Texas Football Suffers Injuries to Three Key Offense Players

Texas football defeated Mississippi State 31-3 on Saturday night, but the victory came at a physical cost. Head coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed that three primary offensive players left the game with injuries and did not return. The losses weakened the Longhorns' attack during their final regular-season game before a break in the schedule.

Wide receiver Cam Coleman exited the contest in the second quarter. He spent the remainder of the game on the sideline without his uniform. This marks the second consecutive week Coleman has missed time due to injury. He previously left a 34-27 win over Ole Miss in the third quarter with an apparent shoulder issue. Fellow wide receiver Ryan Wingo also failed to finish the game, while running back Hollywood Smothers entered the medical tent in the fourth quarter after holding both legs on the turf.

The injury list extended to the defensive unit. Starters Graceson Littleton and Kade Phillips, both defensive backs, left the field and did not return. Their absences removed key components from the defense coordinated by Will Muschamp. Sarkisian indicated that the team's immediate focus is on recovering these players. He stated, "What's going to be the emphasis for this week? One of them is getting these guys back. As many of these guys as we can get back, the better we're going to be. That recovery has to start now for a lot of these guys."

Quarterback Arch Manning played through a series of hard hits during the contest. He completed three touchdown passes and threw only four incompletions. However, he was sacked five times and suffered multiple impacts on his 13 carries. Manning limped off the field after several hits and had a bloodied hand wrapped with tape in the second quarter. He attributed the bleeding to a scab that ripped open during the game.

Sarkisian expressed concern over the physical toll on Manning. He noted that the five sacks were not a source of pride for the coaching staff. The coach said, "I don't want a bloody hand and a bloody hand and him getting sacked five times. That's not a recipe for success. Is he going to run it some? Yes. Do I think that's part of his game? Yes. But there's a line we got to be careful we don't cross over with him, because we need him as he can be going forward."

Left tackle Trevor Goosby will miss the rest of the 2026 season with a knee injury. In contrast, edge rusher Colin Simmons showed progress against Mississippi State. Simmons had missed the last two games following an ankle sprain sustained against Florida. He participated in warmup drills at full speed on Saturday. He could return to the active roster as soon as next week's game at Missouri.

Sarkisian did not provide specific details on the nature of the injuries sustained by Coleman, Wingo, Smothers, Littleton, or Phillips during the postgame press conference.