**FAYETTEVILLE** — No. 3 Texas is unlikely to be fazed by the noise of Razorback fans when they face the University of Arkansas on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
The Longhorns (8-1, 4-1 SEC) are on a nine-game win streak in true road games, a run that dates back to the end of the 2022 season. Included in this stretch are victories over No. 3 Alabama (34-24 in front of 100,077 fans) and a 31-12 win at No. 10 Michigan (with 111,170 fans) earlier this season.
Junior quarterback Quinn Ewers has led Texas to eight consecutive road wins, throwing 18 touchdowns and just three interceptions in those games—a remarkable 6-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Against top-15 teams on the road, Ewers has thrown for 792 yards on 66-of-105 passing, with 8 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian praised Ewers’ composure on the road, saying, “Quinn is a very calm, cool customer. He doesn’t get too emotional, too high, too low. That poise and composure is critical when playing away from home, and he exemplifies that.”
The Longhorns’ road win streak began in late 2022 after a 41-34 loss to No. 11 Oklahoma State, starting with a 34-27 win over No. 13 Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas. They ended that season with a dominant 55-14 win at Kansas and went on to capture the Big 12 title and a CFP semifinal berth.
In their final Big 12 season in 2023, Texas defeated Alabama 34-24 and secured additional road wins against Baylor (38-6), Houston (31-24), TCU (29-26), and Iowa State (26-16), eventually claiming the Big 12 Championship with a 49-21 victory over Oklahoma State. They fell to Washington in the Sugar Bowl.
This season, Texas earned a road win at Vanderbilt (27-24) and technically played as the visitor in a 34-3 win over Oklahoma in Dallas. After facing Arkansas, their final road game will be at Texas A&M on Nov. 30, which could have SEC Championship implications.
Knowing Blue
Arkansas linebacker Brad Spence has some familiarity with Texas running back Jaydon Blue, as they competed against each other in high school in Houston. Spence played at Klein Forest High School, while Blue was at nearby Klein Cain.
“I played with Jaydon Blue in high school, so I’m pretty familiar with his game,” Spence said.
Blue, a 6-0, 200-pound junior, leads Texas with 620 all-purpose yards and eight touchdowns. He ranks second on the team in both rushing (397 yards) and receiving (27 catches for 244 yards), with a team-high 5 rushing touchdowns.
Spence described Blue as “a quick guy with moves who can get vertical,” noting that “he’s more of a receiving-type back” and a dangerous threat in open space.
Bowl Projections
Several major outlets are projecting Arkansas for a spot in the Texas Bowl, set for Dec. 31 in Houston’s NRG Stadium. The Razorbacks (5-4) need one more win from their final three games to qualify for a bowl under head coach Sam Pittman.
Arkansas’ only previous Texas Bowl appearance was in 2014, where they defeated Texas 31-7.
Various bowl projections for Arkansas this week include a Texas Bowl matchup with Kansas State from 247Sports’ Brad Crawford, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, and the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy. CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has the Razorbacks heading to the Las Vegas Bowl to face Washington State, while ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura sees them playing in the Liberty Bowl against Cincinnati.
Texas Takeaways
Texas leads the SEC and ranks tied for sixth in the nation with 14 interceptions. The Longhorns have had multiple interceptions in six of their eight games, with defensive backs Jahdae Barron and Andrew Mukumba each recording three picks.
The Longhorns have forced 20 total turnovers—ranking seventh in the FBS—and hold a plus-0.56 turnover margin per game, which places them 30th nationally and fifth in the SEC, trailing only Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Arkansas ranks 13th in the SEC in turnover margin at minus-0.33 per game.
“Our defense continues to force turnovers at a very high rate,” Sarkisian said. “It’s been a consistent onslaught on the football for the last month, and that’s a great thing to have.”
Texas has forced a turnover in every game this season and has now forced turnovers in 17 consecutive games, with multiple turnovers in four straight contests.
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