Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 3)

[satyanash 14281]

Collecting post-game $9.95-er articles from the UTSA game here:

(Gerald Goodridge) No. 2 Texas 56, UTSA 7: Three things we learned

Quote

The No. 2 Texas Longhorns did what you’re supposed to do against outmatched opponents — lean on them and pull away for a win that was never in doubt, exactly what happened on Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday in the 56-7 win over the UTSA Roadrunners. While we still await the full prognosis for starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, who left the game in the first half with an abdominal strain, the offense cruised in the second half and looked explosive. A bevy of playmakers and an elite defensive playmaker showed their stuff in the lopsided win over an outmatched Roadrunners squad.

Arch Manning is the real deal

While fans are holding their breath with the health of Ewers, this served as an official coming out party on a national scale for Arch Manning. His first play replacing Ewers was a 19-yard touchdown strike to DeAndre Moore Jr. and he followed that with a highlight reel 67-yard touchdown run to start his day. When it was all said and done, he finished the game with an efficient 223 yards, with four of his nine completions going for touchdowns.

The game was already well within hand when he came in for Ewers and more often than not when a backup comes in during a blowout their day consists of handoffs and mop-up duty. Sarkisian and Manning combined to run up the score and show they can keep the train running while Ewers gets healthy.

Colin Simmons is ahead of schedule

One of the few criticisms of Texas against Michigan was a lack of sacks on the Wolverines’ quarterbacks as they dismantled the defending national champions. The story against UTSA was much different and led by the work of edge Colin Simmons, the former consensus five-star prospect who signed with the Horns as the No. 2 edge in the 2024 recruiting class.

The freshman phenom recorded two tackles for loss, one sack, and one quarterback hurry, finishing second on the team with six total tackles. He flashed his five-star talent several times in the game and was someone that the defense had to account for on every play.

The offense has more weapons than we thought

The Longhorns didn’t want for playmakers in this game, finding many of them in the process of blowing out the Roadrunners. Texas had six players with three or more receptions, led by Ryan Wingo’s three receptions for 127 yards and a score, with Isaiah Bond not far behind with five catches for 103 yards and two scores. It also marked the first time this year Bond didn’t record a drop in a game.

Johntay Cook II also emerged as a red zone target for Texas, showing off his speed turning a quick slant running past defenders into a 19-yard score and then flashing his hands at the back of the end zone for a 12-yard score late. After a coming-out party against Michigan, tight end Gunnar Helm had a rather pedestrian night, but his one catch was a highlight-reel moment finished with a hurdled defender, while the team’s touchdown leader Matthew Golden wasn’t needed deep into the game. On the ground, Jerrick Gibson looks like a legitimate running threat, bulldozing defenders when Quintrevion Wisner’s day ended early.

Kirk Bohls: Arch Manning takes over for an injured Quinn Ewers as No. 2 Texas routs UTSA

Quote

AUSTIN — The Arch Manning Era began a little bit ahead of schedule. But then again Longhorns fans feel like they’ve been waiting on the former five-star recruit forever. The most celebrated backup quarterback in college football replaced an injured Quinn Ewers early in the second quarter and led No. 2 Texas to a 56-7 win with a commanding performance over outmanned UTSA on Saturday night before 101,892 at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

Manning made his presence felt immediately. He produced touchdowns on two of his first three snaps, rolling out and flipping a 19-yard scoring pass to DeAndre Moore Jr. and then breaking off a 67-yard touchdown run of his own for the longest scoring jaunt by a Longhorns quarterback since Vince Young dashed 80 yards against Oklahoma State in 2005.

Manning finished with 223 yards and four touchdowns through the air and ran for 53 yards and the one score before freshman Trey Owens played all but four plays of the fourth quarter in relief. Ewers completed 14 of 16 passes for 185 yards with one interception. The Longhorns scored on four of their first five possessions and were coasting to an easy win to stretch their record to 3-0 before Ewers went down.

Ewers was on fire early, leading Texas to a pair of touchdowns before taking himself out of the game with what head coach Steve Sarkisian called “a strained abdomen.” Ewers, a redshirt junior who vaulted himself into the forefront of the Heisman Trophy race, threw touchdown passes to Isaiah Bond and Johntay Cook II before mysteriously dropping to the ground after a second-quarter handoff.

