Texas Longhorns vs. Georgia Bulldogs Early Season Preview: Keys to Victory

The Texas Longhorns have a heavyweight clash late in the season as they travel to Athens to take on Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, who have proven to be the standard bearers in college football and have made Sanford Stadium a tough place to play.

With new starting quarterback Arch Manning, taking command of Steve Sarkisian's offense, many fans and analysts have penciled in the Longhorns for a ticket not just in the SEC championship game but the national championship. This mid-November matchup could potentially be a preview of the SEC title game, as it was a season ago.

With that being said, here's a look at three things the Longhorns will need to key in on if they wish to leave Athens with a victory on Nov. 15.

Protect Arch Manning

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) runs the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second quarter | Brett Patzke-Imagn Images

The Longhorns' offensive line struggled to protect Quinn Ewers in both losses against Georgia a season ago, giving up a combined 13 sacks, severely disrupting the Longhorns' offense. And now with a new look offensive line after losing four of the five starters from a season ago, the Longhorns' pass protection will need to be able to protect Arch Manning, giving him enough time to run the offense effectively.

Georgia loses two of its biggest pass rushers in Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker, who combined for eight sacks against the Longhorns a season ago, and both of whom became first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, the Bulldogs have established incredible depth with their pass rushers in recent years, as can be expected from a Kirby Smart defense that will always feature high-end pass rushers.

Find Success With the Ground Game

Texas struggled to run the ball against Georgia's defensive line in both matchups, which totaled 25 tackles for loss over both games. The Longhorns' leading rusher, Quintrevion Wisner, had just 52 yards on 15 carries for an average of 3.5 yards per carry when the teams met midseason in DKR. And in the SEC championship, Wisner had a similar stat line with 19 carries for just 52 yards and 2.7 yards per carry.

To come up with a victory against Georgia, the Longhorns' offense will need to find a consistent rushing attack with Wisner and a returning CJ Baxter, among others, in the running back room in order to control the pace of the ball game and to keep Georgia's pass rush honest and at bay.

Pressure Gunner Stockton

The Longhorns' pass rush managed just four sacks across the two times they faced Georgia, incredibly disproportionate to the 13 times the Bulldogs managed to get the Longhorns' quarterback. Texas will need its pass rush to be a legitimate threat on every play, with players like Colin Simmons, Ethan Burke leading the way.

New starting quarterback, Gunner Stockton, has made just a singular start in his collegiate career in the Bulldogs' loss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal round against Notre Dame, in which Stockton was sacked four times. The Longhorns' best way to disrupt Georgia's offense and affect a less-than-experienced quarterback is with pressure, and Texas should have the talent to do so.