Texas Cannot Afford to Waste the Momentum It Found Against Ole Miss
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Texas Cannot Afford to Waste the Momentum It Found Against Ole Miss
Sep 26, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Texas coach Steve Sarkisian sings The Eyes of Texas with his team after a college football game between Tennessee and Texas at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Sept. 26, 2026. Mandatory Credit: Brianna Paciorka-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Phoenix Haigis·Texas Longhorns On SI videos
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4 min read
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Texas finally has something it desperately needed: a reason to believe its season can still become what everyone expected it to be. The34-27 winover No. 7 Ole Miss ended a two-game losing streak, gaveArch Manninga much-needed confidence boost and showed what the Longhorns can look like when multiple parts of the team contribute.
But beating Ole Miss will only matter if Texas carries those improvements into Saturday's matchup with Mississippi State. At5-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play, the Longhorns have little room for another disappointing result, particularly with difficult road games against Missouri and LSU still ahead.
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Steve Sarkisian's team doesn't need to reinvent itself this weekend. It needs to prove that the things it did well against Ole Miss weren't simply the product of one emotional night at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Consistency, not another dramatic comeback, should be the objective.
Texas Must Make Its Ole Miss Strengths the Foundation Moving Forward
Oct 24, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Raleek Brown (0) on the field after the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The most important development against Ole Miss was Texas finally finding a rushing attack capable of controlling a game. Raleek Brown delivered 157 yards on 23 carries, while Michael Terry added a career-best 41 yards and his first collegiate touchdown. Together, they helped Texas finish with 207 rushing yards and gave the offense a dimension it had struggled to establish earlier in the season.
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That production needs to carry over, especially with Hollywood Smothers expected to return. Brown has earned a bigger role after his breakthrough performance, and Smothers' availability gives Sarkisian another experienced option. Rather than abandoning what worked, Texas should continue leaning on its running backs to take pressure off Manning and help control the tempo.
The passing game also showed signs of becoming more dependable. Ryan Wingo caught seven passes for 111 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown reception. His ability to create explosive plays downfield gives Manning a reliable target, while Cam Coleman's expected availability provides another important weapon. Texas needs to keep attacking vertically instead of allowing defenses to crowd the line of scrimmage.
Defensively, the Longhorns showed how disruptive they can be when their coverage and pass rush complement each other. Texas recorded three interceptions against Ole Miss, with Jelani McDonald, Rasheem Biles and Justin Cryer each making a takeaway. Alex January's blocked field goal also proved critical in the fourth quarter. Colin Simmons remains doubtful for Mississippi State, but the defensive unit has already demonstrated it can generate game-changing plays without its star edge rusher.
There is also a lesson in what Texas cannot carry over. The Longhorns surrendered a 24-3 halftime lead, committed a season-high 14 penalties for 134 yards and struggled to sustain offensive possessions after halftime. Sarkisian called that style of football dangerous, and he's right. Texas cannot keep relying on late-game heroics to cover up mistakes that should have been corrected earlier.
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Mississippi State presents an opportunity to establish a different standard. The Bulldogs will be without quarterback Kamario Taylor for the remainder of the season, leaving Texas with a matchup it should be prepared to handle at home. But that does not make the game automatic.
The Longhorns need to start fast, maintain their physicality, protect the football and show that their second-half execution can match their first-half potential. Most importantly, they need to turn the rushing attack and defensive playmaking they found against Ole Miss into weekly expectations.
The Ole Miss victory gave Texas a path back into the conversation. Beating Mississippi State with a complete performance would show that the Longhorns are actually moving forward. Otherwise, Saturday's comeback will become another exciting moment in a season defined by missed opportunities rather than the turning point it has the potential to be.
