1 week ago
2
The Longhorns season came to an end with a 14-point win over Michigan in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. The transfer portal has opened, but before the attention is entirely turned, we should take a look back at the Longhorns final game of 2025. Arch Manning put together his best performance as a Longhorn, Ty’Anthony Smith was all over the field defensively and the season ended with 10-win yet again, but it wasn’t without issues.
Let’s start with the offense that put together a strong performance overall. Despite Arch Manning’s performance, it felt like he was left to his own devices far too often. The OL played better, but still left multiple free rushers that Manning had to avoid and make plays off-schedule. On top of that, drops were a continued issue for the Longhorns WR core, with multiple drops in key moments.
On defense, it was really a tale of two halves. Texas came into the game without their defensive coordinator and seven starters because of opt-outs and the portal and it was noticeable in the first half. Multiple mistakes from the young secondary, missed tackles in the run game and the Wolverines put up 17 points in the first half. The Michigan TEs were consistently opening up the seams and Texas had seemingly no answer for Bryce Underwood’s legs.
That brings us to special teams, which is where the pessimism turns up multiple notches. Mason Shipley was 2/2 with a 51-yarder and Jack Bouwmeester averaged 45 yards/punt, so they weren’t the issue. The biggest issue was kickoff coverage and return. Ryan Niblett made a massive mistake, fumbling a kickoff that gave Michigan a short field. Andrew Marsh, dynamic playmaker for Michigan, got four opportunities to return kickoffs and totaled 143 return yards. The Longhorn coverage unit consistently gave him openings and he took advantage every single time.
Overall, this was an encouraging game for the Longhorns 2026 season. Arch Manning’s performance, Christian Clark and Kaliq Lockett answering the bell; Ty’Anthony Smith, Wardell Mack, Kade Phillips and move shining gives plenty of optimism. That being said, there are multiple things that need to be fixed, including penalties, drops and coverage on special teams. The future is bright, but there are problems to fix.
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Pessimism: Texas Football needs polishing in 2026
English (US) ·