How The Texas Longhorns Position Groups Graded Out vs. Kentucky

The Texas Longhorns will be coming back to Austin from Lexington, breathing a huge sigh of relief after sneaking out a 16-13 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats on the road. The Longhorns found themselves in a battle Saturday night, having to claw out a victory in overtime at Kroger Field.

Texas will have to reset after a nail-biting victory and head back out on the road for the fourth and final game of a four-game stretch playing away from home, taking a trip up to Starkville to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium.

Taking a look at the Longhorns' narrow victory against the Wildcats, here are this week's position group grades.

Grading the Position Groups

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) looks for an open receiver during the first quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Quarterback: C-

It was not a pretty game for quarterback Arch Manning by any means, 12 of 27 passing for 132 yards, and held without a touchdown; the only bright spot is that Manning didn't turn the ball over. Manning couldn't get anything going in the running game, where he usually finds success with his legs, finishing the night with negative rushing yards on 11 attempts.

While Manning faced heavy pressure from the Wildcats' defensive front, disrupting the offense's rhythm and timing, the quarterback just missed what should be considered "easy" throws in key moments, halting any momentum the offense tried to build.

Running Back: D

Texas's rushing attack could not build on the slight momentum it created from last week with another poor showing on the ground. The Longhorns' leading rusher, running back Quintrevion Wisner, managed just 37 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, while second-year running back Christian Clark gained 13 yards on three carries, as Texas finished with under 50 yards rushing against the Wildcats.

Pass-Catchers: C-

When the quarterback throws for under 150 yards and completes just 12 passes, it's tricky to properly rate the Longhorns' pass-catching core. Wide receiver DeAndre Moore finished as the team's leading receiver with just three catches for 37 yards and picked up a few key third downs. Wide receiver Emmett Mosley and tight end Jordan Washington found themselves involved in long receptions for 25 yards or more, for a run-of-the-mill performance from the wide receivers and tight ends.

Offensive Line: D-

After what looked like a promising performance to build upon a week ago, the Longhorns' offensive line found itself struggling once again. The pass protection could not hold up with Manning hitting the ground three times, and when it did, the quarterback still had pressure in his face, being hit another eight times. The run blocking was also spotty, with the Longhorns' leading rusher averaging three yards a carry and giving up seven tackles for loss.

Goodness. Pass pro grades from PFF for the Kentucky game:

87.6 — DJ Campbell
63.3 — Brandon Baker
51.8 — Trevor Goosby
30.9 — Connor Robertson
14.1 — Nick Brooks
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) October 19, 2025

The Defense: A-

The Texas defense is once again the bright spot for the Longhorns. While their performance was not without its struggles as the team was gashed, giving up nearly 400 yards of total offense to the Wildcats, the unit was rightly winded as Kentucky dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for almost 40 minutes of game time compared to Texas's offense, a mere 20 minutes.

However, when needed the most, the Texas defense came up big like it has all season with a huge goal line stand in overtime, stuffing the Kentucky offense four straight times on the goal line, setting up the offense for the victory.

The Longhorns' defensive stars shone, with edge rusher Colin Simmons putting together back-to-back great performances, recording four tackles, three sacks, and three tackles for loss, as well as linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., who recorded 12 tackles and an interception.

Special Teams: A+

Without the Longhorns' special teams unit, Texas would likely leave Lexington with a devastating loss. Kicker Mason Shipley accounted for over half of the Longhorns' points on the evening, being a perfect 3 for 3 on field goal attempts, with the biggest being the 45-yard game-winner. Ryan Niblett once again came up big in the punt return game with two returns for 88 yards, one of which set up the Longhorns for their only touchdown drive of the game, starting the offense on the Kentucky five-yard line.