5 Things You Need to Know About the Texas Longhorns

It is Football Time in the Bluegrass once again. Following their second bye week of the season, the Kentucky Wildcats (2-3, 0-3) will host the #21 Texas Longhorns (4-2, 1-1) at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN. The Longhorns are coming off of a convincing 23-6 Red River Rivalry win over Oklahoma. Meanwhile, in Lexington, Big Blue Nation is bracing themselves for back-to-back Top 25 home matchups against Texas and Tennessee. The seat is only going to continue to get hotter for Coach Mark Stoops barring a couple of big upsets.

With the Blue-White Game on Friday night and an exhibition with #1 Purdue next Friday there is definitely a portion of the fanbase that is ready to check out and move onto basketball season. That same portion has essentially already given up on Coach Stoops and nothing that could happen the rest of this football season could change that. As many media members have pointed out, Big Blue Nation has reached a dangerous stage of apathy. However, college football Saturday’s are limited. The opportunity to watch a historic program like Texas come to Kroger Field for the first time ever and play under the lights should be something we can all embrace. Especially with Keeneland running and fall weather coming to Lexington it would be great to see Wildcats’ fans really show up to close out the month of October.

As always, Kentucky Sports Radio’s football experts Nick Roush and Adam Luckett have spent the week providing in-depth breakdowns of the Wildcats’ opponent. 11 Personnel and the KSR Football Podcast have you covered as well if you prefer preparing for Saturday’s game via audio. However, for those looking for a more surface level preview you have come to the right place. Here are five things you need to know about the Texas Longhorns.

Not Your Typical Coach Steve Sarkisian Offense

There might not be a more well respected play caller in college football than Coach Steven Sarkisian. The former BYU star quarterback quickly rose up the coaching ranks, primarily at USC, before landing the head coaching job at Washington. A Top 25 finish in 2013 allowed him to become the head coach at USC in 2014. However, that was short lived as issues with alcohol and a 3-2 start in 2015 led to his firing. Coach Sarkisian then revived his career under Coach Nick Saban at Alabama before getting the Texas job in 2021. The Longhorns have back-to-back Top 5 finishes with Coach Sarkisian at helm and calling plays.

The 2025 Texas Longhorns appear to have one of the worst offenses of Coach Sarkisian’s career. Almost every meaningful offensive category would indicate that this is not a Top 50 offense nationally. The Longhorns rank 71st in scoring at 28.5 points per game. Their success rate of 40.6% is 92nd and their -0.02 EPA/Play is 103rd. Third down conversation rate, havoc rate allowed, and red zone touchdown percentage are 74th, 76th, and 89th respectively. Texas has scored 21 and 23 points in their two Southeastern Conference games and managed just seven at Ohio State in week one. There is a chance this one stays close simply because the Longhorns can’t put up the points to blow out the ‘Cats.

Arch Manning is Improving Week-by-Week

The national narratives have not been kind to Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. His last name obviously has led to some pretty lofty expectations and admittedly he hasn’t been the immediate Heisman Trophy candidate that some predicted. However, he is not the problem for this Texas offense. Manning is 102-162 (63.0%) for 1,317 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also leads the Longhorns in non-sack rushing yards with 239 yard and five more touchdowns. Ball security has really been his biggest issue through six games. The redshirt junior has thrown five interceptions and coughed up two fumbles. Kentucky will need to be opportunistic and force some turnovers to have a chance at an upset on Saturday.

Manning’s mobility and big arm have looked the part for the 4-2 Longhorns. His week one struggles in a 14-7 loss at now #1 Ohio State led to unfair early season narratives. He also was not very good in an ugly 27-10 win over UTEP. However, he has thrown for 429 yards in SEC play so far and led the Longhorns to a methodical beatdown of Top 10 Oklahoma in a rivalry matchup last weekend. Which version of Arch Manning shows up for Texas under the lights at Kroger Field on Saturday night will go a long way towards determining the outcome of the game.

Injuries Have Plagued Texas’ Rushing Attack

Expectations were high for Tre Wisner after the tailback ran for 1,064 yards and five touchdowns as a true sophomore for the Texas Longhorns. He also caught 44 passes for 311 yards and another score. However, Wisner suffered a hamstring injury in week one and missed the Longhorns’ next three games. He returned at Florida, but was held to just 11 rushing yards and eight attempts. Wisner broke out last weekend though recording 94 yards on 22 carries and 34 receiving yards on five catches. Him returning to form was a big reason why Texas handled Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.

Behind Wisner, the Longhorns have had really bad luck with their depth in the running back room. Jerrick Gibson rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown but just left the program. The sophomore running back is looking to redshirt and preserve a year of eligibility. CJ Baxter went down in week three and remains doubtful to return with a hamstring injury. That has led to true freshman James Simon getting an increased workload, but now it’ll be back to a heavy dose of Wisner. He had plenty of success last season against the ‘Cats rushing for 158 yards on 26 carries. Containing him, and not letting Arch Manning keep plays alive, will be critical to Kentucky’s defensive game plan on Saturday night.

Texas Features an Elite Defense

There may be some growing pains on the offensive side of the football, but the Texas Longhorns are elite once again defensively. Defensive Coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski brought back nine of 16 guys that played over 300 snaps on last season’s excellent defensive unit. The Longhorns are allowing just 11 points per game which is third best nationally and rank in the Top 10-20 of nearly every other meaningful defensive statistic. They are ninth in yards per play allowed at 4.21, sixth in yards per non-sack rush allowed at 3.48, and have forced 12 turnovers in six games which ranks 12th in the country. It could be very difficult for Kentucky to move the ball on Saturday night.

Texas has the unique ability to play conservatively with two high safeties and limit big plays while still getting pressure in the backfield without having to blitz. Their 4-2-5 scheme has worked wonders the last couple of years as the Longhorns have been one of the best defensive teams in college football. It is hard to find a weakness to exploit against this group. The Wildcats will have to execute better than they have so far this season or else a shutout could be in play at Kroger Field. Texas’ defense is that good.

Longhorns Feature Star Power at Several Defensive Positions

Colin Simmons lived up to his five-star ranking as a true freshman for the Texas Longhorns. He recorded 48 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, nine sacks, three forced fumbles, and 46 pressures in under 500 snaps as a true freshman. Now, as a sophomore, Simmons has been a star along the defensive line once again. He has posted 15 tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks, and a team-high 18 pressures through six games for the Longhorns. The Big Blue Wall will have their hands full with Simmons.

At the second level, Texas features a 2024 Second Team All-American in Anthony Hill Jr. He recorded 113 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and four forced fumbles in 867 snaps last season. A true junior, Hill Jr. has 37 tackles, one tackle for loss, two forced fumbles, and seven pressures in 287 snaps this season with only one missed tackle. There is no doubt that he is putting together another All-SEC, and potentially All-American, season for the Longhorns.

In the secondary, the Longhorns brought back four major contributors from last season’s defense but has also added a potential superstar freshman. Graceson Littleton has stepped in right away at nickel and added even more depth to the Texas secondary. He has 17 tackles, two pass breakups, and two interceptions this season. Meanwhile, Malik Muhammad returns after proving himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the Southeastern Conference last year. He has three pass breakups and two interceptions through six games. Michael Taaffe was a Second Team All-American last season as well. The safety does it all at the backend of Texas’ defense.