Well, I don\u2019t think Saturday went the way a lot of us thought. What was your biggest takeaway from the Texas Longhorns\u2019 big win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry?<\/p>\n
Daniel Seahorn (@DanielSeahorn) – Gritty culture win for Steve Sarkisian and his program after an absolute debacle against Florida. This was a must-have, and they got it, and it put some pep back into their step heading into the back half of the year. Arch didn\u2019t have the s\u00faper gaudy stat line, but he was in firm control of the offense, and he made plays with his arm and his feet that put nails in the coffin for Oklahoma in this game.<\/p>\n
Gerald Goodridge (@ghgoodridge) – Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning are getting onto the same page. It seems Sark is finally comfortable calling an offense that blends Arch\u2019s skillset with the current deficiencies, the biggest one being the offensive line. The screen game didn\u2019t go as well as they would like, but Texas supplementing its lack of an early-down run threat with quick passes is definitely something that I hope persists. You probably don\u2019t have linemen with the feet to run traditional screen schemes, but some RPO bubbles and quick outs to the WR to get them in space seem to make a lot of sense. That minimized the defense\u2019s advantages and tired them out, which in turn let the offensive line lean on them late.<\/p>\n
Cameron Parker (@camerondparker) – Arch\u2019s ability to find a way to move the ball. We saw flashes of it against Florida, but I think Saturday was the best game of his career, and he showed his ability to use the scramble drill to his advantage.<\/p>\n
Jacob Neidig (@jneidig_2) – This team has juice. I don\u2019t mean talent on the field or scheme execution, I\u2019m talking about the swagger and confidence necessary to win games. The energy this team played with in the first six games was lackluster. Downright horrible at times, especially against Florida. I thought the team\u2019s energy against Oklahoma resembled that of a big-time team.<\/p>\n
Quentin Bell (@uncleqbell) – Good win in a neutral site against a big rival. Arch seemed to mature some. Quintrevion Wisner had a great rushing game, and the defense looked like one of the best in the nation. I need to see something when the Horns are on the road.<\/p>\n
Wescott Eberts (@SBN_Wescott) \u2013 That Steve Sarkisian is actually willing to adjust his game plan to mitigate his offense\u2019s weaknesses and take away a defense\u2019s strengths. For an offensive mind as highly considered as Sarkisian, that should be a given, but it\u2019s not always \u2013 witness his regular willingness to relentlessly attack with the vertical passing game regardless of whether his quarterback can complete his passes or his offensive line can block long enough. So it was nice to see him allow Arch Manning to be a game manager and reduce his depth of target in the win over the Sooners.<\/p>\n
Buy or Sell: The offensive line figured things out on Saturday with the addition of Nick Brooks to the starting lineup.<\/p>\n
Daniel – Very cautiously buying because the stock is essentially cheap and won\u2019t break your bank. I\u2019m not completely sold just yet, but the second half was encouraging to see for sure.<\/p>\n
Gerald – Cautiously buying. I still think they have too many slow feet to fully eat, but Brooks looked good after the first couple of drives. I don\u2019t love having to sub in a true freshman out of position to supplement what they\u2019re doing, but ultimately, if it wins them games and gets a kid like Brooks live game reps before he is needed to take the full brunt at his natural position, I can\u2019t be mad.<\/p>\n
Cameron – Is layaway an option? I\u2019ll buy, but Arch was under pressure for a big portion of Saturday\u2019s game against Oklahoma; he was just able to navigate it better. Nick Brooks flashed, but still struggled in pass protection. It was comforting to see the offensive line handle twists and stunts better than they did against Florida.<\/p>\n
Jacob – Sell. The offensive line looked better against one of the better fronts in the country, but I think they\u2019re still a ways away from figuring things out. The group opened up more holes and protected the pocket better, but still struggled mightily. I need to see better play for a longer period of time before I buy stock in this group.<\/p>\n
