Texas hits the road again this week after leaving Columbia, Missouri with a much-needed win. Winning on the road is tough against any team in the SEC, but LSU at night presents numerous challenges. The Longhorns played their most complete game of 2026 last week, and they will need that same effort again in Baton Rouge on Saturday.
LSU lost to Alabama 31-13 last week, and its season is on the ropes. A three-loss team has never made the College Football Playoff, but that’s expected to change this year. Either way, LSU has to win out to have any chance at securing a spot in the playoff. Oklahoma and Florida were wounded animals when Texas lost to them, and LSU enters this week the same way. A team with its season on the line is a very dangerous opponent, and Texas will have to match the urgency LSU brings. The talent is fairly even between the two teams, which means this game will be won in the margins.
Texas Must Stay Committed to the Run Game
When Texas stays committed to the run, the offense is a lot more difficult to stop. We all know Steve Sarkisian loves to throw the ball, but when you abandon the run, the defense can really pressure Arch Manning and the offensive line. Against Missouri, Texas ran the ball better than expected. Missouri has a very solid defense, and Raleek Brown still managed to run effectively. Brown finished with 85 yards on 17 carries, which is good enough for five yards a carry. If Texas can get anything close to five yards a carry this weekend, the offense goes to another level. Manning had his cleanest game of the season last weekend, as it was his first game against a Power Four team without a turnover.
When play action is working, Manning is really, really good. However, play action doesn’t work when the defense isn’t afraid of the run. Arch has struggled at times this year to get through multiple progressions. LSU has arguably the best pass rush Texas will face this year. If LSU doesn’t respect the Texas run game, it will be a long night for the offensive line and the offense as a whole.
Can the Texas Defense Wreck the Game?
The Texas defense is arguably the best in the country, and it has taken its play to another level over the last three games. After not forcing a turnover in its first three SEC games, Texas has forced five turnovers in the last three. Most of that has come without star EDGE Colin Simmons. Simmons returned in a limited role last week against Missouri. If he can play more against LSU, the defense will take another step forward. Simmons is the best defensive player in the country, and I’m not sure that’s debatable.
With Simmons out for most of the last three games, Will Muschamp has unleashed Rasheem Biles. Biles is a starting LB, but as we saw against Missouri, he is a real weapon who can play all three levels of the defense. He can rush the passer, play linebacker and drop deep into the secondary. Biles and Simmons are two of the best defensive players in the SEC, and having both on the field together will cause major problems for LSU.
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt is a dual threat who can play at a high level. That said, he can also turn the ball over at a high rate. The box score against Alabama shows Leavitt threw for 380 yards, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Leavitt had one turnover, and he and the LSU offense also turned it over on downs four times. Alabama kept Leavitt from escaping the pocket and making plays on the run. Biles will need to spy Leavitt for much of the game, and if Texas can keep him in the pocket, it will make things a lot tougher for LSU’s offense.
