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Texas Longhorns assistant coach Jeff Banks yells instructions during practice on fan day at Darrell K Royal\u2013Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 18, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n
Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Special teams have been anything but special this season for\u00a0Texas football<\/a>.<\/p>\n Through four games, No. 1 Texas (4-0, 1-0 SEC) is still waiting for that big return on a punt or kickoff. New kicker Gianni Spetic provided\u00a0a clutch extra point against Ohio State<\/a>, but he hasn\u2019t yet made a pressure field goal.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n NO. 1 TEXAS VS. OKLAHOMA<\/p>\n When\/where:\u00a02:30 p.m. Saturday in Dallas.<\/p>\n TV\/radio:\u00a0ABC; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM, 105.3 FM.<\/p>\n MORE: Subscribe to the Statesman’s Texas sports newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n The Longhorns\u2019 struggles on special teams were best illustrated in the team\u2019s last game against Tennessee. Texas remained undefeated with a 20-17 win in Knoxville on Sept. 26, but a handful of special teams blunders kept the Volunteers in the game:<\/p>\n \u2022 Spetic averaged 61.8 yards per kickoff and had as many of his five kicks go out of bounds as they did for a touchback (one).<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Texas allowed a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown. A UT opponent hadn\u2019t scored off a punt return since 2013.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Texas had a long punt return by freshman Jermaine Bishop Jr.<\/a> waived off when it was determined that fellow returner Ryan\u00a0Niblett had signaled for a fair catch.<\/p>\n \u2022 Tennessee also recovered an onside kick in the final minutes that set up a failed heave into the end zone on the game\u2019s final play. Yes, the SEC later acknowledged that Tennessee should have been penalized <\/a>for how they set up the onside try. But that mea culpa overshadowed the fact that Texas receiver Ryan\u00a0Wingo had a chance to land on the ball but couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n “I messed up, (but the defense) came out there and got a stop,” Wingo said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Texas looks for more depth instead of highlights on special teams<\/p>\n During last week’s bye, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian recognized his team is having issues on special teams.\u00a0He seemed less concerned about the Jeff Banks-coached unit’s lack of a big return or big kick, though.<\/p>\n MORE: Where is Texas football ranked ahead of 2026 Red River Rivalry vs Oklahoma Sooners<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Sarkisian instead stressed that the Longhorns must develop more depth on special teams. Through four games, defensive starters\u00a0Kade Phillips, Graceson Littleton, Justin Cryer and Rasheem Biles have all logged at least 30 special teams snaps.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The biggest thing on special teams we need to get is we need more depth,” Sarkisian said. “We need other guys taking some of the heat off these guys on punt, punt return, kickoff coverage, and so we need the depth to step up. I think that’s where we need to place an emphasis on (is) who can we count on to be in those positions to play on special teams to take the load off of those guys so that they can keep being the players that they are on defense.”<\/p>\n Texas Longhorns defensive back Ryan Niblett (21) returns a kick during the Red River Rivalry between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday Oct. 11, 2025 in Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n Longhorns have history of big plays on special teams vs OU<\/p>\n If Texas is going to break out of its special teams funk, Saturday’s Red River Rivalry game may be the day to do it. After all, Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1) has been the opposing end of a handful of highlights for UT special teams.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n MORE: 5 things for Texas football fans to know about the Oklahoma Sooners<\/a><\/p>\n The Red River Rivalry game is where Jordan Shipley scored on a kickoff return during a top-five showdown in 2008 and where Cameron Dicker inserted himself into Longhorns lore with a nod of his head and a 40-yard kick in 2018<\/a>. The longest punt return in Longhorns history? Bo\u00a0Hilliard\u2019s 95-yarder against OU in 1932. The longest kickoff return in UT history?\u00a0Fozzy Whittaker recorded one of the program\u2019s five 100-yard returns in the 2011 Red River Rivalry game. The per-punt average of 55.0 that Michael Dickson recorded against the Sooners during his 2017 Ray Guy Award-winning season remains a school record.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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