He pulled his jersey over his face and walked into the medical tent where he was examined and then left and walked slowly into the locker room with a towel draped over his head. He returned later and stood on the sidelines in street clothes. Ewers has missed five previous starts in his career because of injuries. Manning did not play in Texas’ 31-12 rout of Michigan in Ann Arbor last week and had thrown only 11 passes in his college career before Saturday. But the redshirt freshman showed little anxiety or rust in the first extended action he’s ever had.

True freshman Jerrick Gibson led all Longhorns rushers with 13 carries for 75 yards, replacing the injured Jaydon Blue, who sat out with an ankle injury. Texas dominated the game throughout while UTSA did itself no favors, also missing two field goals to fall to 1-2. Texas will play Louisiana-Monroe (2-0) at home next Saturday night.

Joe Cook: Arch Manning takes over against UTSA and takes the nation by storm

Quote

Arch Manning took the nation by storm on Saturday night with a scintillating, five-touchdown performance for the No. 2 Texas Longhorns against the UTSA Roadrunners.

One Moment

A similar scene has played out in Quinn Ewers‘ past. During his first season at Texas in 2022, Ewers was eviscerating the Alabama defense in his second career home start. He was 9-for-12 for 130 yards against the Crimson Tide before Dallas Turner landed on top of him and knocked him out of the game. Against UTSA on Saturday, Ewers lit up the Roadrunner defense to the tune of 14-for-16 for 185 yards and two touchdowns over one interception. But like against Alabama, an injury to his midsection knocked Ewers from the game.

What difference does three years make? No longer is Ewers’ backup Hudson Card. It’s Arch Manning. And with 12:19 left in the second quarter, Manning came in and made things happen. A lot. Manning threw a 19-yard scoring strike to DeAndre Moore on his very first snap. Then, when the Longhorns got another opportunity on offense, Manning did something reminiscent of his grandfather’s game. He ran 67-yards and away from defenders for the Longhorns’ fourth score of the game to make it 28-7.

At halftime, Steve Sarkisian called Ewers’ ailment a “strained abdomen” on ESPN. That’s not a diagnosis that sounds dire, but seeing the Texas signal-caller on the sidelines in street clothes was undoubtedly not what the Longhorns wanted. But when the quarterback stepping in for the starter is Manning, it’s a little bit different than when other schools’ starters go down. Two of Manning’s first plays at quarterback in a game where the end result was not yet decided were scoring plays. He’d make even more over the course of his outing.

Two Players

Arch Manning

Manning didn’t just stand in for Ewers as the Longhorns’ quarterback on Saturday. He exceled, even prompting ESPN to make a dedicated graphic featuring his stats at the bottom of the screen when the Longhorns were on offense.

The stats were great! Not only did Manning find Moore on his first throw and rush 67 yards for a touchdown, he also hit Isaiah Bond on a swing pass that the Alabama transfer took 51 yards to the house for his second score to make it 35-7 Texas. (Bond finished the day with five receptions for 103 yards and two scores). Then, he found a wide open Ryan Wingo for a 75-yard touchdown that made it 42-7.

There would be one more scoring toss that Johntay Cook hauled in to make it 49-7. More on that one later. Manning ultimately finished 9-for-12 for 223 yards and four touchdowns, plus his rushing touchdown. Manning’s play on Saturday against the Roadrunners was a glimpse of an extremely bright future at the quarterback position for the Longhorns. How soon will that future arrive? That is something Sarkisian will have to address in the coming days.

In his first extended opportunity to run the offense, Manning looked like the scion of the of football’s first family and was everything Texas fans could have asked for and more.

Colin Simmons

It wasn’t all about the five-star offensive players. Simmons, the No. 15 overall prospect in the 2024 class, was Texas’ second-leading tackler against the Roadrunners. Simmons tallied six tackles, four of them solo, with 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack.

He was not only a factor on third-down packages, but also during standard downs as the Longhorns’ Buck. The five-star has earned more and more conventional snaps in the early portions of his Longhorn career because of the impact he’s made in games against Colorado State, Michigan, and now UTSA. It’s safe to expect more as the season carries on.

Simmons always said in his recruitment he wanted to play in the SEC. He’s going to have the chance make a difference for Texas in SEC games this season.

Three Plays

Play 1: David Gbenda, Barryn Sorrell, and Michael Taaffe make an important fourth-down stop

Ewers tossed an interception in the second quarter, his second of the year, and the Roadrunner offense took the field in Texas territory trailing 7-0. They moved to 3rd and 1 on the Longhorn 29, but Trey Moore and Alfred Collins made a stop to bring up 4th down. Jeff Traylor remained aggressive, electing to go for it. The Roadrunners lined up like they were going to try to bully the Longhorns in the trenches, but they elected to try some misdirection with a pitch outside.

