Texas DB Undergoes Thumb Surgery

 The Longhorns have set their sights on the Mississippi State Bulldogs, whom Texas will be facing on Saturday after a disappointing outing against the Kentucky Wildcats, whom Texas barely beat in overtime last week.

This week, however, the Longhorns will be without star safety Michael Taaffe, as he has now undergone thumb surgery.

It is uncertain when exactly he sustained the injury, but it was reported by Pete Nakos at On3 earlier this week that the senior defensive back was set to miss some time due to the operation, but that it would not be season-ending.

Taaffe has played in all seven games so far this season, and he’s done so while recording 51 tackles, one tackle for a loss and an interception, which he acquired against the Florida Gators a few weeks ago.

Although the Texas defense has been top-tier, the Longhorns are going to miss Taaffe while he’s gone.

Taaffe has been a leader for this Texas defense, and it needs all the help it can get because it’s not getting any help from the offense. And it won’t get any easier from here, as Texas still has to face three top-10 teams.

The Longhorns will make the trip to Starkville on Saturday, but will then make the trip back home to face the No. 10-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores before taking a bye week to prepare for a game in which No. 5 Georgia hosts No. 22 Texas.

Texas still isn’t done after that, though, because then it has to face the Arkansas Razorbacks, who are being led by an interim head coach looking to make his case for the job. Finally, Texas will finish the season off against No. 3 Texas A&M.

The hopes are that Taaffe will be back in time for the Texas A&M game, at least. Hopefully, he’ll be able to make a return as soon as the Georgia game, which will arrive in just over three weeks.