AUSTIN \u2014 When the No. 10 Texas Longhorns put a 3-1 SEC road record against top 25 opponents on the line Saturday in Columbia against the No. 19 Missouri Tigers, head coach Steve Sarkisian\u2019s team will be \u201cundermanned\u201d after five key players were unable to finish the win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
Because Sarkisian is loathe to address injuries during conference play, there weren\u2019t any Monday updates on senior running back Hollywood Smothers, junior wide receiver Cam Coleman, junior wide receiver Ryan Wingo, sophomore nickel back Graceson Littleton, or sophomore cornerback Kade Phillips.<\/p>\n
Initial reporting differs on the extent of those injuries. On Texas Football reported<\/a> Sunday that Littleton\u2019s current prognosis is unknown, but every other player, including junior edge Colin Simmons, is week to week. The reporting<\/a> of Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods was more pessimistic, indicating that Smothers and Littleton could miss the rest of the season and Phillips could be out for multiple games. That report called Coleman questionable and indicated that Wingo needs more testing.<\/p>\n Sarkisian\u2019s comment suggests that the Longhorns expect several of those five players to miss Saturday\u2019s road tilt, putting pressure on the backups pressed into action against the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n Are those players ready for the challenge?<\/p>\n \u201cI think first signs of it are good,\u201d Sarkisian said while pointing towards the secondary.<\/p>\n When Littleton went down early in the game, senior cornerback Bo Mascoe moved to the Star position and senior Warren Roberson came into the game at cornerback. Long known for undisciplined play on special teams and defense, Roberson held up well against Mississippi State, playing a career-high 54 snaps, one more than the Citrus Bowl last year, recording three tackles, breaking up a pass, and allowing only one reception for nine yards on three targets.<\/p>\n \u201cI was really proud of Warren Roberson,\u201d Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n When Phillips was unable to play later in the game, freshman cornerback Smoke Matthews replaced him for 39 snaps, the most extensive playing time of his career by far \u2014 Matthews had only played 16 combined snaps defensively in non-conference wins over Texas State and UTSA. Matthews also responded well, notching two tackles and allowing one reception for eight yards on two targets.<\/p>\n \u201cI was really proud of Samari Matthews,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u201cThose are just first snapshots of guys that were getting put into real action and having to step up.\u201d<\/p>\n With Mascoe replacing Littleton, the Horns are getting thin at the cornerback position with a safety-heavy secondary.<\/p>\n Junior Xavier Filsaime, listed as Littleton\u2019s backup on the team\u2019s official depth chart, still hasn\u2019t played this season due to injury, and junior Wardell Mack, who played over 100 snaps last year at nickel, is yet to see his first playing time, too.<\/p>\n At cornerback, the next man up is freshman John Meredith III, the former consensus five-star prospect in the 2027 recruiting class who reclassified in July. How close he is to contributing remains unclear.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s getting better,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u201cGetting better.\u201d<\/p>\n After Meredith, the only other two cornerbacks on the roster are Brown transfer Nick Hudson and freshman Hayward Howard Jr., whose most notable moments since arriving on the Forty Acres in January were getting chewed out by defensive coordinator Will Muschamp during a spring practice and his father popping off on Twitter before a preseason scrimmage.<\/p>\n Texas could also move junior safety Kobe Black back to cornerback or play sophomore Jonah Williams more, which could entail switching Mascoe back to cornerback and using senior safety Jelani McDonald at nickel, where he has plenty of experience.<\/p>\n Sarkiain was not forthcoming when asked about Williams Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s getting better,\u201d Sarkisian said. \u201cHe\u2019s working hard.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams played his first snaps on defense since the UTSA game in the win over Mississippi State. In the season opener, Williams was credited with allowing a 41-yard reception, the longest play by Texas State.<\/p>\n