Jahdae Barron was having none of that. He worked past the receiver trying to block the play to force the run back inside. Ready and waiting for the running back were Sorrell, Gbenda, and Taaffe. A few plays later, Texas succeeded where the Roadrunners had failed. The Longhorns converted a 4th and 3 with a Ewers to Bond pass to cross into UTSA territory. Ewers led a drive to the UTSA 19 before a slant to Cook sprung loose and resulted in the Longhorns’ second score.

The stuff by several of Texas’ main leaders kept the Roadrunners out of touchdown territory and eventually resulted in a two-score lead for the Longhorns.

Play 2: Arch Manning 67-yard touchdown run

This is No. 2 only because this section attempts to go in sequential order. Sarkisian isn’t big on the quarterback run game. He likes to keep hits off of his passer so they’re more capable of landing some of the deep shots that are staples of his offense. More hits means more bumps and bruises, and a bruised arm can’t make deep throws like a healthy one can.

Even so, Sarkisian has said he doesn’t want his quarterbacks to be robots on the field but rather football players. A robotic move would have been to just hand the ball off on a zone read. Manning is no robot.

The juke! The moves! The little hint of swagger at the end! There was a sense of angst in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium even after Manning’s first touchdown toss. UTSA had just scored and, oh yeah, the starting quarterback and Heisman favorite was nowhere to be seen.

The crowd already gets hyped for Manning, and the run only got them more energized. It was a needed play, but also one that illustrates how Manning is a quality athlete and not just a blue-chip passer.

Play 3: Arch Manning’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Johntay Cook

Of course. Of course! Manning makes the proper read, steps and fires, and delivers a perfect pass to Cook for No. 1’s second touchdown of the night. Then, Manning flashes some emotion. That is touchdown pass No. 4 after all, that’s a massive game. In his introduction to extended play, Manning put on quite a show for the 101,892 in attendance and the millions tuning in around the country. It was quite the way for Texas to improve to 3-0.

 

Edited September 15 by satyanash

[LTtxfan 48977]

 

[satyanash 14281]

Sam Khan Jr.: How Texas’ Arch Manning ripped off five TDs in win vs. UTSA after Quinn Ewers’ injury

Quote

In the most extensive action of his college career, Texas quarterback Arch Manning accounted for five touchdowns in the Longhorns’ 56-7 win over UTSA on Saturday night while filling in for injured starter Quinn Ewers. Ewers, the Longhorns’ third-year starter and the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy entering this weekend, left Saturday’s game with a strained oblique and didn’t return.

Manning finished 9 of 12 passing for 223 yards and four touchdown passes in two-plus quarters before giving way to third-string quarterback Trey Owens. In his time behind center, the redshirt freshman was accurate and decisive and showed off his athleticism, particularly on a 67-yard touchdown run on his third play from scrimmage.

Ewers got banged up multiple times on Saturday. He was favoring his right thumb — his throwing hand — after a touchdown pass on the opening drive but remained in the game. After a 49-yard pass to tight end Gunnar Helm, Ewers labored down the field for the next snap. Following a handoff to Tre Wisner with 12:19 left in the second quarter, he signaled to the sideline and fell to the turf as the medical staff tended to him.

Manning threw a touchdown on his first play from scrimmage, hitting DeAndre Moore for a 19-yard strike and a 21-0 lead. Including his 67-yard scoring run, Manning accounted for two touchdowns on his first three plays from scrimmage.

Ewers was examined in Texas’ injury tent for about 15 minutes, according to ESPN reporter Quint Kessenich. A member of the medical staff spoke with head coach Steve Sarkisian shortly thereafter and Ewers, with a towel draped over his head, trudged slowly to the locker room in the second quarter. He returned to the sideline in street clothes before halftime.

Manning led three second-half touchdown drives of 75, 75 and 66 yards. The Longhorns scored on five of the nine series that he was in the game. It was Manning’s second appearance of the season. He also appeared in the fourth quarter of the 52-0 season-opening win over Colorado State, accounting for two touchdowns. In the 12 series Manning has appeared (excluding a game-ending kneeldown against Colorado State), the Longhorns have scored seven touchdowns. For the season, Manning is 14 of 18 passing for 318 yards and five touchdown passes and has two touchdown runs.

