The Texas Longhorns had no room left for error on Saturday when they took on Ole Miss. Riding a two-game losing streak, the Longhorns entered Saturday in a must-win situation; otherwise, another loss would’ve all but officially eliminated Texas from College Football Playoff contention for the second straight season. 

Yet the Longhorns kept their season alive, pulling off a 34-27 win over the then-top-10-ranked Rebels in a game where three unlikely heroes played a big role. 

Andre Cojoe 

Perhaps the biggest unexpected contributor came from now-starting left tackle Andre Cojoe. The fourth-year offensive lineman from Grand Prairie, Texas, has played in all seven games so far, but his snap count increased substantially after Trevor Goosby was injured. 

Texas’s starting left tackle left the win over Ole Miss in the first half with a knee injury later diagnosed as a torn patellar tendon that required season-ending surgery. This opened the door for Cojoe, who filled in for him as Arch Manning’s blindside protector.

 Aside from one sack, Cojoe held his own after coming off the bench. He earned plaudits for his contributions in the Texas run game, regularly sealing off Ole Miss defensive linemen to pave the way for Raleek Brown and co. 

While head coach Steve Sarkisian admitted to leaning more on the run after Goosby’s injury because of concerns about pass protection with a new left tackle, Cojoe’s performance offers hope that Texas can minimize the damage of losing Goosby. 

Michael Terry 

Injuries haven’t been kind to the Texas running back room in recent years. Even this season, NC State transfer Hollywood Smothers was sidelined against Ole Miss for the second time in just seven games, while former highly ranked true freshman Derrek Cooper was also ruled out, thinning Texas's running back room. 

Brown led the Texas run game on a resurgent day, rushing for 157 yards on 23 carries. Behind him, Michael Terry, a converted wide receiver, looked the part as the No. 2 back. 

Terry finished with 41 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. One of his biggest highlights came on Texas’s last touchdown drive, where he followed Brown’s 47-yard explosive run with consecutive 12- and 19-yard gains to set the Longhorns up on the goal line.

Michael Masunas

It’s no secret the Longhorns entered the season hoping to return to more two-tight-end sets. However, amid early-season offensive struggles, Sarkisian and co. have shifted more toward 11 personnel (1 running back, 1 tight end) sets that let him get another wide receiver on the field. 

While Michael Masunas had seen action in every game leading up to Saturday, he saw an uptick in snaps versus Ole Miss. The fifth-year senior appears to be Texas's most trusted tight end, logging three receptions for 37 yards while playing a season-high 56 snaps.