The No. 22 Texas Longhorns are a team in need of answers.
Following a narrow win over the Kentucky Wildcats, head coach Steve Sarkisian said the team’s identity is defense and special teams. While team leaders like Colin Simmons took issue with leaving out the offense, its clear that the issue for Texas is with the head coach’s area of responsibility. Quarterback Arch Manning has been far from the star he was predicted to be preseason and the ground game has been inconsistent, both in priority and in execution,
which makes the problems wose.
Thankfully for Texas, the defense has played at an elite level, while Ryan Niblett has proven in his relatively young career that he is one of the elite punt returners in the country.
The Longhorns will close out their October slate with one more game away from Austin, taking on the Mississippi State Bulldogs, a team in desperate need of a conference win. After starting the year 4-0 and looking like one of the country’s elite offenses, they’ve struggled in all three SEC contests and are riding a three-game losing streak. It’s an offense with a ton of weapons, including quarterback Blake Shapen, running back Fluff Bothwell, and former Texas wide receiver Brennen Thompson, that can crack off big plays at a moment’s notice if left unchecked. Can Texas go into enemey territory once again and come away with a win to keep their hopes alive for the postseason or will Mississippi State take advantage of a floundering Longhorn team.
