The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
11.03.2026 | Forty Acres Insider
Important news happening in and around Texas Athletics compiled by Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte
Longhorn Nation,
What a fantastically FESTIVE DAY AND NIGHT WE HAD ON THE FORTY ACRES! Halloween brought creative costumes, pumpkins and glowing jack-o'-lanterns, spooky sights, tricks and treats, and sharing it all with you made it even sweeter. Our first-ever Fright Night Game on the Forty was one to remember, and we are so grateful you spent your Saturday with us. Coach Sark and the squad delivered a sweet treat of their own with an emphatic 31-3 victory over Mississippi State! We capped a Halloween night full of Longhorn spirit with a glorious and victorious rendition of The Eyes of Texas with all of you and a rousing Texas Fight in the locker room afterward. And the winning didn't stop there! Volleyball served up a pair of Halloween-week sweeps — including a straight-set triumph in the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown — and Men's Basketball tipped off the season with an emphatic victory. Now it's Women's Basketball's turn to get things rolling on Wednesday. The action keeps coming as Football heads to No. 19 Missouri for a Top-25 SEC clash on Saturday (11 a.m. CT/ESPN), and Soccer sets its sights on the SEC Tournament. It's all Longhorns, all the time, so let's keep the momentum rolling and get those HORNS UP!
NIGHT MODE ➡️ ON! #HookEm https://t.co/Fn3C1wcWYY
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) November 1, 2026
On a spooky Saturday, IT WAS ALL TREATS, NO TRICKS as our Longhorns added another sweet chapter to our All Hallows' Eve history. Our 20th Halloween game — a tradition dating back to 1899 — brought our record to 16-3-1, with victories in 12 of the last 13! The treats came early and often for Coach Sark and our No. 11 Horns. The offense stampeded down the field on the opening drive, fueled by big plays from Arch to Cam. Then came a BIG MAN touchdown worth savoring as 333-pound defensive tackle Maraad Watson went rumbling and stumbling and followed a caravan of Longhorn blockers on a 61-yard jaunt into the end zone for the longest play ever by a Longhorn his size. On defense, Rasheem Biles was a NIGHTMARE for Mississippi State, forcing the fumble Maraad returned for a TD and stuffing the stat sheet with three sacks, four tackles for loss and two forced fumbles as our Horns held the Bulldogs to season lows of 187 yards (68 rushing, 119 passing), 2.8 yards per play and three points. And Arch's 42-yard scoring strike to Emmett Mosley put an emphatic exclamation point on the victory. Mr. Manning was en fuego down the stretch, completing 11 of his final 12 passes for 144 yards and two TDs to close things out. It was a joyous 60 minutes of football (and the 100th career win for Coach Sark, so here's to a huge Hook 'Em for that!) — and with the clocks turning back, we even got an extra hour to celebrate! Rasheem earned National Defensive Player of the Week honors, and our Horns improved to 6-2, climbed into the Top-10 and stayed firmly in the thick of the SEC and College Football Playoff races. The first CFP rankings will be unveiled tonight as we prepare for another Top-25 battle at No. 19 Missouri this week. Our three wins over teams in the current Top-25 are the most in the nation, and we're one of only two teams with a pair of Top-10 victories. Plenty to be proud of and lots to still play for — let's keep those HORNS UP!
On the road again🤘 Texas at Missouri 🗓️ Saturday 11.07 🕒 11:00 AM CT 📺 ESPN https://t.co/4K9yUT6TDY
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) November 2, 2026
SWEEPS WERE IN ORDER for Coach Elliott and our No. 14 Volleyball squad at Gregory Gym this week. First came a sweep of Georgia on Wednesday, and on Sunday, we put our Horns Up for a dominant Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown victory against our longtime rivals, No. 17 Texas A&M. We handed the Aggies their first sweep in SEC play since 2024 to boot! Rivalry victory celebrations are the best!! Thank you, Longhorn Nation, for packing The Greg, bringing the energy, and providing that incredible homecourt advantage like you always do! It's road warrior time now as our Horns head out for a pair of matches at Missouri on Friday (7 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) and a Top-25 Vanderbilt squad on Sunday (1 p.m. CT/SEC Network+). We'll be back with y'all soon enough as we close out the regular season with a pair of matches at The Greg with Ole Miss in town on Friday, Nov. 13 and LSU on Sunday, Nov. 15. Can't wait to see you there!
try again next year!🤘 #HookEm | @TheCottonWatch https://t.co/8NcmgoFCw9
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) November 1, 2026
WE'RE IN THE MOOD FOR HOOPS! Coach Miller and No. 7 Men's Basketball got the season off to a winning start with a 109-59 victory over Chicago State on Monday in Moody Center. Up next, it's Gardner-Webb on Thursday (7 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) and Grambling State this coming Monday (6 p.m. CT/SEC Network) as we open the season with a trio of home games. Coach Schaefer and No. 6 Women's Basketball tip things off on Wednesday at Moody Center against FDU (7 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) before hosting Northern Colorado on Saturday (7 p.m. CT/SEC Network+). Both teams enter the season in the Top-10, play an exciting brand of basketball and have rosters full of fantastic players. We're looking forward to seasons filled with Texas Fight and Hook 'Em Horns aplenty. See you at The Mood!
