking of the battle of the perimeter, how will the Tigers’ secondary perform against Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo (If they are good to go)?
While the Thursday injury report was relatively clean for Mizzou heading into Thursday night, Texas has a handful of key players questionable for Saturday, including receivers Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman, who are both dealing with shoulder injuries.
Wingo leads Texas with 470 receiving yards and 4 scores, while Cam Coleman, who leads the SEC with 7 touchdowns on 409 yards. Also, Emmett Mosley V has added 419 more yards. Texas’ top three receivers are among the most talented trio in the conference. While Coleman and Wingo are both questionable, the Tigers are preparing for both to suit up and rightfully so.
“You have to plan for them to play. I think they’re both really talented vertically down the field because they both have elite speed and size,” said Drinkwitz on Coleman and Wingo. “You know, the ball skills are really good. They put a ton of pressure on you. You know how you defend them? If you give them soft coverage, they can catch and run. You play press, they can release outside and run by you. If you play it outside, then you push them to the post, which is probably Arch’s best throw.”
Arguably, this is Mizzou’s secondary’s toughest test since the Mississippi State game, where they played the trio of Anthony Evans III, Sanfrisco Magee, and Marquis Johnson. Getting pressure on Manning is a must, but in the event of the Longhorns’ quarterback operating in a clean pocket, how well will these cornerbacks and safeties play against this trio?
Can Mizzou’s offense withstand the Longhorns’ pass rush?
Texas’ defense has been amazing in 2026. The Longhorns surrender just 17.1 points per game, ranking 19th in the nation and fourth in the SEC. As a team, Texas has generated 150 pressures defensively. Out of all FBS opponents the Tigers have faced this season, Texas ranks No. 1 in this category; Mississippi is the next closest at 138.
It will especially be a test if Colin Simmons is good to go. Simmons is a one-man game wrecker, and ranked fifth on Mel Kiper’s latest big board. He leads Texas with 26 pressures, despite playing in just 6 games, but Lance Jackson has added 21 more while Zina Umeozulu has 17 himself.
Mizzou’s offensive line has been relatively good as a unit in pass protection, but this is their biggest test so far. On the perimeter, Luke Work has had his struggles, allowing 10 pressures over his past four game. Austin Simmons adjusted completion percentage is 55% when pressured.
Is Ahmad Hardy ready to take on a bigger snap count for Texas?
On Ahmad Hardy’s second carry against Arkansas, it appeared the hole wasn’t there, but he used his vision to find something and muscled his way for a four-yard gain. It wasn’t much; it would be his last carry of the night, but it was something fun to see after he’d missed a big chunk of the year.
As mentioned above, the Longhorns defense is tough. Against the run, the Longhorns are right up there with the Tigers. Mizzou gives up 98.3 yards on the ground (3rd in the SEC). Texas gives up 102.4 yards per game (4th in the SEC). Drinkwitz credited Texas’ linebackers and Will Muschamp for helping the group thrive.
“Those guys don’t think a lot; they just react,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s more complicated than see ball, hit ball, but that’s what they’re doing, and he utilizes them in a lot of different ways, from club fronts to simulated pressures to read and react and protecting with, you know run stunts that allow penetration A and B gaps and linebackers to flow over the top. So you know, as an offense, you have to kind of prepare for it and try to stay ahead of the chains, eliminate negative yardage runs.”
Mizzou’s rushing attack has been up and down, but ranks sixth in the conference with 167.5 yards per game. While Jamal Roberts has been amazing filling in as this team’s No. 1, heading into November, this offense will benefit from having a reliable No. 2.
As for Ahmad Hardy, Drinkwitz noted that he could receive a larger workload.
“I think you’ll see more of a rotation than we were last week, or a more enhanced version of hey this is what his role will be,” Drinkwitz said.
If he does receive more carries, what will that look like, and how will he once again look against a tough defense?
