Getting back in the win column was the top priority for the Texas Longhorns against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, and the Longhorns were able to do just that despite blowing a 21-point lead.
However, it was far from clean, and one of the biggest blemishes on the win came via penalties — Texas was called for 14 penalties that amassed to 134 yards.
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"The penalties were the first thing that stood out when you go back and look at the tape," Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday.
Quite frankly, it is incredible that the Longhorns were able to come out with a win given the impact that penalties had and embarrassing that Texas was flagged so frequently.
As if stopping Chambliss isn't hard enough, Ole Miss was given five free first downs, one on every defensive penalty. Offensively, Texas was called for false starts and holdings that continuously put the Longhorns behind the chains. Special teams continued their hot streak with two 15-yard penalties in the second half, both by freshman linebacker Kosi Okpala.
Every type of penalty from every facet of the game was checked. Pre-snap penalties on the offense. Poor positioning leading to grabby hands while blocking and covering opposing wide receivers. Mental miscues and chippy plays on special teams. Post-whistle aggression on the defense, There wasn't a one-size-fits-all type of penalty that plagued the Longhorns.
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Texas' penalties killed drives and more importantly extended drives for Ole Miss. The defensive flags were particularly damaging during the Rebels comeback bid.
This performance was the most penalties the Longhorns have been called for since 2022 and the most yards since 2020. They became just the fourth team since 2015 to be called for 14 or more penalties against a top-10 opponent and win.
Let's break down the penalties in more detail.
Offense
The offense was called for six penalties — three holdings and three false starts. In the first half alone, Texas was called for five offensive penalties.
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Despite these penalties and contrary to what has happened previously this season, the Longhorns were able to put up points.
In the first quarter, holding calls against wide receiver Ryan Wingo and tight end Michael Masunas put Texas behind schedule on first downs.
In the second quarter, another holding by Masunas wiped out a 13-yard run by Raleek Brown.
"Most notably, we had a couple plays that got to the perimeter where we grabbed," Sarkisian said. "Part of that is on the blocker. Part of that is on the runner to set up those blocks — when a defender has leverage, we have to put our foot in the ground and cut up inside of that. So we'll work on that and get that fixed."
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Two false starts on third downs made moving the chains even more difficult, but were also more controversial.
"Obviously, there were some false start things there where they felt like the defense jumped. We then jumped. We didn't get those calls. We haven't gotten an interpretation on that yet from the league, which we will. I'll have an answer for you guys on that on Thursday," Sarkisian said.
The offense played a relatively clean second half, perhaps because they were on the field so little.
Defense
As mentioned, the defensive penalties proved to be costly and nearly let Ole Miss escape with a win. The defensive flags fueled the comeback and continuously breathed fresh air in the Rebel offense, including two personal foul penalties for unnecessary roughness on one play.
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"I think what's important for us defensively is understanding to how to play with an edge, how to play with emotion, not get emotional. And I felt like that came up a couple times on on defense and on special teams. So we've got to get that cleaned up as well," Sarkisian said.
On the 80-yard touchdown drive by Ole Miss in the third quarter, Texas was called for three penalties — two pass-interference calls and a roughing the passer penalty accounted for 40 yards and helped the Rebels avoid having to earn every yard.
On the game-tying drive to knot the score at 24, the Longhorns were once again called for a defensive pass interference. Across those two touchdown drives alone, Texas gave Ole Miss 55 of their 151 yards.
The Longhorn secondary turned into a particularly bad performance. Cornerback Kade Phillips was called for PI, his fourth of the season, while safety Jelani McDonald was flagged twice for the same call.
"I think that was a tough call on the PI in the end zone, and I think that affected his ability to play the fade later in the game for the other touchdown because I felt like he was in good position," Sarkisian said.
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Collectively, Texas has been called for defensive pass interference eight times.
Special Teams
Much has been made of the Texas' special teams this week. On the penalty front, this unit did itself no favors.
Okpala was called for two personal fouls. His first moved the ball from the 25-yard line to the 12-yard line to open the second half, which ultimately resulted in the strip-and-score on Arch Manning. His second penalty gave Ole Miss great starting field position near midfield as a result of the call.
The Longhorns dropped from 38th in penalties per game and 59th in penalty yards per game last week to now tied for 83rd in the country in penalties per game with 6.86 per contest and 105th yards per game with 65.71.