The Arch Manning playbook

Manning was ready as soon as his number was called and wasn’t fazed by having to enter in the middle of a drive. Sarkisian said the Longhorns spent a lot of time this offseason getting Manning extra practice reps because they wanted to ensure Manning, who had only played 27 college snaps entering this season, was prepared. He spent most of last season as the third-string quarterback behind Maalik Murphy, who transferred to Duke in December.

Sarkisian said he didn’t necessarily have to limit the playbook for Manning but that he sits down with all of his quarterbacks on Friday nights and goes over the play call sheet, having each quarterback identify their favorite plays based on situations. Sarkisian can then tailor the calls to that quarterback’s preferences and strengths. When Manning had to enter in the second quarter, Sarkisian had an idea of the play he wanted to call if Ewers was still in, and when he relayed it to Manning, Sarkisian said Manning told him, “Yeah, that’s perfect. Great,” and they ran the play, which resulted in the touchdown pass to Moore.

“That’s just kind of who Arch is,” Sarkisian said. “He’s just a normal guy that plays quarterback at the University of Texas. The name on the back of his jersey is one thing, but who he is as a teammate is another. He just wants to play really good for all the guys around him.” Sarkisian said the Longhorns don’t have to shrink the playbook without Ewers.

“We practice the toughest stuff we have, because we never know when one of those guys has to go in,” he said. “We expose him to so much that I don’t feel like I’m handcuffed when Arch is in the game. He’s been running these plays all week long. We’ve identified some of the things that we think he does well and that he said he does well, and we just went and played offensive football.”

“I didn’t think, ‘Well, Arch is in there, let’s take it easy.’”

More on Ewers’ injury

Sarkisian said the abdomen injury was non-contact and that the seriousness of it “remains to be seen” but that he doesn’t believe Ewers’ injury involves any structural damage. If Ewers has to miss any time, it will be the third consecutive season that injuries have sidelined him for at least one start. In 2022, he suffered a clavicle injury in the first half of Texas’ 20-19 loss to Alabama and missed three games. Last season, Ewers missed two games with an AC joint sprain suffered in a win at Houston.

Sarkisian said he spoke with Ewers on the sidelines and gathered that the quarterback is in good spirits. “Because Quinn’s been through it and because those other injuries he got with the shoulder were so structural and they were contact-type injuries, I think he’s probably in a little bit better spirit,” Sarkisian said. “But we’ve got to do everything in our part to get him as healthy as we can as quickly as possible.”

Entering Saturday, Ewers was playing the best football of his career. He has completed a career-high 73.4 percent of his passes this season for 691 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. After his dominant performance in the 31-12 at Michigan, he staked an early claim as the top quarterback in the country, and the performance only helped his NFL Draft stock.

Jayna Bardahl: Arch Manning’s first big moment for Texas

Quote

Manning’s Moment - Texas backup accounts for 5 TDs

Texas’ Quinn Ewers, who has looked like the best quarterback in the country this season, exited the Longhorns’ 56-7 win against UTSA in the second quarter with a strained abdomen. After the game, coach Steve Sarkisian said the injury was non-contact and that the seriousness of it “remains to be seen.”

Ewers’ absence opened the door for backup Arch Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli and grandson of Archie, to record his first extended game time for Texas. His final stat line: 9-for-12 for 223 yards, four TDs, plus three carries for 53 yards and one score. I asked The Athletic’s Texpert, Sam Khan to break down the 19-year-old’s performance for us today:

“He showed off all the traits that made him such a coveted recruit. He was accurate, decisive, showed off his arm strength and his athleticism. His 67-yard touchdown run, on his third play of the game, showed just how athletic he is. ‘I think he got his grandpa’s athleticism, I don’t know if he got his uncles’,” coach Steve Sarkisian joked.

“But his arm talent was also evident. His final touchdown pass to Johntay Cook was perfectly placed in the back corner of the end zone. Earlier in that drive, he scrambled to his left and uncorked a beauty to freshman Ryan Wingo.

“More than anything, Manning looked comfortable, which is encouraging considering how little playing time he has had since arriving. This was just his fourth career appearance and only his second with more than two series of action. If Ewers misses time and the Longhorns must start Manning, it looks like they’ll be in great hands.” — Khan

 

[satyanash 14281]

Ralph D. Russo: Texas on top! Longhorns take over at No. 1 in AP Top 25 for first time in 16 years, jumping Georgia

Quote

Texas is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the first time in 16 years, replacing Georgia on Sunday after the Bulldogs struggled to remain unbeaten. The Longhorns moved up a spot from No. 2 and received 35 first-place votes and 1,540 points. The Bulldogs, who have been No. 1 since the preseason poll, received 23 first-place votes and 1,518 points.

