In yet another ugly performance, the No. 7 Texas Longhorns secured their fourth ranked win of the season, with a 34-20 victory over the No. 18 Missouri Tigers, to improve to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in SEC play.
No, the game was not an ideal showing, but at this point in the season, a win is a win, especially when it is over a ranked opponent.
So, with another win in their back pocket, but a sloppy performance to learn from, who were the biggest winners and the biggest loses from the top-20 SEC matchup?
WINNER: Raleek Brown, Texas running back
With running back Hollywood Smothers sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn MCL, it was Raleek Brown's responsibility to carry a majority of the load out of the backfield, and he did an absolutely incredible job of it.
In the first half, he had five carries for a whopping 44 yards (8.8 yards per carry). The biggest complaint was that Sarkisian was not using him enough.
He finished the game with 85 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 48 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown. In other words, Brown put on a performance that cemented him as the top running back on the 40 Acres.
LOSER: Texas O-Line and center Connor Robertson
Once again, Texas quarterback Arch Manning was swarmed by defensive linemen and had little to no time to make his decisions.
While the running game may have found its footing, the offensive line continuously failed to protect its quarterback, and because of that fact, the Tigers were able to rack up nine tackles for loss and three sacks.
Not to mention that when the Horns had a fourth-and-short opportunity in the first half. Texas used the down to try to get Missouri to jump offsides or to punt after taking the loss of yardage on a delay of game... The latter ended up happening, but it never should've come to that.
The entire point of the play was to pull the Tigers offside, and it worked... except... Texas center Connor Robertson did not snap the ball, even though he seemed to be staring directly at the defensive players who were over the line of scrimmage.
ROBERTSON HAS TO SNAP THIS BALL
— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) November 7, 2026
Bro is doing fucking yoga poses on the Texas side of the LOS pic.twitter.com/JqfskS7op2
WINNER: Arch Manning, Texas quarterback
Manning did not have a perfect game, but he did not really have a chance to play flawlessly with how his offensive line played in front of him.
However, despite all of the pressure in his face and coming behind his back, Manning played one of the smartest games of his career. The Horns' QB1 completed nearly 75% of his pass attempts for an astonishing 297 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Just like last year, it looks like Manning is peaking as the regular season reaches its end, and that's exactly what the Longhorns need right now: their quarterback at his absolute best.
LOSER: The SEC officials
- Incorrect fumble call for the Horns (second quarter)
- Missed false start against Missouri QB Austin Simmons (third quarter)
- Missed holding call on Colin Simmons (third quarter)
- Incorrectly overturned reception for Missouri WR Cayden Lee (third quarter)
This was ruled a non-fumble… what are we doing @SECOfficiating? pic.twitter.com/6qfEVDz2DS
— College Football Report (@CFBReport) November 7, 2026
The consensus opinion, no matter which team you were rooting for, was that the officiating on display in this game was one of the worst of the entire season (and it was not good in the first nine weeks).
Can we get a holding call here pic.twitter.com/hW5yMTxt8u
— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) November 7, 2026
Simply put, the SEC (and every other conference) has to get its referees in line because games like this simply are not acceptable, especially for a conference that is supposed to be the premier conference of college football.
Add us as a preferred source on Google