Ugly Texas Longhorns Win Over Kentucky Proves 'It's Freaking Hard To Play In The SEC'

Whew, that was a close one.

Another iffy passing performance from Arch Manning and another slow formation in the running game, but in the end, a 45-yard field goal from the cleat of Mason Shipley in overtime is all the Texas Longhorns needed to deny the Kentucky Wildcats of their first conference win of the year Saturday night in Lexington.

The Longhorns' second season playing in the Southeastern Conference isn't going as nearly as well as their first season last year was, where the Horns were only beaten by one team during conference play, and every other team in the SEC was seemingly just putty in their hands.

Maybe after last year, this is the Longhorns official "welcome to the SEC" moment.

"It's Freaking Hard to Play in the SEC"

It's no secret as to how tough and unpredictable playing in the SEC can be, and the Wildcats' near-win, the impressive showing from the Vanderbilt Commodores in 2025, and whatever is going on in Gainesville with the Florida Gators all serving as great examples of this enigmatic time of year.

Texas Longhorns defensive back Michael Taaffe (16) celebrates after the Kentucky Wildcats fail to score during overtime. — Oct 18, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Michael Taaffe (16) celebrates after the Kentucky Wildcats fail to score during overtime at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

And through his first season and a half in the conference, Texas safety Michael Taaffe can tell you firsthand how tight the competition is, which he did in his postgame press conference following the close win.

"I'll say this, it's freaking hard to win in the SEC," the senior said. "Go ask Georgia when they won the national championship what they did against Kentucky last year when they won the SEC Championship, it's hard to win in the SEC."

Taaffe is referring to a game between the Bulldogs and Wildcats last year in Lexington, where the heavily favored Georgia team was nearly toppled by Mark Stoops' team, escaping Kroger Field with a 13-12 victory.

Taaffe, ever the leader, chose to pick out the positives from the night in his postgame interview, as the team did win after all.

"These questions seem a little bit negative, I'm not gonna lie, guys," Taaffe said to the media. "We freaking won, let's put some smiles on our faces. We won, and the show goes on, and at the end of the day, we control our destiny, so we're gonna keep on pushing, and we're gonna do it with a smile on our face. There's going to be corrections, and I trust in my guys and I trust in my coaches."

The Longhorns will hope to make those corrections soon before they hit the road again to continue conference play against the Mississippi State Bulldogs this Saturday.