The Texas Longhorns have cruised through the first half of their inaugural season in the SEC, but their biggest test yet is on the horizon.
On Saturday, Oct. 19, the top-ranked Longhorns will be hosting the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs.
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Texas enters the weekend with a perfect 6-0 record, and they’ve faced very little resistance up to this point. Their first marquee matchup came in Week 2, when they traveled to Ann Arbor to take on the reigning national champion Michigan Wolverines. Even though Michigan hadn’t lost a game since 2022, the Longhorns rolled to a dominant 31-12 win that was even more lopsided than that score would indicate.
After beating up on a pair of Group-of-5 teams, the Longhorns entered SEC play with games against Mississippi State and Oklahoma. They kept their foot on the gas, winning those games 35-13 and 34-3, respectively.
Junior quarterback Quinn Ewers will start for the Longhorns against Georgia. He started the season as the team’s full-time starter, but a clavicle injury suffered in Week 3 against UTSA sidelined him for two games and opened the door for highly touted redshirt freshman Arch Manning to earn his first two career starts against UL Monroe and Mississippi State. Despite the change at signal caller, the team didn’t skip a beat.
With Ewers back at the helm for the Red River Rivalry, the team just kept on rolling. In total, he has tallied 890 passing yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions this year.
After losing star running back CJ Baxter for the season with a knee injury during training camp, the team has implemented a running back-by-committee approach. Sophomore Quintrevion Wisner, junior Jaydon Blue and freshman Jerrick Gibson have all gotten touches through the teams’ first six games, although Blue is leading the way with a team-highs in carries (61) and rushing touchdowns (4).
Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond has emerged as the team’s top receiver, and he has amassed 21 catches for 369 yards and three touchdowns.
Georgia is heading into Austin with a 5-1 record. They kicked off the season with a neutral-site duel against Clemson in the Aflac Kickoff game. Following a slow start, the Bulldogs caught fire in the second half and cruised to a 34-3 victory to start off the season. In Week 3, they showed vulnerability for the first time, when they escaped a road game against unranked Kentucky with a narrow 13-12 victory.
Two weeks later, they suffered their first loss, when an epic comeback against the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide fell just short. Despite facing deficits of 28-0 and 30-7, the Dawgs came roaring back to take a 34-33 lead in the game’s final minutes. In crushing fashion, Alabama scored a 75-yard touchdown on the very first play of their next drive, and a Georgia interception sealed the loss.
Georgia has dusted itself off in the two weeks following that heartbreak, winning by double digits against Auburn and Mississippi State. With the new 12-team playoff format (and Alabama suffering a loss to Vanderbilt), the Bulldogs are traveling to Austin with the door to a playoff berth remaining wide open.
Senior quarterback Carson Beck entered the season as a serious candidate for the Heisman Trophy. While he might not reach those heights, he has put together solid numbers in the first half of the season, tossing 1,818 yards, 15 touchdowns and five picks.
Junior running back Trevor Etienne has been Georgia’s top rusher this year, with 335 yards and four scores. Seniors Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett and junior Dillon Bell have been the team’s leading receivers. Each pass-catcher has 20+ receptions and multiple touchdowns.
According to odds by ESPN BET, Texas enters the matchup as 3.5-point favorites, and the point total is set at 56.5. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.