Texas Longhorns Stock Watch After Week 8: Who's Up & Who's Down?

The Texas Longhorns pick up their fifth victory of the season to improve to a 5-2 record on Saturday, but the 16-13 overtime win against the Kentucky Wildcats did not come as easily as many would've thought.

Texas managed to escape with a nail-biting victory in what was a sloppy performance from the offense, while the defense and special teams were able to hold their own and help the team survive.

After the Longhorns less than stellar performance, here's the weekly look at the players or groups whose stocks are trending up and trending down, as Texas will look forward to another conference matchup as they head back out on the road to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville.

Trending Up

Special Teams

Texas Longhorns kicker Mason Shipley (49) kicks a field goal during the fourth quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Texas more than likely picks up its third loss of the season and undoubtedly the worst loss of the year without its special teams unit. Kicker Mason Shipley was perfect on the night, hitting all three of his field goal attempts, one near the end of regulation from 39 yards out and then sealing the victory with a conversion in overtime from 45 yards.

The punting game also came up big for Texas, with punter Jack Bouwmeester once again being a weapon for the Longhorns as his eight punts traveled for over 300 yards for an average punt distance of 42 yards, six of which were down inside the Wildcats' 20-yard line.

Punt returner Ryan Niblett, for the second straight week, was crucial with his two punt returns of 88 yards, setting up the Longhorns for 10 of their 16 points. Niblett's longest return of 45 yards gift-wrapped the Longhorns' only touchdown of the game, setting the offense up on the Kentucky five-yard line.

Colin Simmons, EDGE

Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Colin Simmons (1) reacts after making a tackle during the first half against the San Jose Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

With a struggling offense, the Longhorns' defensive stars needed to make their marks on the ballgame, and edge rusher Colin Simmons did just that, finishing the game with four tackles, three sacks, and three tackles for loss. In Texas's three conference matchups, Simmons has been on a tear, recording 13 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

Trending Down

The Offense

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a pass during the third quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

While the Longhorns were able to come away with the victory over the Wildcats, it was a massive step back from what was a promising offensive performance a week ago in the Cotton Bowl. Quarterback Arch Manning struggled, going 12 of 27 passing for 132 yards, and was held without a touchdown, while also ending the game with negative rushing yards.

The running game never got the opportunity to get rolling with just 15 rush attempts from the Longhorns' running backs, finishing the night under 50 yards rushing. Leading rusher Quintrevion Wisner was limited to just 37 yards on 12 carries, while Christian Clark had just three carries for 13 yards.

Both the passing and rushing attacks suffered from less-than-subpar offensive line play, which regressed widely from their performance from a week ago. The unit could not hold up in pass protection, giving up three sacks and eight quarterback hits. Meanwhile, the run blocking was not any better, with the Longhorns averaging less than two yards a carry and Kentucky recording seven tackles for loss.