The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 22/18 Football’s Shipley, Simmons receive SEC weekly honors
10.20.2025 | Football
Kicker Mason Shipley earned his first SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honor and EDGE Colin Simmons claimed his second-straight SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week accolade.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 22/18 Texas Football kicker Mason Shipley and EDGE Colin Simmons garnered SEC weekly honors, the conference office announced Monday. Shipley earned his first SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honor and EDGE Colin Simmons claimed his second-straight SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week accolade.
It's Shipley's first career SEC weekly award. Both played integral roles in Texas' 16-13 OT road win over Kentucky on Oct. 18.
Shipley, a senior kicker from Liberty Hill, Texas, connected on all three of his field goal attempts against the Wildcats, all of which came in the second half and included a season long 53-yarder with two minutes left in the third quarter, a go-ahead 39-yarder with 57 second left in regulation, and the game-winning 45-yarder in overtime. His 45-yard field goal was the program's first-ever walk-off field goal in overtime and the program's ninth all-time walk-off field goal. Shipley also kicked a PAT to account of 10 of the team's 16 points, in addition to handling primary kickoff duties for the first time this season. Shipley kicked off four times for an average of 63.2 yards with a touchback. Shipley's first field goal that came from 53 yards out provided an immediate answer to Kentucky's first points of the game and provided the Longhorns a 10-3 lead. The second field goal came with 57 seconds left and broke a 10-10 tie to regain the lead for Texas. Although Kentucky would tie it again to force overtime, the Longhorns' defense stopped the Wildcats at the goal line on the opening possession, providing Texas the chance to win with a score. Shipley delivered that from 45 yards out even after a penalty had pushed the team back. Shipley is now 6-of-8 on field goals this season with his only misses coming from 55 and 56 yards. Shipley has connected on 42-of-48 career field goals (87.5 percent), which is the 10th-highest career field goal percentage amongst active FBS players.
Simmons, a sophomore from Dallas, posted a career-high three sacks and his first forced fumble of the season. The defense held Kentucky scoreless in the first half and out of the end zone until the fourth quarter for a stretch of eight-straight quarters without allowing a touchdown going back to the third quarter at Florida. Simmons' first sack came early in the second quarter on a third-and-5 when the Wildcats had advanced to the Texas 39-yard line with the game still scoreless. Any forward progress might have led to a fourth-down attempt, but Simmons first dropped into coverage before charging the quarterback after a rollout. The sack resulted in a loss of five yards and forced a punt. His other two sacks came on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 10-10. After Kentucky had just completed a 19-yards pass to UK 34, Simmons killed the momentum with a three-yard sack on first down and two-yard sack with the forced fumble on second down. A defensive teammate was inches from recovering the fumble on a diving attempt, and although the Wildcats managed to get it back, the series ended on the next play, forcing a punt. The teams would exchange field goals in the last minute of the game to go to overtime where Texas prevailed. Simmons is second in the SEC and seventh nationally this season with seven sacks, while his eight tackles for loss leads the team. Simmons has at least 2.5 sacks in each of the last two games. Behind Simmons, the UT defense ranks third in the FBS in scoring defense (11.3), fifth in rushing defense (83.3), sixth in fourth-down conversion percentage defense (.250), eighth in kickoff return defense (14.00), ), 11th in red zone defense (0.727), 12th in passes intercepted (9) 12th in team sacks, (3.00), 12th in turnovers gained (13), 14th in team passing efficiency defense (108.69), 15th in first-down defense (111) and 22nd in third-down conversion percentage defense (0.317). Texas also ranks sixth amongst P4 teams and second in the SEC in opponent yards per play (4.1 ypp).
Up next, the Longhorns wrap up their four-game swing away from home at 3:15 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 25, against Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss. The game will broadcast on SEC Network with Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst) and Alyssa Lang (sideline reporter) on the call.
