​AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 31: Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns stands with the team during the playing of The Eyes of Texas after the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 31, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images The No. 11 Texas Longhorns have seemingly reversed their downward momentum, rattling off a pair of wins to keep their postseason hopes alive, but head out for a pair of tough road games that will make or break the season. That two-step starts with thep program’s first trip to Columbia since 2015 to face the resurgent Missouri Tigers as 3.5-point favorites according to FanDuel.The 11 a.m. kickoff will air on ESPN.Missouri has been up-and-down through the start of SEC play, with a lopsided win over the Arkansas Razorbacks moving them to 3-2 in conference play. Their four-score win over Arkansas marked the return of running back Ahmad Hardy, who missed the first seven games while rehabbing from being hit by a stray bullet during the offseason. Jamal Roberts picked up the slack in his absence, racking up 1,035 yards and nine touchdowns through eight games — averaging 125 yards per contest to start the year. Adding Hardy, who rushed for more than 1,600 yards a year ago, back to that backfield should give the Tigers a huge boost to an already humming offense. Missouri turned the ball over to quarterback Austin Simmons to start the year and didn’t look back after the quarterback transferred in from Ole Miss. Simmons was pegged to be the Rebels’ starter a year ago before an injury cost him the job, losing out to an emerging Trinidad Chambliss. The former top-60 recruit has looked the part in most games this year, but needed just 179 yards to top the Razorbacks on Saturday.Texas may have figured out how to unlock the offense, using some lateral passing and screens to open up the offense and get Arch Manning into rhythm. It wasn’t all perfect, with Manning turning the ball over multiple times and seeing his hesitation turn into sacks of poorly placed balls. If Longhorns wants to keep their playoff hopes alive, they need to avoid the second-half offensive droughts like they’ve seen consistently over the last four games.