Texas will play without star edge rusher Colin Simmons on Saturday against Mississippi State after the junior was ruled out on the latest SEC availability report.
Simmons continues to deal with a high ankle sprain that he suffered in the fourth quarter of the Longhorns’ 27-24 loss to Florida on Oct. 17. He was helped off the field and later carted to the locker room after the play.
The Dallas native has already missed one game because of the injury. He sat out Texas’ 34-27 win over Ole Miss last week while the team worked through a thin edge group.
Simmons entered the Florida game as the nation’s leader in sacks. Even after leaving early and sitting out the following contest, he still ranks first in the FBS with 10.5 sacks through six games.
He also leads the country in tackles for loss with 16. Those numbers come despite limited snaps in recent weeks and give the Longhorns a clear production gap when he is sidelined.
Across his career, Simmons has recorded 31.5 sacks in 35 games. That total ranks third in Texas history and puts him among the most productive pass rushers in the country over the past three seasons.
The Longhorns are also without freshman edge rusher Richard Wesley, who has a high ankle sprain of his own and could miss additional time. Left tackle Trevor Goosby is out for the season after tearing his left patellar tendon against Ole Miss.
With both Simmons and Wesley unavailable, Texas will turn to other players on the edge. Zina Umeozulu started in place of Simmons against the Rebels, while Colton Vasek and Brad Spence are expected to see increased snaps.
Simmons has described his recovery in straightforward terms. “Just (taking it) week by week, day by day,” he said in a recent interview with Texas beat writers.
The designation moved from questionable earlier in the week to doubtful on Thursday before the final ruling on Friday. Texas hopes he can return as soon as next week against Missouri, though no firm timeline has been set.
Mississippi State arrives with its own injury issues. Starting quarterback Kamario Taylor is out for the season with a toe injury, and several other Bulldogs are listed as out as well.
The game is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas, which has dropped two of its last four, will try to keep its postseason hopes on track without its top defensive playmaker.
Simmons’ absence removes the primary source of pressure on the Texas defense. The Longhorns generated 10.5 of their team’s sacks from one player this season, leaving a thinner rotation to handle Mississippi State’s offense.
Texas remains ranked in the top 15 despite the recent losses. Getting Simmons back healthy would restore the pass rush that has defined the defense for much of the year.
For now, the Longhorns will manage without him for at least one more week. The edge room will need contributions from multiple players as the team looks to stay competitive in the SEC.
