Drama In Austin! How Concerned Should Texas Fans Be? | Texas Longhorns LIVE 116

Drama In Austin! How Concerned Should Texas Fans Be? | Texas Longhorns LIVE 116 Hosts: Matthew Miller & Thomas Bresee (TexasVOCFB) Sponsored by FanDuel Intro & Heisman Odds (0:00–1:35) Welcome to the 116th edition of Texas Longhorns Live. Like/subscribe reminders. Arch Manning +850 to win the Heisman (behind CJ Carr at +700; ~150-point gap). Tommy: Roughly how he sees the top of the board. Carr benefits from a manageable schedule and better WR weapons than Notre Dame has had recently. Arch remains locked into the top 2–3/5 odds even with an uneven start. Matthew: Odds should have fallen some based on recent reports. Texas can still contend for a national title, but Arch needs a strong season for Heisman contention. Would not bet him now; might after a cold Ohio State game if odds drop further while remaining big-game opportunities exist. Second Scrimmage Breakdown – Defense & Freshman LBs (1:35–4:30) Turnovers created: Interceptions by Kosiak-Paula, Grayson Littleton, Jamari on Carlton (and others). Jamari on Carlton INT likely a batted/shovel pass blown up by the DL that fell into his hands (not typical coverage drop). Kosiak-Paula continuing to make plays throughout camp/scrimmages. With Ty Anthony Smith out, the young LBs (Kosiak-Paula, Rocky Cummings, Tyler Atkinson) must step up. Body types are ready; question is on-field translation and processing speed at a heady position. Tommy: Freshman LBs were one of the two biggest things to watch (alongside clean Arch performance). Kosiak-Paula tipped a pick to himself and returned it for a TD; can play Mike or some Will. All three freshmen fit the physical prototype (Rocky ~6-4, nearly 230). Talent exists to replace Smith; early softer games (Texas State, UTEP) can accelerate development. Expect at least two of the three to look special by season’s end or heading into 2027. Rotation discussion: LB and WR rotations are the two biggest questions. LB depth expansion is more necessity than preference (hard to run only three all year). Arch Manning Scrimmage Performance (4:30–11:30) Arch had two INTs; team total four turnovers (sloppy). Defense expected to create takeaways and already knows the playbook. Rough estimate: ~50 plays, maybe 20–25 true pass attempts → turnover rate not good. Not spinning it positively. Matthew: Arch has history of struggling in practice but elevating in games (partial Vince Young parallel—VY was not a good practice player). Consistency still needs work. Worry level ~5/10 (issue but not overwhelming). Tommy: Season-long not concerned at all—expects strong play start to finish with growth into more consistency late. Worth monitoring short/intermediate throws and mechanics, especially heading into Ohio State. Learned last year not to overreact before games are played (was too aggressive early on Arch previously). Turnovers were not an issue a year ago. Scrimmages limit leg use (pocket-only, no hits). Arch often needs to feel the game/hits to fully lock in. Sark teams are 27-1 when leading after the first quarter (only loss was 3-0 lead vs. Georgia in SEC title game). Process-oriented cleanliness vs. Texas State can ease Ohio State nerves. Worry level overall 3–4; higher pre-Ohio State but erasable by Texas State performance. Both: UTEP example (11/25) showed struggles even vs. weak competition when not locked in; Mississippi State relief appearance was excellent. Need ~70% completion or better vs. Texas State. Overblown by some, downplayed by others—middle ground. Arch has shown ability to improve and self-correct. Offensive Line (11:30–16:00) Andre Kojo taking first-team reps at left tackle (positive development; competed at RT last year, potential Goosby fill-in). Tommy: Massive that Kojo is comfortable there with limited drop-off expected. Doesn’t sound like moving him inside to guard is a priority for Sark—value in having a true third tackle (Goosby precedent in 2024 at both spots). Interior options appear solid enough. Lawrence Seymour did not practice (limited live starter reps previously). Cole Hudson’s return helps. Concerns about OL cohesion. Tommy: Healthy Monday but slow-played; staff appears confident in him as the long-term left guard and is managing workload for the mock game + full first-team week. Could also be Dylan Sikorski playing well. Cohesion is the real worry heading into Ohio State (solid but not terrifying DL; Kenyatta Jackson overrated per hosts). Expect clarity vs. Texas State—Seymour likely settles as clear No. 1 LG. Kojo flexibility is a big safety net. Other Positives & Will Muschamp (15:00–18:00) Sark on Grayson Littleton and Emmitt Mosley as hardest-working players. Slot receiver dirty work and nickel glue (Jordan Whittington precedent; Jade Barron-type nickel) are massive for this offense/defense. Outside recent drama, signs point up: confident team, Sark demanding greatness from a talented offense he knows can be special. Hold offense to high standard because it’s “his” side. Let them play before overreacting to expectations/last year. Will Muschamp hire growing in confidence (gamble given time away from play-calling). Colin Simmons: strength of the defense is the DC. Report that offense didn’t run the ball well Saturday because of Muschamp. Expected more havoc, turnovers, blitzes, and similar/more sacks. One observer: if this offense can score consistently on this defense, it can score