Ohio State received five first-place votes and stayed at No. 3 during an off week. No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Mississippi held their places and Tennessee moved up a spot to No. 6, flip-flopping with Southeastern Conference rival Missouri. The last time the Longhorns were No. 1 was the middle of the 2008 season, when they spent three weeks at the top of the polls before losing a memorable game at Texas Tech in early November.

The Longhorns are likely to settle into the top spot for at least another week with a home game against Louisiana-Monroe up next, possibly with Arch Manning as the starting quarterback. Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, stepped in Saturday night against UTSA when Quinn Ewers went out with an abdomen injury that coach Steve Sarkisian said was not serious.

Eric Nahlin: Texas Football leaps to No. 1 after resounding win, Georgia's close call

Quote

Last week the University of Texas ascended to its highest ranking since 2009. This week, it ascended one more place to No. 1. The Longhorns earned 35 first place votes. The move followed the Longhorns’ thrashing of UTSA by the score of 56-7. That score was only part of Texas’ move. No. 1 Georgia needed all 60 minutes to defeat Kentucky on the road by the score of 13-12. Georgia didn’t lead until it scored the lone touchdown in the game in the fourth quarter. This should serve Texas and Texas fans alike a reminder to not take any game lightly in the SEC and to not get too comfortable at the top of the poll.

AP POLL TOP 25

1. Texas (35)

2. Georgia (23)

3. Ohio State (5)

4. Alabama

5. Ole Miss

6. Tennessee

7. Missouri

8. Miami

9. Oregon

10. Penn State

11. USC

12. Utah

13. Kansas State

14. Oklahoma State

15. OU

16. LSU

17. Notre Dame

18. Michigan

19. Louisville

20. Iowa State

21. Clemson

22. Nebraska

23. Northern Illinois

24. Illinois

25. Texas A&M

Eric Nahlin: Sunday thoughts after Texas wallops UTSA 56-7

Quote

This article was written by Coach V. Before becoming one of the most highly respected members of the Inside Texas community, Coach V. was a highly respected defensive coordinator for decades in the Texas high school football ranks.

One of the toughest assignments in football is staying mentally strong after a big win the week before. It’s especially hard when the next opponent is on a lower level talent-wise. Despite all the attempts of proper preparation, there will be a few obvious letdowns once the individual battles are established and the scoreboard is ping-ponging for the home team. The best thing about a blowout win is everybody gets a shot and will get the opportunity to watch the video and cheer for the reserves getting their chance to shine. All the hard work from the entire crew is obvious once the smiles are passed around the room. You gotta love it.

I guess one could spend several hours typing up terrific plays or performances for the deserving individuals but that will probably occur elsewhere enough to choke a horse so I’ll limit my praise to a few thousand thoughts. I have three players that take the spotlight this week but about a couple of dozen that get supporting actor awards will be mentioned. My choice for best player on the field tonight is Colin Simmons (11) although a certain well known QB placed a razor thin second in his longest stint on the Forty Acres.

I really can’t tell you how many tackles Simmons made nor can I recite how many pressures he put forth. What I can tell you is this budding super-star is the highest motor and hunger-starved Longhorn since Joseph Ossai recklessly ran down the ball with total dedication. If you want the long version spend twenty minutes watching #11 from start to finish. Those preferring their long-story short should watch the first scrimmage play after Ryan Wingo‘s (11) touchdown catch in the third quarter. Simmons (11) starts a blitz off the edge, pivots to the play action, and sprints back in pursuit of the scrambling QB to make the tackle. Impressive is all that play is. He has several of those type of efforts. There is a better than even chance this guy becomes a big-timer before he’s finished here.

Okay, Arch Manning (16) finally had his day in the sun. He just might have been impressive in throwing four touchdown passes in about one half (clock time) of action. There is some proof that he can outrun part of San Antonia’s finest athletes before the alumni stripe stopped him. There is little doubt that Arch is probably the best backup QB in college ball today. I really loved the way he served Wingo up—when a receiver is out to practice early (Wingo) you make sure you don’t overthrow and he nailed it. Watching him drop the corner to Johntay Cook (1) illustrates his deft touch in a crowded arena. There is a solid chance this guy becomes a big-timer before he’s finished here.

