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Already hampered by injuries heading into Saturday night's matchup, the Texas Longhorns saw their health concerns escalate during a 31-3 triumph over Mississippi State. Head coach Steve Sarkisian acknowledged that the mounting injuries are becoming a significant challenge as November begins.
"Graceson Littleton didn't finish the game, Cam Coleman didn't finish the game, Kade Phillips didn't finish the game, Hollywood Smothers didn't finish the game, Ryan Wingo didn't finish the game," Sarkisian stated. "The severity of all those guys is unknown at the moment. That recovery has to start now for a lot of these guys."
Based on observations from the press box, here is what is known about some of the new injuries that emerged on Saturday.
Graceson Littleton, CB
Cornerback Graceson Littleton appeared to be dealing with an ankle or heel injury. He exited the game early and attempted to run it off on the sideline but never returned. Warren Roberson replaced him at outside corner, shifting Bo Masco into the slot. Littleton was among the first players out of the locker room at halftime and was seen running up and down in the end zone with a trainer to test the injury. On the sidelines, he kept trying to push off while touching his right foot and ankle area, but it was clear he was not healthy enough to return. Littleton has recorded 27 total tackles, five passes defended, and one interception this season. He is arguably Texas' best defensive back and will need to recover before the Longhorns visit Missouri.
Cam Coleman, WR
Wide receiver Cam Coleman began the night impressively with two catches for 61 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive. However, he went to the locker room in the first half and returned to the sidelines before halftime wearing sweatpants and a hoodie. It is unclear what exactly Coleman is dealing with, but he appeared to have his left arm tucked underneath his jacket and was not moving it much while walking off the field with the team at halftime. It was difficult to tell if there was a sling under his sweatshirt, but he was jogging off fine and did not have a noticeable limp, suggesting it might be an upper-body injury. He dealt with an upper-body injury during the week after taking a hard fall last week against Ole Miss, so perhaps this is something similar. Until Sarkisian provides a further update, it is best not to speculate beyond what was observed.
Hollywood Smothers, RB
Running back Hollywood Smothers suffered a lower-body injury in the second half. He did not lay on the ground for long but was sitting up while putting his hand on his left knee before being helped off with both arms around the team's training staff. After Smothers got hit, the crowd at DKR collectively gasped while watching the replay on the jumbotron. It was hard to see from the press box, but it apparently looked bad enough to cause a reaction from the fans, though this does not necessarily indicate the severity. Smothers had four carries for -6 yards. Texas running back Derrek Cooper had just one carry for five yards and has been dealing with a lingering injury seemingly all season long. If both he and Smothers are not at 100%, the Longhorns will once again lean on Raleek Brown and Michael Terry III against Missouri.
Ryan Wingo, Kade Phillips
Unlike the previous three players, it is unclear what happened with wide receiver Ryan Wingo and cornerback Kade Phillips. There was one point where Wingo got hit low and hard, causing him to get up a bit gingerly, but it was not anything obvious. Phillips did not play much in the second half, implying he had been dealing with something that occurred in the first two quarters.