game won 🤘 #HookEm | #AlwaysCompete https://t.co/MVsBBJPBAb
— Texas Men's Basketball (@TexasMBB) November 3, 2026
As we flip the calendar to November, it's time to make this a month to remember! In addition to Men's and Women's Basketball, Football and Volleyball, there's a WHOLE LOT OF LONGHORNS COMPETING across a wide range of our sports this week. Soccer closed out the regular season with a hard-fought 0-0 tie against No. 24 Auburn on Sunday at Mike A. Myers Stadium to move to 8-4-5 in year one under Coach Bates. Now it's on to postseason play with the SEC Tournament in Pensacola, Fla., and a matchup with Mississippi State in the first round on Sunday (4:30 p.m. CT/SEC Network). Beach Volleyball, Rowing, Softball and Men's and Women's Tennis continue their fall schedules as well. Let's keep those Horns Up all the livelong day!
what's going on this week 🤘 #HookEm | @SeatGeek https://t.co/FYPI3yGL5Q
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) November 2, 2026
And before we get to the notes, here's to a WHAT STARTS HERE CHANGES THE WORLD for our World Series Champion, David Hamilton! Our Longhorn Great was hoisting the trophy and popping the champagne last week after helping lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-1 series win over the Tampa Bay Rays. David built on a rich Longhorn baseball tradition as the 12th former Texas player to win a World Series. And he did it in style, going yard in the Fall Classic to become only the second Longhorn ever to homer on that stage — joining Pinky Higgins all the way back in 1940. His four RBI are the second-most by a Longhorn in a World Series, trailing only Higgins' six 86 years ago. Over the Brewers' 13 playoff games, DHam hit .333 with two home runs, six RBI, seven runs scored, three stolen bases and a .950 OPS. He's also the first Longhorn to ever record multiple homers in the same postseason. How about that, y'all?! It's been quite the ride for David, who was a key piece of our 2018 squad that went to the College World Series! Congrats, my friend!
our World Series champ 🏆 #HookEm | @D_Ham27 https://t.co/BepLKUjqnc
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) October 29, 2026
Hook 'Em Horns,
Noah Kahan is coming to DKR! Sign up NOW for the Artist Presale before November 5!
Longhorn Nation, we shared some HUGE news last week! For the first time in more than 30 years, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium will host a major ticketed concert, and we're thrilled to welcome two-time GRAMMY-nominated, multi-Platinum superstar Noah Kahan to the Forty Acres on Saturday, May 15, 2027, as part of his The Last Of The Bugs World Tour! It's going to be an unforgettable night of live music at one of the most iconic venues in Texas, and we know this is a show y'all won't want to miss. If you're interested in attending, be sure to register for the Artist Presale by Thursday, November 5 at 10:59 p.m. CT! The Artist Presale begins Tuesday, November 10 at Noon CT, and registration is required to participate. There will not be a separate Texas Athletics presale for Longhorn Foundation donors and/or football season ticket holders, so don't wait to get signed up. We can't wait to see DKR come alive next May for this historic night of music.
JUST ANNOUNCED! Noah Kahan is bringing The Last Of The Bugs World Tour 2027 to your city! Sign up for the Artist Presale by Thursday, November 5 at 11:59PM ET. #HookEm https://t.co/fDFcZvdvFW
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) October 29, 2026
P.S. — Longhorn Nation, Thank You! — Coach Sark
Thank you Longhorn Nation 🤘 #HookEm https://t.co/HAh20hNZUg
— LHN (Longhorn Network App) (@LonghornNetwork) November 2, 2026
P.S. — We see ya, Coach Sark! 100 — and many more to come!
Congrats, Coach🤘 https://t.co/M8LPiQyvMq
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) November 1, 2026
P.S. — So AWESOME!
the best addition over DKR 🤘 #HookEm https://t.co/gc1eVJcj0g
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) October 31, 2026
P.S. — LOVE THIS!
Y'all look familiar🧐 https://t.co/H7c5QnyuUI
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 31, 2026
P.S. — FACTS!
At 6-3, 333 pounds Longhorn defensive tackle Maraad Watson covered 61 yards in 8.9 seconds 👀🤘🏻 The 61-yard TD is the longest scoring play by a player 325+ pounds in Longhorn history🤘🏻
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) November 1, 2026
P.S. — All Eyes on Texas!
ALL EYES ON TEXAS🤘🏻📺 After drawing last week's largest TV audience with 8.1 million viewers tuning in to ABC's broadcast of the Longhorns' win over Ole Miss, Texas remains atop the list of most-watched teams in college football this season (8.4 million viewers pg), per Nielsen. https://t.co/rgtFPpWSZp
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) October 29, 2026
P.S. — So nice we've got to show you twice (in dramatic fashion this time)!
Movie magic. https://t.co/fGaWYfUKYk
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) November 2, 2026
HEADLINES:
Video: Steve Sarkisian press conference (Nov. 2):
Video: Texas Rising, Episode 2:
Video: Sean Miller media availability (Nov. 1):
Texas Lottery Veteran Recognition: Steven Carnes:
Video: Longhorn Weekly with Coach Sark featuring Quandre Diggs (Oct. 30):
Video: Texas & Os Season 2, Episode 9 with Kirk Goldsberry, Hollywood Smothers and Spencer Shannon:
