UTEP Game Recap
The Texas defense continued to dominate, thanks in part to the emergence of freshman star Graceson Littleton. Photo: Aaron E. Martinez, Austin American-Statesman
Quick Recap
Don’t listen to the haters - the sky is not falling in Austin.
Sure, it was ugly offensively yet again for the Longhorns - a recurring theme this season. And yes, the quarterback with that last name looked utterly lost at times. Such is life with 18-22 year old college students playing a game coached, studied, and scrutinized by grown adults all over the country. We are now 3 games into the season - one quarter of the way through the 2025 season. It’s still early, and though judgments may be made, some prematurely, it’s not like this is week 10 or 12. Texas football sits at 2-1 on the season, after a 27-10 victory over UTEP. The result was never in doubt, truly. And in a game like that, can’t you afford to be at your worst? This would of course be the positive spin on a game in which you’d like to see the Horns be able to win by 50 against an inferior opponent such as the Miners. That was not the case, and so we evaluate what happened, why it happened, and see how it could be improved going forward. There’s really nowhere to go but up…right?
Arch Manning proved more effective on the ground than through the air Saturday, rushing for two scores. Photo: Daily Texan
A Note on QB1
Quarterback play in college football this season, as it is every year, has been much discussed and criticized. Arch Manning is not alone in his struggles through the early part of the schedule. He actually ranks ahead guys such as Cade Klubnik, LaNorris Sellers, and Drew Allar in QBR this season. You can throw in DJ Lagway and a few others, and there are a host of QBs around the country who have not lived up to their preseason hype or expectations. Perhaps it’s time to have a conversation about laying incredible expectation upon 18-22 year olds. But that’s for another time. Right now, it’s important to remember that there is still a long season ahead and that includes time for learning, growth, and improvement. And Manning should be allowed that time before harsher judgments are passed. Many fans have speculated (myself included) whether Arch is hurt, mentally psyched out, or just not very good. We don’t necessarily know the answer to that, but from what the head coach has said, it’s been more of the mental side of things. We do know we have seen a mixed bag in each game - some good throws that are made on time and with precision, confidence, and accuracy, some boneheaded mistakes, and many errant passes that leave you scratching your head. Against UTEP, Manning finished with 114 yards on 11/25 completions, with one TD and one INT. Hey, he finally found Ryan Wingo in the endzone! Now, due to the nature of the opponent, many fans watching the game and seeing that stat line are hitting the panic button:
Photo: SEC Shorts
Those of us here at Burnt Orange Kool-Aid know better. After all, there was a time when Vince Young himself was booed off the field. Give it time and see how Arch progresses - he may be able to get past his mental block and play to the level the coaching staff believes he can. And it’s still possible he may not progress as a passer, in which case the short term direction of this program would be up in the air. Only time will tell - just don’t hit your doomsday buttons quite yet.
The Texas defense celebrates another turnover, having collected another 2 INTs against the UTEP Miners. Photo: SEC Sports
The Good News
All of the negative here is directed toward the Texas offense - all the while the Longhorn defense continues to play at a championship level, and there have been very positive signs on special teams. Ryan Niblett showed good vision and wiggle on a couple of punt returns, setting Texas up in plus territory on two occasions. The field goal game was solid, as kicker Mason Shipley connected on both attempts. Bouwmeester continues to be a weapon at punter, averaging 47.8 yards on 4 punts on the day.
The Texas defense collected a pair of Malachi Nelson interceptions, courtesy of Jelani McDonald and Graceson Littleton, who are rising studs in the Longhorn secondary. The interior D line had another great game as well, holding the Miners to 50 yards rushing on just 2.2 yards per attempt. Hero Kanu got home for a sack as part of two TFLs on the day. Now if we can get just those edge rushers going. All in all, another great outing for this unit - allowing just 3 points in the normal run of play before a garbage time score from UTEP. Texas needs its defense badly right now, but it has them and it can lean on them to win football games while the offense and the quarterback figure things out.
The Longhorns improved to 2-1 and will remain home for another week before a bye week heading into conference play. Photo: Austin American-Statesman
The Takeaway
The Longhorns won a football game on Saturday, despite what the reaction would have you think. After defeating the UTEP Miners and improving to 2-1, the Horns are set to face what’s likely the weakest opponent on the schedule in Sam Houston, before a bye week and then conference play beginning in Gainesville, Florida. Let’s hope Sark and the rest of the coaching staff and players use that time wisely to prepare for the tests ahead. There is still time to get things right on the offensive side, and if that happens, the sky is the limit for these Longhorns. But the clock is ticking.
Final score: Texas 27, UTEP 10
Hook ‘em
