Missouri entered Saturday’s matchup against Ole Miss with one of the hottest run games in the SEC.
Running back Jamal Roberts had surpassed 200 yards in each of his previous two games and entered Saturday as the SEC’s leading rusher. It appeared to be the perfect matchup against a Rebels team that ranked dead last in rushing yards allowed per game.
But Saturday was anything but a perfect game for the Tigers on the ground.
Roberts managed just 39 yards on 20 carries, as Missouri finished the game with 39 total rushing yards. It’s not a promising development for a Texas team that’s struggled to get anything going on the ground.
After surrendering 52 points to Florida, Ole Miss has allowed just 20 combined points in its last two games. And given Texas' recent offensive struggles, there's little reason to believe the Longhorns will have an easier time.
Ole Miss’ Improving Run Defense Presents a Challenge
The Rebels didn’t just limit Roberts’ total production. They consistently prevented him from gaining meaningful yardage, with 12 of his 16 first-down carries going for just three yards or fewer.
Missouri also found itself in difficult third-down situations, facing third-and-7 or longer on eight of its 17 third-down attempts, with an average of 7.8 yards to go. The Tigers converted just 6 of those 17 opportunities.
Now Ole Miss gets a Texas team converting just 22.2% of its third-down attempts in SEC play and averaging the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game in the conference.
Against Florida, Texas converted just two of its 10 third-down attempts, failing on three of its five opportunities needing three yards or fewer.
Texas’ Protection Problems Could Make Matters Worse
Of course, Texas’ difficulties extend beyond establishing a consistent run game.
Arch Manning was sacked five times against Florida, bringing the Longhorns’ total sacks allowed to 13 across three SEC games.
If the Rebels can shut down Texas' running game the way they did against Missouri, the Longhorns could once again find themselves facing unfavorable third downs, forcing them into predictable passing situations.
The same situations have put the burden on Manning to carry the offense and allowed opposing defenses to take advantage of Texas' struggles in pass protection.
It's a combination of problems that have contributed to Texas' two consecutive losses. And unless the Longhorns can find a way to establish some consistency on early downs, Saturday could bring more of the same.
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