The Texas Longhorns are about to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in hopes of building another winning streak this season.
Fortunately, the Horns' offense will virtually be at full strength once again as star running back Hollywood Smothers and wide receiver Cam Coleman both return to the depth chart.
Coleman played in Texas's Week 8 win over the Ole Miss Rebels, but exited during the second half after landing hard on his shoulder. Meanwhile, Smothers has already missed two games due to a nagging lower-leg injury, including the game against the Rebs.
While the Horns' run game looked the best it has in... years... against Ole Miss, the return of Smothers can only be a good thing, adding depth back to the rotation.
Additionally, wideout Kaliq Lockett will also return to the lineup, having missed the past six games due to an undisclosed injury.
The one absence from Texas's offense will be offensive lineman Trevor Goosby, who suffered a torn patellar tendon against Ole Miss and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season after undergoing reparative surgery.
Texas's defense still thin with Colin Simmons, Richard Wesley out
On the other side of the ball are the only two other injuries on Texas's availability report: edge rushers Colin Simmons and Richard Wesley.
While Simmons is arguably the best defensive player in all of college football, the Horns still looked extremely impressive against Ole Miss last week, even though he missed his first game. He was still a leader, motivating his teammates from the sideline, but his return will be critical when Texas takes on LSU and Missouri in just a few weeks.
As the two edge rushers sit out for a second straight week, the best news is that Mississippi State's offense is thinned out as well.
Mississippi State's final injury report v. Texas Longhorns
The Bulldogs' star quarterback, Kamario Taylor, is the biggest missing piece from Mississippi State's lineup, but he isn't the only one missing the game against Texas.
- OUT: Kamario Taylor (QB), Jalen Smith (LB), Ayden Williams (WR), Trevion Williams (DL), DJ Chester (OL), Diesel Moye (DL)
- DOUBTFUL: Isaac Smith (S), Tyler Lockhart (LB)
Wide receiver Ayden Williams and offensive lineman DJ Chester will also be stuck on the sidelines when MSU's offense takes the field.
On the other side of the ball, defensive linemen Trevion Williams and Diesel Moye were ruled "out" on Friday night, as was linebacker Jalen Smith. Additionally, safety Isaac Smith and linebacker Tyler Lockhart were listed as "doubtful," leaving little hope that they would see action against the Horns.
On Saturday, Oct. 31, the No. 11 Texas Longhorns and the Mississippi State Bulldogs are scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be available on ESPN, Disney+, and fuboTV.
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