Texas falls out of top 10 in ESPN’s power rankings despite win over Sam Houston
By Derek Hryn
Published:
Texas fell three spots to No. 13 in ESPN’s Week 4 power rankings despite cruising to a 55-0 win over Sam Houston on Saturday. Arch Manning, coming off a rough start to the season, delivered his sharpest performance yet, passing for 309 yards and three touchdowns while also running for two first-half scores.
Manning connected with Ryan Wingo for touchdowns of 53 and 13 yards before exiting the game with the Longhorns leading 45-0.
Here’s some analysis on the Longhorns from ESPN’s Dave Wilson:
A tuneup against 0-4 Sam Houston might have been what the doctor ordered for several scuffling Longhorns who had yet to find their stride this season. Arch Manning accounted for five touchdowns — three passing and two rushing — and completed 14 passes in a row a week after the Longhorns’ offense got booed after 10 straight incompletions against UTEP. Saturday, Manning finished 18-of-21 for 309 yards, including two touchdown passes of 53 and 13 yards to Ryan Wingo, who had just nine catches and one touchdown in the first three games, and edge rushing star Colin Simmons recorded his first solo sack of the year. The Longhorns head to Florida on Saturday hoping to keep building momentum in their SEC opener against the 1-3 Gators before facing Oklahoma, which beat Auburn to move to 4-0, in Dallas the following week.
The blowout over a 0-4 Bearkats squad showcased the potential Texas has when Manning plays loose and confident, but it also highlighted why the Longhorns dropped in the rankings. ESPN voters weighed the early-season struggles — including a 10-pass incompletion stretch against UTEP and a 55% passing rate in the first three games — alongside this dominant but predictable win. While the performance was encouraging, Sam Houston provided little resistance, and the Longhorns’ true test begins in SEC play.
Texas’s defense dominated early, totaling five sacks, including Colin Simmons’ first solo of the season, and the offense displayed explosive connections between Manning and Wingo. Still, with Florida on deck for the SEC opener, the Longhorns must prove they can perform against more formidable competition if they hope to climb back toward the top 10.