on nearly anyone. Hosts previously projected top 10–15 defense; staff sounding top-10 confident. All pieces in place. Comments Quick Hits (18:00–21:00) Vince Young magic comparison: mostly off-script legs (not practiced in scrimmages). Arch will use mobility in games, ideally less than last year. Jet Walker (freshman RB): Ahead of schedule but behind Michael Terry and James Simon—unlikely to play much (possible special teams). Power back with future upside; 2026 class adds more competition. KJ Lacey: Feeling good. If Arch is out short-term (not vs. Ohio State/LSU/Oklahoma), Texas can still win most games. Offense may need to be more conservative/point-guard style (less deep shots, fewer extended plays), but KJ can execute the necessary throws and the supporting cast is strong. Drama in Austin – Ty Anthony Smith & Hayward Howard Jr. (21:00–30:00) Ty Anthony Smith: Not playing; Inside Texas reported off the team. Others talked around it. Sark cited flu (real for other players, convenient cover). Critical LB with NFL tools if he adds weight. Multiple reported reasons (on/off field). Hayward Howard Jr.’s father tweeted tagging reporters that he would “expose” what’s going on at Texas. Never helpful when a parent goes public (especially low on the depth chart—7th/8th QB). “Politics” language usually signals playing-time complaints. Likely already handled internally by staff. Howard had an INT in practice; can develop. Inconsequential overall. Tommy: Extra noise the program didn’t need (Arch hype, Sark push to elite, high-cost roster already enough). Parent tweet not a big deal long-term. For Smith: hope he gets back on his feet as a talented player. Football-wise, not ideal at a thin position, but talent exists to cover. If reports about buy-in/distraction are accurate, likely addition by subtraction—good culture polices itself and removes what won’t fit after attempts to help. Matthew: Culture discussion—keeping a problem after efforts to correct it would be the real culture issue. Nick Saban view on working with players first; ultimately both parties must want it (dating analogy). Rooting for Smith (good kid/player from recruiting reports and spring interactions; solid Michigan Bowl game). Howard situation overblown given depth-chart status—fodder for rivals, not a starter-level issue. Football path forward: Jordan Johnson-Rubell getting some LB reps (extra body). Freshmen (Atkinson, Kosiak-Paula, Rocky Cummings) expected above him. Need them to accelerate vs. Texas State and give situational help (pass rush, long third downs) to ease load on Raheem Biles, Justin Cryer, Brad Spence in September. Expect consistent high-level contributions from the young group later. More Comments (30:00–32:30) KJ vs. Arch styles different (Stockton-like vs. big-play seeker); offense flexible enough to adjust concepts. Wish Texas had kept Bo Barnes (and Christian Clark). Only two clear “day they left felt like big losses” in Sark era (Logan Parr later proved more valuable than expected). Nick Brooks also mentioned (portal era reality; bizarre off-field episode; now competing at RT for Alabama—raises questions about Bama OL if true). Opponent QB Decisions & Texas Implications (32:30–42:30) Tennessee – Faison Brandon over George McIntyre (expected after earlier discussion with Tucker) Raises volatility. High ceiling (size, arm, athleticism; potential top-3/5 future QB in league). Gets early runway (Furman, Kennesaw State, Georgia Tech). Tennessee offense historically good with first-year QBs. Hosts still lean Texas, but Muschamp can confuse a young QB. Catch him cold and he can go for 300+ total yards/4 scores. Possible both extremes (hot game or multi-INT blowout) during the season. Watch rush-lane discipline (issue last year) and early conservatism vs. blitz-heavy approach. Florida – Aaron Filo over Tramell Jones (expected with Buster Faulkner/Jon Sumrall influence) Steady, accurate, pocket presence, every throw. Facilitator/point-guard style fits the offense perfectly (space the playmakers). High-school Georgia records; can develop into genuine NFL prospect. Reduces valleys compared with a younger/less experienced option. Florida remains a high-variance, talented, dangerous team; Philo is a plus for consistency. Hosts still like the matchup at home but respect the pieces. Arkansas – KJ Jackson over AJ Hill Essentially irrelevant. Arkansas among the SEC’s weakest; even elite QB talent wouldn’t change the outlook much vs. Texas. Jackson is the better dual-threat choice and interesting individually (had 200+ vs. Texas late last year), but supporting cast and overall roster limit the threat. Comfortable Texas win expected either way. Close (42:30–end) Next week: Texas vs. Texas State game breakdown + any OL clarity/settled battles. Reminder: Tuesdays 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT. Like, subscribe, comment on the drama level. Final comment appreciation. Hook ’em. Overall Tone: Measured concern on Arch consistency and LB depth after Smith’s exit, tempered by physical talent of the freshmen, OL flexibility (especially Kojo), positive Muschamp indicators, and confidence that early games can accelerate development. Drama framed as unnecessary noise—mostly inconsequential for Howard, potentially net positive (culture/buy-in) for Smith if reports hold. Opponent QB news adds volatility to Tennessee more than the others. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.