Game Preview: No. 7 Ole Miss versus No. 19 Texas

Texas welcomes Ole Miss to Austin this weekend in a must-win game. The Longhorns are reeling, and their season is slipping away. Following back-to-back losses to unranked Oklahoma and Florida, Texas has no room for error if it wants to make the playoffs. It’s hard to imagine this same team spent a month ranked No. 1. Simply put, it’s put-up-or-shut-up time for the 2026 Longhorns. Beating Ole Miss will require a complete, four-quarter performance — something Texas has yet to deliver this season.

Ole Miss arrives in Austin heading in the opposite direction. Through their first four games, the Rebels couldn’t stop anyone. But since a 52-28 loss to Florida, their defense has improved. In the two games that followed, Ole Miss held Vanderbilt to 17 points and Missouri to just three. Vanderbilt is rebuilding, but Missouri is a solid team, and the Rebels dominated them. If Ole Miss can pair even an average defense with its explosive offense, it will be difficult for anyone to beat them. Texas had better be ready from the opening snap, or it could be a long night for the Longhorns.

The Texas Defense Must Force at Least One Turnover

The defense has been Texas’ only consistent unit in 2026, though Florida exposed some holes last week. Fatigue may have played a role. The Longhorns’ defense spent more than 38 minutes on the field, including more than 21 minutes in the second half.

There’s no question the offense needs to sustain drives and give the defense a chance to catch its breath. But the defense can only control its own performance, and the bottom line is that Texas hasn’t forced a turnover since the UTSA game. That’s three consecutive games without a takeaway. You can’t call yourself an elite defense if you don’t force turnovers. With Colin Simmons out this week, someone else must step up and create one.

Ole Miss presents the most explosive offense Texas has faced this season, and it starts with quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. He is arguably the toughest quarterback in the country to stop. He can make every throw and hurt defenses with his legs. Beyond that, Chambliss has shown both last season and this year that he can make the right plays with the game on the line.

He isn’t the only concern. Running back Kewan Lacy is one of the best in the country and complements Chambliss well. Lacy has been banged up throughout the season but looked healthy against Missouri last week, rushing for 122 yards and averaging 7.6 yards per carry. That combination is a problem for any defense.

It’s Now or Never for the Texas Offense

The Texas offense has struggled beyond what anyone could have imagined entering the season. Short of major injuries, this is worse than even the worst-case preseason scenario. The Longhorns can’t consistently move the ball or stay on the field. They lead the SEC in three-and-outs, which is unacceptable given the talent on that side of the ball.

This isn’t solely a Sark or Arch problem, but both bear a significant share of the responsibility. After two years of discussion about what Arch Manning and this offense could become, it’s time to deliver. If that doesn’t happen, Texas needs to consider a change at quarterback and find out whether KJ Lacy can move the offense more effectively.

Arch looks like a quarterback whose confidence is shaken. He’s missing reads he handled without issue as a first-time starter while filling in for an injured Quinn Ewers in 2024.

Sark has always been known for designing an effective opening script, and that showed again last week when Texas scored 10 points on its first two possessions. The offense didn’t score again until 4:21 remained in the fourth quarter. That’s more than three quarters without an offensive point against the nation’s 130th-ranked pass defense.

Sark gets paid the big bucks to identify these problems and fix them. During the opening script, Texas moved the ball with quick passes to the outside. The Longhorns got away from that approach until desperation set in during the fourth quarter. When they returned to it, they moved the ball again.

Getting the ball out quickly would help both a struggling offensive line and a struggling quarterback. Ryan Wingo is dangerous in space, and Texas needs to do a better job of getting him the ball.