Texas has a new wrinkle it must add to its offense this weekend

Of their three Power Four (P4) games, the Longhorns have had an unusual relationship with the run game and how it affected the pass.

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Against Ohio State, Texas could run the ball, but Arch Manning couldn’t hit his targets, and Ohio State’s defense proved to be the best in the nation.

Against Florida, Texas couldn’t run the ball, and Manning had to improvise and find deep shots down the field to score. (All three of Texas’ touchdown drives included passes of 30+ yards.)

Against Oklahoma, the Longhorns dominated the trenches in the run game and never had to pass downfield. There wasn’t a single play where Manning dropped back and completed a 20+ yard pass—they all came from scrambles.

Now, entering a manageable three-game stretch, the Longhorns will have to find a way to marry the explosiveness they showed against Florida with the run-game dominance they displayed against Oklahoma.

Here’s an interesting stat for you:

In its three P4 games, Texas has had 11 non–red zone first-down runs that resulted in 4+ yards and weren’t followed by a penalty on second or third down.

That’s a convoluted way of saying we’ve only seen the Longhorns record a successful first-down run—unhampered by penalties—11 times in three games. All 11 came against Ohio State and Oklahoma.

What’s wilder is that, of those 11 plays, Texas handed the ball off to a running back on the very next play 10 times. Even if Manning initially took the carry, the ball quickly ended up in an RB’s hands on the next play call. When the Longhorns found success on the ground, they immediately went back to it.

This makes sense based on what we’ve seen. Steve Sarkisian wants easy first downs. That’s the best way to move the chains on the first two attempts or get Manning into a third-and-short situation, which we know he’s terrific at converting.

Of those 10 runs, Texas was successful on eight of them. That’s a fantastic rate and something they can continue to lean on. We’re not advocating they abandon it, but it does give them room to branch out.

Opponent defensive coordinators scouting the Longhorns will see this pattern too: if Texas runs successfully on first down, they’re probably going to run again on second—and it’s probably going to work.

So, what can they do to maximize this success?

This was the only play where Texas attempted a pass following a successful run. When examining the All-22, you can see what Texas was trying to do.

They wanted to go deep.

If Manning had stood in the pocket for just one more second and thrown it to DeAndre Moore, Texas would’ve walked in untouched for a touchdown.

These kinds of plays are in the playbook, but we haven’t seen them since that game. Why? Because Texas couldn’t run against Florida, and the game plan against Oklahoma was simple: one touchdown wins it—don’t make mistakes.

Texas really only tried it twice against Oklahoma, both in the first four plays in the second half. They resulted in a two-yard dump off and a sack, Oklahoma’s only of the game. The problem for both was less about Manning and his receivers, and more about the left side of the line getting beaten off the jump.

That’s why this could be the newest wrinkle in Texas’ game plan against Kentucky on Saturday.

They’ll continue trying to impose their will with the outside zone run and set up screen plays. This time around, though, they’re going to take some chances.

While Texas must win every game going forward, the matchup against Kentucky also needs to be a learning opportunity. That means a few things: testing out other non-Tre Wisner running backs, finding rhythm in the screen game, and—most importantly—taking shots downfield.

We all know Arch Manning can throw bombs. It was the first bullet point on his scouting report. But he hasn’t done that yet to win Texas a football game, at least not in 2025.

In those three P4 games, Manning has struggled off play action—completing just 14 of 30 dropbacks for 150 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Four of his seven turnover-worthy throws this year have come off play action, while only one of his six “big-time throws” has.

If this Texas team wants any realistic chance at making a College Football Playoff run, it has to find a way to be successful on play action. That’s non-negotiable.

Against Kentucky, expect Sarkisian to dial up more explosives off play action. There won’t be a better chance for this team to figure it out before facing Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Texas A&M—three offenses that will push the pace far more than Oklahoma did.