The season-ending knee injury to starting left tackle Trevor Goosby leaves a major question for the Texas Longhorns, and it goes beyond just who will replace him. The Longhorns already have an answer: fourth-year offensive lineman Andre Cojoe stepped in for Goosby against Ole Miss. 

However, the bigger question lies with the Texas offense as a whole. Without Goosby, Texas is down its blindside protector for Arch Manning, its best offensive lineman overall, and its most trusted pass protector. He was a projected first-round pick in the NFL Draft, and while the knee injury may have changed that, it doesn’t change the fact that he is a huge loss. 

Beyond that, Goosby's injury could, and should, force head coach Steve Sarkisian to change his offense as the team enters the final five regular-season games. 

Making Changes 

In the immediate aftermath of his win over Ole Miss, Sarkisian admitted in his post-game press conference that he leaned more on the run game after Goosby’s injury because he was concerned about pass protection. 

“When we lost Trevor, and you know, to get the sack fumble, I was really kind of leery of just kind of exposing ourselves from a protection standpoint, and so we were kind of selective with some of the shots that we did take,” Sarkisian said. 

Texas still found success through the air as Arch Manning completed 18 of 30 passes for 212 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. However, Raleek Brown and the Texas run game became the story. 

Brown finished with 157 yards on 23 carries, as the Texas ground game finished with 207 yards and 3 touchdowns on 42 attempts. 

With Goosby out, Texas didn’t lean as heavily on the deep play-action passing game Sarkisian has relied on over the past few years. Instead of long, developing passing plays, Texas was a run-first team that looked to get the ball out quickly, and it seemed to work.

The Texas offensive line gave up just two sacks in the win over Ole Miss, and Andre Cojoe was credited with allowing one. Sarkisian's in-game adjustment, given Goosby's injury, shouldn’t be a one-off. 

Texas proved it can still run an effective offense without relying solely on its deep play-action passing game. The Longhorns built off their run game, and it could be the resurgence Texas needs to make a run at the College Football Playoff.