The Texas Longhorns' defense was dominant on Saturday night. They held Mississippi State's offense to 187 total yards. It was Texas' lowest opposing yardage total and the fifth time the Longhorns have allowed 100 or fewer rushing yards.
Linebacker Rasheem Biles played a major role in the victory. He recorded a career-high three sacks and two forced fumbles. He also added eight tackles, including four tackles for loss.
Biles was tremendous on Saturday and added to his outstanding season.
Texas Longhorns linebacker Rasheem Biles. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After the game, Biles said his uncle passed away two days ago, and as a result, his mom missed a game for the first time since he started playing football.
"It was kind of rough, my family not being here, and it was rough because that was like a close uncle," Biles said. "
Biles made his family proud on Saturday. In the second quarter, Biles strip-sacked AJ Swann, and defensive lineman Maraad Watson ran 61 yards for a touchdown. Steve Sarkisian was quick to praise Biles and Justin Cryer.
"Obviously, defensively, what a tremendous effort. It's easy to point out Biles, anytime you have three sacks, four TFLs, two forced fumbles, pretty incredible performance for him," Sarkisiain said. "I thought Cryer had another fantastic game. What a momentum-building play at the end of the first half for the fumble with Maraad scooping it and scoring."
Texas needed players to step up after Colin Simmons went down. Will Muschamp was creative with his play calling. Biles asked his defensive coordinator to move around more, and his wish was granted. Biles moved all over the line of scrimmage and was flying all over the field.
Biles is quickly becoming one of the nation's best ball-hawking linebackers. He now has four sacks, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions. Biles' versatility is so difficult to slow down.
Muschamp deserves a ton of credit. He's putting his players in the best position to succeed. The Longhorns have held all five of their SEC opponents to season lows in yards per play. They have playmakers at all levels.
Biles and Cryer are a formidable linebacker duo, but Texas would love to get Simmons back in the lineup for this critical stretch. The defense remains the Longhorns' biggest strength, and Biles is quickly becoming the centerpiece of the unit.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook , X and Instagram for the latest news.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/texas as Rasheem Biles Unleashes Career-Best Performance as Texas Crushes Mississippi State .