Quentin – Buy, the line did well with pass protection and making holes for Wisner. The o-line seemed more cohesive and worked well as a unit with Brooks stepping up and executing in his role, which will give the offense a bigger playbook to work with.<\/p>\n
Wescott – I\u2019ll buy here even though Brooks still had some issues with penalties and his pass protection. The latter will continue to be a work in progress as he adjusts to playing inside, but his athleticism is a huge upgrade over Connor Stroh, and that allowed Texas to return to majoring in outside zone, the preferred scheme for Quintrevion Wisner.<\/p>\n
Buy or Sell: The defense is one of the top units in the SEC, and the Florida performance was an anomaly. <\/p>\n
Daniel – I will firmly buy this. The sample size for this group is a lot larger, and the track record lends you more credibility. Florida\u2019s Jaden Baugh has given Texas problems two years running, and Vernell Brown and Dallas Wilson can certainly play. You can make the argument that Texas may not see a better trio of talent on for the rest of the season, given how that group can stress a defense. I think the defense is too talented, and Muhammad being out certainly didn\u2019t help things in that matchup. They showed against Oklahoma that they could put that game behind them and still be elite.<\/p>\n
Gerald – Buy. They looked like absolute trash against Florida and were really one play (or player) away from playing winning ball. One stop, or the talents of Manny Muhammad, and that is a much different game. Florida did a good job of picking on the inexperienced players that Texas leaned on to backfill in the secondary, so with him back, this group is probably much better off.<\/p>\n
Cameron – Buy. I don\u2019t know if Texas finds a way to beat Florida if Malik Muhammad were healthy, but he definitely would\u2019ve helped. We\u2019re seeing the rise of Lance Jackson, which is freeing up Colin Simmons and Brad Spence to make more plays. I think we\u2019ll see more games in which Texas holds opponents to single-digits than 20+ points from here on out.<\/p>\n
Jacob – Yes. This group has a lot of the makings of being one of the better units in the conference. The speed at which the defense played against Oklahoma has the potential to suffocate any offense. If the secondary can stay healthy and the pass rush continues improving, look out.<\/p>\n
Quentin – Buy, aside from Florida, the defense has been consistent. The intensity and swarming that the Longhorn defense has displayed is top-tier with communication and awareness that only the closest units show with progression and maturity.<\/p>\n
Wescott – That\u2019s an easy buy. The front has been playing at a high level for two and a half hours, and the secondary has been one of the best in the country since the start of the 2024 season, so Pete Kwiatkowski\u2019s defenses have put a lot of elite stuff on film, enough to say conclusively that they didn\u2019t look like themselves against the Gators.<\/p>\n
Buy or Sell: Texas can contend for the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff<\/p>\n
Daniel – Cautiously selling, because I still need to see them win some big games down the stretch before I start buying again. Those games against Georgia and A&M are huge for their resume right now and they likely need to win both to be firmly in the playoff.<\/p>\n
Gerald – Buy. I said to start the year that the Black Friday game against Texas A&M would probably be a play-in game for the SEC Championship, and I think that is still likely the case. Texas should go into the bye 7-2 (4-1) in the SEC, and although they\u2019ll travel to Athens immediately following, I think this Georgia team might be gettable. Is Sark the one to get them? We haven\u2019t seen it, but nothing has happened until it does.<\/p>\n
Cameron – Sell. Three losses guarantee you\u2019re missing the CFP with how stacked the SEC is this season, and Georgia and A&M remain on the schedule.<\/p>\n
Jacob – The path to this happening is more viable now, but I\u2019m not buying quite yet. Texas turned in a momentum-building performance in Dallas, but we still don\u2019t know what team is going to show up week in week out.<\/p>\n
Quentin – If the defense played like they did against Ohio State and if the offense played like they did against OU, I\u2019d buy. Texas needs to win out for any conference or playoff look.<\/p>\n
Wescott – Selling until Sark proves he can beat Georgia. It\u2019s that simple for me.<\/p>\n