The third special mention, thought not in the afore mentioned leagues, is Vernon Broughton (45). I know he screamed talent-heavy for three years and delivered a few penetrating tackles followed by way too many backwards on skates to foresee the first three games he has put on the board up to now. He’s stacking the blocker, disengaging and then pursuit-sprinting to the ball with character building spirit. There must be an unknown reason for such a total change of direction. One just might start thinking that besides this being his money year he might have taken a wife that has encouraged Vern to be all he can be or something along those lines. Who knows?

Good, bad, and uglies.

(1) Cook had three catches including his first two td’s. Matthew Golden (2) is about a money receiver. Anthony Hill (0) has trouble with crossing route decisions but is growing into the Mike backer position. Derek Williams (2) had a bad game tackling. Quinn Ewers (3) played most of a quarter with ouches that turned into hurts. Andrew Mukuba (4) is one of our best portal additions for sure.

(Studs) our receiving group is better than every single fan thought they could be. Word. Wingo (5) will score huge numbers before he goes pro. Jahdae Barron‘s (7) move to corner has made our secondary that much better. Michael Taaffe (16) is probably coaching Gideon. Jerrick Gibson (9) is the real deal—hope he holds up physically. Silas Bolden (11) will eventually have an over/under of 1/2 (one half) he will fair catch punts.

Simmons (11) is not playing like a freshman. Manning (16) will someday make his last name famous. Liona Lefau (18) flies around—he’s got a hair-quick triggering system in his DNA. Aren’t you glad we didn’t give up on Ryan Niblett (21)—he’s more than valuable with all our injuries. Ty’Anthony Smith (26) is everything several figured he would be—size and speed still growing.

I love Tre Wisner (26). David Gbenda (33) has played well but he flat missed the tackle on their long td run. Broughton (45) is our most valuable DL three games into season.

(studs) our six Oline are good pass blockers, spotty drive blockers, and excellent pull blockers so there’s that. DJ Campbell (52) is getting better each week. Cameron Williams (56) had another false start but just engulfs defenders—he pretty good. Cole Hutson (54) is the best sixth man in this opinion. Jake Majors (65) is really the glue along with Banks. Kelvin Banks (78) worried me when he stayed on the turf one full commercial—thank goodness he only missed one play.

Justin Wells: Top PFF grades from Texas' 56-7 win over UTSA

Quote

The No. 2 Texas Longhorns took down the UTSA Roadrunners, 56-7, on Saturday from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Here’s how the team graded out via PFF.

OFFENSE

QB – Arch Manning, 88.6

As soon as Quinn Ewers went down, Manning went in and never let off the gas. He was an effective 9-of-12, 223 yards and five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing). He went through the air…

…and on the ground.

RB – Jerrick Gibson, 67.3

Gibson led all Texas rushers with 13 carries for 75 yards, while Manning added 53 yards on the ground and a score.

WR – Isaiah Bond, 79.3, Ryan Wingo, 89.3, Johntay Cook, 73.5

While 10 different receivers caught a ball on Saturday, the bunch was led by freshman Wingo’s 127 yards and a touchdown on three catches. Bond added 103 yards and two scores on five grabs, and Cook notched 35 yards and two touchdowns on three receptions.

TE – Gunnar Helm, 58.4

The tight end position was quiet on Saturday, led by Helm’s one catch for 49 yards and the hurdle.

OL – Kelvin Banks, 71.9, Jake Majors, 65.9, Cameron Williams, 67.0

The Texas offensive tackles led the way for the O-line on Saturday, with Banks and Williams notching the two highest grades of the group. Majors was solid, as usual.

DEFENSE

DL/EDGE – Colin Simmons, 68.7, Ethan Burke, 79.5, Alfred Collins, 78.2

Simmons netted his second career sack in addition to four tackles on Saturday night. Burke’s pick-six was the perfect cap to an impressive night from the Texas defensive front.

LB – Anthony Hill, 84.1

Hill was one of the more effective players on defense, notching a team-high six tackles. and leading with a tackling grade of 84.6.

CB – Jahdae Barron, 79.7. Malik Muhammad, 74.2

Texas’ corner tandem was pivotal in holding down the UTSA passing attack.

S/N – Andrew Mukuba, 59.2, Michael Taaffe, 71.7, Jordon Johnson-Rubell, 65.1

Texas’ starting safeties were stout and strong on Saturday, with Mukuba adding four tackles to lead the secondary.