Texas triage? 2 Longhorns defenders, more offensive players exit Week 9 game with injury

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) loses his helmet after getting tackled as the Longhorns take on Mississippi State at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman) A string of spooky sights befell Texas football Saturday despite a 31-3 victory over Mississippi State on Halloween night.Three of Texas' leading offensive weapons exited its win and did not return due to injury, per head coach Steve Sarkisian. Wide receiver Cam Colemanleft the game in the second quarter and spent the second half on Texas' sideline out of his uniform. Fellow wide receiver Ryan Wingo "did not finish the game," per Sarkisian, nor did running back Hollywood Smothers, who entered the medical tent after holding both of his legs on the turf in the fourth quarter. The three skill players were joined by injured defensive pieces. Defensive backs Graceson Littleton and Kade Phillips both left the game and did not return due to injury, removing two starters from Will Muschamp's defense. "What's going to be the emphasis for this week? One of them is getting these guys back," Sarkisian said postgame. "As many of these guys as we can get back, the better we're going to be. That recovery has to start now for a lot of these guys."Sarkisian declined to elaborate on the nature of any of the aforementioned injuries postgame. Coleman has now exited the game and not returned due to injury in back-to-back weeks, as he left Texas' 34-27 win over Ole Miss in the third quarter due to an apparent shoulder injury. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian walks the sideline during the game against Mississippi State at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026 in Austin. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman) Arch Manning narrowly escapes injuryArch Manning's stat sheet was cleaner than his jersey by the end of Saturday night. Texas' quarterback registered three touchdown passes and just four incompletions, though he took five sacks and received a number of hard hits on his 13 carries. Manning rose from the turf limping on multiple hits. His hand was bloodied and then wrapped with tape in the second quarter, though Manning said postgame the blood came from a "scab that ripped open."Manning shrugged off his litany of hard hits postgame. His coach wasn't so nonchalant. "The five sacks sucks, that's not something we're proud of," Sarkisian said. "I don't want [Manning] to have to endure that. ... I don't want a bloody hand and a bloody hand and him getting sacked five times. That's not a recipe for success. Is he going to run it some? Yes. Do I think that's part of his game? Yes. But there's a line we got to be careful we don't cross over with him, because we need him as healthy as he can be going forward. MORE: Now you see why SEC coaches were nervous about adding a 9th conference gameGood news for Texas' defensive star?The Longhorns will be without Trevor Goosby, their standout left tackle, for the remainder of the 2026 season due to a knee injury. But better news likely lies ahead for Texas' best defensive player.Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons missed each of the last two games after suffering an ankle sprain against Florida last month. He was listed as questionable on Wednesday and doubtful on Thursday, then ruled out Friday. Simmons took the field for Texas during warmups on Saturday, participating in drills near full-speed. Simmons could return to the field as soon as next week at Missouri, bringing a dominant pass rusher back to the SEC's No. 4 scoring defense. Sign up for the Daily Briefing from the Austin American-Statesman. Start your day with the must-read headlines from Austin's most trusted news source.This article originally published at Texas triage? 2 Longhorns defenders, more offensive players exit Week 9 game with injury.