Rasheem Biles Delivered a Butkus-Worthy Night Against Mississippi State — Three Sacks and Two Forced Fumbles, Two Days After Losing His Great-Uncle
Texas' defense owned Saturday night, and its linebacker owned the defense. Biles finished with eight tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in the 31-3 win — and says the Butkus Award is next.
Two days after losing his great-uncle, Texas linebacker Rasheem Biles delivered the defensive performance of the Longhorns' season on Saturday night, piling up three sacks, four tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in No. 11 Texas' 31-3 rout of Mississippi State, On3's Inside Texas reported.
Biles finished with eight tackles in all, leading a Texas defense that recorded seven sacks as a team and held the Bulldogs to a single field goal at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium. The Longhorns (6-2) were never chased: Arch Manning completed 16 of 20 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns on the other side of the ball, and the defense made the margin academic.
The personal frame is what lifts the night out of the box score. Per On3, Biles played the game two days after his great-uncle's death, and he has stated his aim plainly — the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker, is next on his list. On a night when Texas lost five regulars to injury (this station's SQ-20261101-038), Biles' performance is the counterweight the Longhorns take on the road to Missouri: the pass rush, at least, is arriving in November at full strength.
