Jeff Howe

End of 4: Texas 4, USC Upstate 1

No. He’s struggling, but there’s no reason to believe it’s some sort of issue right now.

Riojas retires the Spartans in order in the top of the third.

For those interested, Aaron Judge just hit a 2-run bomb in Houston for Team USA’s first runs of the WBC.

End of 2: Texas 2, USC Upstate 1

Borba’s solo shot to the Yeti Yard puts Texas back on top, 2-1.

BOOM! BOR-BOMB TO THE YETI YARD!

M2: Texas 1, Upstate 1

Two strikeouts get Ruger out of the inning.

The wind giveth, the wind taketh away. Riojas left a pitch up and Gage Griggs deposited it over the left-field wall.

Riojas looks OK after catching a piece of a liner back to the mound.

End of 1: Texas 1, USC Upstate 0

Rodriguez reached on a fielder’s choice an Becerra singled up the middle, but the two-on, two-out rally ends with Pack striking out to end the inning.

Mendoza’s solo shot to left gets Texas on the board. The Longhorns have the early lead, 1-0.

BOOM! DOZA GOES DEEP TO LEAD IT OFF!

Riojas worked around a one-out double to get out of the first otherwise unscathed.

Yeah. Hope he’s OK.

The Longhorns and the Spartans begin a three-game series at UFCU Disch-Falk Field at 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus).

It's scary to think what Colin Simmons taking his game to another level looks like.

Will Muschamp coached an All-American pass rusher in each of his three seasons at Texas. That bodes well for Colin Simmons, who is back for what figures to be his last season in burnt orange in 2026. Muschamp’s return to the Longhorns has him inheriting arguably the best pass rusher in college football, with Simmons coming off a 12-sack season as a sophomore. Simmons’ 2025 sack total is tied with Tony Degrate (1984), Kiki DeAyala (1981) and Steve McMichael (1977) for the eighth-best single-season sack performance in school history. Entering his junior season with 21 career sacks, Simmons’ first sack in 2026 will tie him with five legendary Texas defenders (Alex Okafor, Brian Orakpo, Cory Redding, Shane Dronett and James Patton) for 12th on the school’s all-time sack charts. Simmons, who has racked up 29.5 tackles for loss in 29 games, can become the third Longhorn to record at least 30 career sacks, an exclusive club of which only DeAyala (40.5 sacks), Tim Campbell (39.5) and Degrate (31) are members (the program began tracking sacks as an official statistic in 1975). Even though Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense finished the 2025 season ranked third nationally in sacks per game (3.15, with 41 sacks in 13 games), Muschamp has historically fielded aggressive defenses, including his three Longhorn units. The 2008 defense, spearheaded by Orakpo’s 11.5 sacks, led FBS with 47 sacks in 13 games. Muschamp’s three defenses recorded 124 total sacks in three seasons (3.18 sacks per game), including 46 in 2009, when Texas won the Big 12 and reached the BCS national title game. As good as Simmons has been, Steve Sarkisian believes Muschamp can get more out of the Duncanville product. Muschamp has “had a lot of success with a lot of players that look like Colin, play like Colin” throughout his coaching career, Sarkisian said during his most recent press conference on Feb. 23. The staff should always “try to put our best players in a position to have success because they're game-changing-type players,” he added, noting that Simmons, whose 53 total pressures in 2025 were the most recorded by a Longhorn defender in a single season since Pro Football Focus began tabulating season statistics in 2014, “is that type of player.” “I think Colin has really embraced the new defense. He's working at it,” Sarkisian said. “I think there's a really good rapport with Coach Muschamp and Colin right now." Will Muschamp’s All-American Texas Pass Rushers (2008-10) — Brian Orakpo, 2008 A unanimous All-American who was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Orakpo won the Nagurski Trophy (most outstanding defensive player in college football), the Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman) and the Hendricks Award (college football’s top defensive end). Along with his 11.5 sacks (tied for 11th on the school’s single-season list), Orapko recorded 42 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback pressures and four forced fumbles. A monster performance in a 45-35 win over No. 1 Oklahoma (four tackles for loss, two sacks, two quarterback pressures and a forced fumble) put Orakpo on the map as an NFL prospect, eventually leading to Washington taking him with the 13th overall pick in the 2009 draft. — Sergio Kindle, 2009 Under Muschamp, Kindle became the first player in college football history to be named a finalist for the Hendricks Award and the Butkus Award, which goes annually to the top linebacker in college football. Named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News, Kindle posted 70 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss (tied for fifth all-time in a season at Texas), 36 quarterback pressures (tied for the ninth-most in a season by a Longhorn), four pass breakups and two forced fumbles. The highlight of Kindle’s senior season might’ve come in the team’s BCS championship game loss to Alabama, when he recorded six tackles and 2.5 sacks. — Sam Acho, 2010 After leading the 2009 defense with 10 sacks, Acho won the Campbell Trophy and the Wuerffel Trophy, which recognize a combination of a player’s on-field play, leadership, academic prowess and community service. Even though the Longhorns finished 5-7, Acho (59 tackles, 17 TFL, 9 sacks, 18 pressures and five forced fumbles) performed well enough to be named a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection and a second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Acho’s five fumble recoveries led FBS in 2010 and remain tied for the single-season school record. Based on what Muschamp did for the careers of the three All-Americans he coached on the Forty Acres, along with how he helped other Longhorn defenders carve out a path to the NFL (Emmanuel Acho, Henry Melton, Keenan Robinson, Earl Thomas and Aaron Williams among them), there’s another level where Simmons can take his game before he takes his talents to the next level. “We'd be remiss if Colin isn't an impactful player for us next fall,” Sarkisian said. “He's going to have plenty of opportunities to do what he does really well. View full news story