The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 20/19 Football’s Hill Jr., Burke garner SEC weekly honors
10.27.2025 | Football
Linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was named Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week and EDGE Ethan Burke nabbed Co-SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 20/19 Texas Football junior LB Anthony Hill Jr. and senior EDGE Ethan Burke received SEC weekly honors, the conference office announced Monday. It's the second SEC weekly honor of Hill's career while it is the first for Burke.
The defensive duo led the Longhorns to a 45-38 overtime victory at Mississippi State on Oct. 25. Texas overcame a 17-point deficit – the seventh-biggest comeback in program history and the largest since 2007 (a 21-point comeback vs. Oklahoma State).
Hill led the Longhorns with career highs of 2.5 sacks and four pressures, and his second-highest total of 3.5 tackles for loss, to go along with a forced fumble and a double-digit tackle total of 10. Hill opened the game with a tackle for loss on the first play leading to a three-and-out, but his biggest plays came in the fourth quarter, including a sack for three yards that was key in a three-and-out with the Longhorns trailing by 38-28 with nine minutes left in regulation. After Texas tied the game with under two minutes to go and Mississippi State advanced to the UT 46 with one minute to go, a Hill pressure forced an incompletion, and two plays later on third down, he created a sack-fumble for a loss of eight yards that sent the game into overtime with a forced punt. For the second-straight week, Hill and the Texas defense held an opponent scoreless in overtime, this time ending the game without the Bulldogs gaining a yard in overtime, and in fact moving backwards to their own 34-yard line on the final play of the game. The defense was instrumental in the 17-point comeback, holding MSU to 14 combined points in the second half and overtime. For the season, Hill leads the team 59 tackles and three forced fumbles, is tied for first with a fumble recovery, and ranks second in sacks (2.5), tackles for loss (4.5), pressures (5), interceptions (1). His forced fumbles lead the SEC and rank seventh nationally.
Burke matched his career high with 2.0 tackles for loss as part of seven total tackles, registered his second career blocked field goal and second career forced fumble and created a walk-off sack-fumble for a loss of 31 yards on the final play of the game. Burke's blocked field goal was his first this season and prevented the first potential points of the game for the Bulldogs midway through the first quarter with Texas leading, 7-0. Later in the third quarter, he came up with a two-yard tackle for loss on second-and-goal from the 2. His next tackle would be critical and come for no gain on third-and-1, forcing the Bulldogs to punt with just over two minutes to go and the Longhorns trailing 38-31. That punt would be returned for a touchdown to tie the game with 1:47 left on the way to overtime and the win. In overtime, Burke put the exclamation mark on the victory by producing a sack-fumble on fourth-and-20 to end the game. The fumble was recovered by Texas all the way back at the MSU 34-yard line. Burke is now tied for third on the team with 3.5 tackles for loss this season.
With Hill and Burke's help, the Longhorn defense ranks third in the FBS in rushing defense (80.8), fourth in team sacks (3.50), fourth in fourth-down conversion percentage defense (0.250), fifth in kickoff return defense (14.11), 10th in scoring defense (14.6), 16th in turnovers gained (14), 18th in passes intercepted (9) and 19th in total defense (299.9). Texas ranks sixth amongst P4 teams and second in the SEC in opponent yards per play (4.2 ypp). UT's defense has held seven of its last nine opponents to under 100 rushing yards, dating back to the 2024 season.
Up next, the Longhorns host No. 9/11 Vanderbilt at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 1, inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game will broadcast on ABC with Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Molly McGrath (sideline reporter) on the call.
