Texas Longhorns Stock Watch After Week 4: Who's Up & Who's Down?

Undoubtedly, the most scrutinized Texas player through the first part of the Longhorns' season. Manning had not played to the unprecedented expectations many had placed on the first-year starter after starting the year completing 47 of his 85 pass attempts for 574 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions.

It took four games, but finally the Manning that many people were expecting to see made his presence known against the Bearkats with the third-year quarterback and the Longhorns' offense finally clicking as Manning was 18 of 21 passing for 309 yards and three touchdowns along with two scores on the ground. The performance is certainly to boost Manning's confidence and quiet down the doubters at least for a few weeks.

Ryan Wingo, WR

Just like Manning, the Longhorns' number one option at the wide receiver position has had a slow start to the season as second-year wide receiver Ryan Wingo totaled nine catches for 97 yards and a lone touchdown through three games.

However, against Sam Houston State, Wingo finally found his stride and the connection between him and Manning seems to have sparked, a duo that the Longhorns will need to rely heavily on as the season progresses. Wingo finished the game with four receptions for 93 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with his first being a 53-yard deep shot down the middle of the field.

Roster Depth

With the game against the Bearkats being truly out of reach at halftime, the second half was the perfect opportunity for the Longhorns to give their younger and depth players in-game action, with notable freshmen getting their debuts in safety Jonah Williams, offensive tackle Nick Brooks, among others.

As head coach Steve Sarkisian noted postgame that 75 players saw the field on Saturday, which, as he mentioned, is important for the Longhorns.

"We got a chance to play 75 players tonight, and we just talked about team morale and talked about the way that our team has been practicing for the past couple weeks," Sarkisian said. "The opportunity to play a lot of these guys, some of who are on scout team that contribute to the success of our team, for them to get opportunities to play the night I thought was big."