Three Biggest Questions Still Unanswered For Texas Before The Season Opener

11 more days until Texas State, here's what still needs to be figured out.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian leads his team on to the field before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

With 11 days until Texas opens its season against Texas State, the Longhorns are entering the final stretch of fall camp.

Most of the roster is settled, but several important questions remain.

For a team with national championship expectations, three stand out above the rest.

Can Arch Manning take the next step?

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning warms up. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Manning enters his second season as Texas' starting quarterback with enormous expectations. After spending his first two seasons behind Quinn Ewers, Manning has the offense built to fit him and his style of play.

The talent is not in question. The consistency is.

Texas needs Manning to make quick decisions, protect the football and keep the offense on schedule. He showed flashes of that in the second half of last season, but the Longhorns need those flashes to become the standard.

That could be especially important early in the season. Texas opens against Texas State before hosting Ohio State on Sept. 12. The Buckeyes will provide an immediate test of whether Manning has made the jump from promising young quarterback to one of the country's best.

If Texas wants to compete for a national championship, Manning likely has to be the player who makes the difference in close games.

Who will protect Manning?

Texas expected Trevor Goosby to anchor the offensive line at left tackle. Instead, a knee injury has forced the Longhorns to make adjustments just weeks before the season.

Andre Cojoe has taken first-team reps while Goosby recovers and has impressed the coaching staff. That gives Texas a capable option, but it also creates an important question: How long can Cojoe hold the position, and when should Goosby return?

The answer matters because protecting Manning is critical to everything Texas wants to do offensively. A talented quarterback can only be effective if he has time to throw.

Texas State may not provide the biggest test. Ohio State certainly will.

The Longhorns have 11 days to determine whether their best option is to wait for Goosby or trust Cojoe to handle the job.

Can Texas replace Ty'Anthony Smith?

The most unexpected question comes on defense.

Texas dismissed linebacker Ty'Anthony Smith from the program, removing a veteran who had recorded 75 tackles during his Texas career. His departure leaves the Longhorns with less experience and depth at linebacker.

Texas still has plenty of talent. Rasheem Biles is expected to play a major role, and the Longhorns have other players capable of taking on increased responsibilities.

But replacing Smith is about more than replacing tackles. Texas needs players who can communicate, tackle consistently and make the right reads in a defense under new coordinator Will Muschamp.

That makes the next 11 days important. Texas needs to settle on a dependable rotation before the competition becomes significantly tougher.

The Longhorns have the talent to answer all three questions. The challenge is figuring out the answers quickly. With Ohio State waiting in Week 2, Texas will not have much time to find out whether its solutions are good enough.

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