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The Longhorns face another Texas school today as they travel to Houston to clash with the Cougars in Week 8. Steve Sarkisian's men can't afford another slip-up, as their loss in Week 6 to the Oklahoma Sooners meant that they dropped to the No. 9 spot in the AP Poll.
While the Longhorns didn't play in Week 7, they climbed up one spot to No. 8. If they want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they must post a perfect record at the end of the regular season.
The Cougars, for their part, are having a middle-of-the-road season, with a .500 record of 3-3.
The Longhorns have been nursing some injuries, and according to coach Steve Sarkisian, the bye week couldn't have come at a better moment for them. Speaking to the press, he gave an update on the team's injury progress.
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"I think the bye week was very good for us to hone in on some of the areas where we want to improve as a team," Sarkisian said. "We had some guys who were a little banged up after the first half of the season, so to get them as healthy as we could get them that week, I think, was good."
Texas Longhorns Injury Update
Defensive back Ryan Watts, tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, offensive lineman Jake Majors and OL Cole Hutson were the players with injuries who managed to practice this past Monday. However, Sarkisian was adamant that didn't mean they would be available for the Cougars matchup.
Watts and Hutson didn't play against the Sooners, while Sanders and Majors played limited roles during the Red River showdown.
Watts, Sanders and Majors are considered questionable for today, while Hutson is expected to return in early November.
Who's the favorite?
The Texas Longhorns are favored for this game, being 23.5-point favorites. Till Week 7, the school was seen as a team that could lift the national title come the end of the season. The Longhorns' highlight of the season was their Week 2 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide 34-24.
Week 7 was a rude awakening to the Texas Longhorns, as they lost the Red River Showdown 34-30 to the Oklahoma Sooners.
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