It had been two weeks since the Texas Longhorns defense recorded a sack, finishing without one in their win over Ole Miss and making Colin Simmons's absence noticeable. Yet, despite still missing its top pass-rusher on Saturday, Texas recorded seven sacks in a 31-3 win over Mississippi State. 

While seven sacks doesn’t make it the most productive pass-rush day for Texas this season, as the Longhorns managed 10 in the 20-17 win over Tennessee, it is an eye-opener as the Longhorns enter the final four games of the regular season. 

The stretch takes them on the road to Missouri, LSU, and Texas A&M, while they host Arkansas. A single loss in any of those four games likely eliminates Texas from College Football Playoff contention, making the pass rush even more important. 

Pass-Rush By Committee

Five different Longhorns recorded a sack, with inside linebacker Rasheem Biles leading the team with three. Colton Vasek, Justus Terry, Justin Cryer, and Zina Umeozulu all joined him on the stat sheet with sacks. 

It was a full-committee approach to the pass rush, which shouldn’t surprise given Simmons’ previous dominance in that department. Despite missing the last two games with an injury, Simmons still leads the SEC with 10.5 sacks. 

The biggest change for the Longhorns defense was the willingness to get the linebackers involved, an adjustment that may be credited to Biles. 

“Me and [Will] Muschamp did have a little talk,” Biles said after his three-sack performance against Mississippi State. “I told him, ‘Let me move a little more.’ He told me, ‘I got you.’ That’s what you’ve all been seeing the last two games: he’s let me loose a little more.”

Biles was all over the field for the Longhorns versus Mississippi State. He not only dropped into coverage, where he can show his speed and athleticism, but also attacked downhill in the backfield.

Biles finished with eight tackles and four for a loss, plus three sacks, for a career day in the pass-rush department for the former Pittsburgh transfer. 

Texas will look to replicate its pass-rush success when it travels to Missouri to face the Tigers. Kickoff inside Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT, as the Longhorns will look to add another ranked win to their College Football Playoff resume.