It took just one play for the Texas Longhorns to remember who they were as they took on the No. 9 Vanderbilt Commodores.
A completion from Arch Manning to Ryan Wingo sent the wideout all the way down the field for a 75-yard touchdown to start the game. Then, just a few drives later, Wingo went into the injury tent, leaving the game with an apparent injury.
While the Horns don't supply in-game injury information, it was a heart-wrenching moment as Wingo had quickly become one of Texas's go-to guys on offense.
Before leaving the game, Wingo had already amassed 89 yards on just two receptions, scoring the one touchdown to kick off the Longhorns' dominant performance. With over five minutes remaining in the first half, No. 20 Texas had already built up a 24-3 lead over No. 9 Vanderbilt.
Injuries pile up for the Longhorns versus Vanderbilt
Wingo wasn't the only Longhorn to go down in the first half. Junior defensive back Jelani McDonald also had to hit the sidelines, further thinning an already thin defensive secondary, which was already missing Michael Taaffe.
McDonald was escorted to the locker room, quite literally, as the medical personnel held him up by his shoulder pads and took his helmet from him.
While Texas looked much more like the No. 1 team in the nation that it originally was, the injuries were truly starting to pile up at a time that the Horns couldn't afford to lose any more players.
Over the next three games, Texas would face the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs, the Arkansas Razorbacks, and the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies. Simply put, not having the complete depth chart wouldn't be ideal for the Longhorns as they entered one of the toughest stretches of the season.
With a few seconds remaining in the half, Wingo was seen on the bench with an apparent hand injury, not returning to the game before the two teams headed to their locker rooms.