Texas Longhorns Stock Watch After Week 9: Who's Up & Who's Down?

The Texas Longhorns in back-to-back weeks will be leaving their matchup breathing in huge sighs of relief, especially after Saturday's game in which the Longhorns battled back to a dramatic 17-point comeback on the road in Starkville, defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs 45-38 in overtime.

The Longhorns found themselves at the bottom of a three-score deficit with the Bulldogs sitting with a 38-21 lead with just a bit over 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter; however, Texas fought its way back in the time remaining, scoring 24 unanswered points to end regulation and found the win in the added period.

After the Longhorns' improbable comeback victory, here's the weekly look at the players whose stocks are trending up and trending down, as Texas will look forward to another conference matchup, as they'll play their first home game since Sept. 20, hosting a red-hot No. 9 Vanderbilt Commodores squad that heads into the matchup with a 7-1 record after hanging on to defeat the No. 15 Missouri Tigers.

Trending Up

Quarterback Room

Mississippi State Bulldogs linebacker Derion Gullette (16) sacks Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) during the first quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Through the three quarters of the game Saturday afternoon, the Longhorns' offense brought their success from Lexington with them to Starkville with another ugly start to a ballgame; however the fourth quarter was where quarterback Arch Manning was at his best, completing 12 of 20 pass attempts for 166 yards and the two touchdowns. Manning ended the game going 29 of 46 passing for 346 yards and four total touchdowns.

The Longhorns' starting quarterback could not finish off the comeback he started after being shaken up on the first play of the game, inserted right into the fire was a cold Matthew Caldwell off the bench to finish off the Longhorns' rally. With the backup quarterback ending the game with a perfect 1 for 1 passing for 10 yards and the game-winning touchdown to wide receiver Emmett Mosley V.

With questions about Manning's status for the game against Vanderbilt, Caldwell could be called upon to start for the Longhorns come Saturday, and with the glimpse of Caldwell seen against Mississippi State, the veteran quarterback could be more than equipped to lead the Texas offense.

Ryan Wingo, WR

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (1) catches a pass for a touchdown over Sam Houston Bearkats linebacker Emon Allen (7) during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

All of the Longhorns' wide receivers got involved in the action against the Bulldogs, and none was bigger than the impact from second-year wide receiver Ryan Wingo.

The sophomore was the ignition of many of the Longhorns' drives, making explosive, play after explosive play, finishing the game with five catches for 184 yards.

Ryan Niblett

For three straight weeks now, punt returner Ryan Niblett has become a difference maker for the Longhorns on special teams. Niblett's 75-yard punt return touchdown in the Cotton Bowl was the dagger to secure the Longhorns' win over Oklahoma, and against Kentucky, the sophomore's two punt returns for 88 yards turned into crucial points for the Longhorns to survive in Lexington.

However, no play was bigger than what Niblett was able to do for the Longhorns on Saturday. With Texas still down a touchdown with about two minutes left on the game clock, Niblett made another big play, this time a 79-yard punt return touchdown equalized the matchup and swung the momentum in Texas's favor for the rest of the game.

Trending Down

Pass Defense

Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Brenen Thompson (0) catches the ball for a touchdown over Texas Longhorns defensive back Malik Muhammad (5) during the second quarter. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

While Texas was able to hold off an upset attempt from the Bulldogs, the Longhorns' defense, specifically the pass defense, found itself struggling against the Mississippi State offense.

Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen was carving up the Texas secondary, completing 26 of his 42 pass attempts for 381 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Former Longhorn, wide receiver Brenan Thompson was a thorn for the Longhorns' secondary, with the receiver finishing the game with six receptions for 76 yards and a pair of touchdowns.