Hollywood smothers Texas
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Texas beat Texas State 59-7 as Hollywood Smothers ran for 70 yards and a score.
Smothers' breakout gives No. 4 Texas a lead back before hosting No.
Background
Texas lost both Quintrevion Wisner and C.J. Baxter from last year's team, so it brought in Hollywood Smothers from NC State and Raleek Brown from Arizona State via the transfer portal. In the Sept. 5 season opener, Smothers broke a 45-yard run on the opening snap and finished with 70 yards rushing plus a receiving score, while Brown added 34 yards and two rushing touchdowns. The two combined for three touchdowns and 143 yards of total offense. Texas now hosts top-ranked Ohio State on Sept. 12, the third straight season the teams meet.
How it unfolded
- Sep 5, 2026Texas beat Texas State 59-7 in Austin; Hollywood Smothers broke a 45-yard run on the opening snap and finished with 70 yards rushing and a receiving score, while Raleek Brown added 34 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns.
- Sep 9, 2026Texas' running back depth chart vs. Ohio State, after Derrek Cooper's injury, listed RB1 as Hollywood Smothers OR Raleek Brown, with Michael Terry III, Ryan Niblett and James Simon behind them.
- Sep 12, 2026Texas hosts Ohio State on Saturday night in Austin; top-ranked Ohio State (1-0) vs. No. 4 Texas (1-0), the third consecutive season the teams play.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Wescott Eberts of Burnt Orange Nation saw Smothers and Brown as 1A and 1B in the offseason but now sees Smothers as the clear lead back, citing his football IQ and vision over Brown.
- Caution
- Daniel Seahorn said that outside of Smothers' big early run, Texas didn't consistently run the ball successfully.
- Caution
- Jacob Neidig said he is not sold entirely on the offensive line and is curious how the group handles more exotic looks.
- Caution
- Gerald Goodridge said Rasheem Biles was even more disruptive than anticipated and questioned whether Texas has solved problems in the seam between the second and third levels of the defense.
- Official
- Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said, "I didn't come to Texas just to say I could be a head coach again. I came to Texas to be part of games like this."
- Official
- Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said, "Everybody in the country will be watching."
Still unverified
The depth chart lists Hollywood Smothers OR Raleek Brown as RB1, while Wescott Eberts writes that even if the depth chart lists them as co-starters, he sees Smothers as the clear lead back after one game.