The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Texas' Win over Missouri

The Texas Longhorns walked into this game coming off two straight wins at home against ranked opponents in Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Going on the road against a Missouri team that has performed well at home was a daunting task, but Texas pulled it off 34-20.

It wasn't pretty and the officiating had plenty of issues in this game, but the Longhorns will survive another week as a 2-loss team before traveling to LSU next week for a big-time matchup.

Here is the good, bad and ugly of Texas' win over Missouri

The Good

Nov 7, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Raleek Brown (0) reaches for a pass during the first half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the news of Hollywood Smothers being out for the remainder of the season with an MCL tear, running back Raleek Brown was going to be asked to step up in the Texas backfield as he had in the previous two games.

He did that and more with the opportunities he was given.

Brown finished the game with 85 yards on 17 carries which amounts to five yards per attempt along with a rushing touchdown. He added on six receptions for 48 yards and a score to a season-defining performance.

Some extra carries were added on to close the game, but hopefully Steve Sarkisian will continue to show trust in the senior running back after three straight good games.

The Bad

Oct 24, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Ryan Niblett (21) is tackled by Mississippi Rebels cornerback Antonio Kite (8) during the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Missouri had the best turnover margin in the SEC coming into this game and until later in the game, it looked like Texas would add to that lead.

Emmett Mosley V had an uncharacteristic fumble after a breakout game against Mississippi State last week.

But, the noticeable one was Ryan Niblett's fumble on the kickoff return that at the time seemed like it would completly shift the momentum of the game.

Texas eventually equaled the turnover battle in a much better performing fourth quarter to clinch the win.

The Ugly

Nov 7, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian on the field during the first half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The players and coaches would get fined if they spoke on this, but the officiating in this game was horrible all-around.

Two questionable reviews that went against Missouri in the first quarter to go along with multiple controversial penalty calls on both teams have viewers of the game fully aware that refs had a say in the outcome of this game

The one everyone will be talking about is what seemed to be Arch Manning's attempted pass that was eventually ruled a fumble, recoverd by Texas for a first down. Even die-hard Longhorns fans may not be able to defend that call, but luck was on Texas' side and eventually led to a touchdown.

With LSU on the horizon, the Longhorns need to get ready quickly for potentially their hardest remaining game for the rest of its season.

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