Longhorns Focus On Finishing Ahead Of Test In Starkville
The music blared inside the Frank Denius Fields this week, but the tone of practice told a different story. Texas Longhorns players weren’t celebrating last week’s overtime win in Lexington — they were trying to correct it.
After a narrow 16–13 victory at Kentucky, the Longhorns returned to the field this weekend knowing that kind of performance won’t fly on the road against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
“It’s brought us closer than we were at the start of the season,” Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian said. “That’s what’s going to be needed. This is a little bit unprecedented to go on the road for four straight weeks into a hostile environment.”
The best news of the week came in the form of a familiar No. 4 jogging back into team drills. Running back CJ Baxter returned to full participation after missing the last several weeks with an injury. His return could be the spark the Longhorns’ offense needs.
“I thought he’s looked good in practice and I thought he’s gotten better and stronger as the week’s gone on,” Sarkisian said of Baxter.
Texas struggled to establish a balanced attack in recent weeks. The Longhorns averaged just 2.9 yards per carry against Kentucky and went 2-for-12 on third downs. With Baxter back in the mix and freshman Quintrevion Wisner still seeing snaps, Sarkisian hopes the running game can take some of the pressure off quarterback Arch Manning, who’s been sacked seven times in the past two games.
“We’ve got to help Arch,” Sarkisian said. “Protection is a team thing — not just the O-line, but the backs, the timing, the calls. We’ve got to be cleaner across the board.”
Starkville’s Davis Wade Stadium is one of the loudest environments in the SEC, complete with the cowbells that turn third downs into chaos and noise. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski had speakers blaring artificial noise during 11-on-11 drills, testing players’ ability to get lined up and execute calls without hand signals or verbal cues.
“It’s a real environment drill,” linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. said. “You can’t hear anything, so it’s about trust — trusting your keys, trusting the guy next to you.”
Texas left practice Tuesday looking sharper than it did a week ago — focused, healthy, and aware of what’s at stake.
“It’s about proving who we are,” Manning said quietly after throwing routes with receivers. “We’ve shown flashes. Now it’s time to put it together.”
