Steve Sarkisian will have to work without one of his best defensive players on Saturday. Texas will be without star safety Michael Taaffe for its marquee college football Week 10 matchup with Vanderbilt.
Taaffe, who has been out since undergoing thumb surgery on Oct. 20, will miss his second consecutive game in Week 10. He was listed as questionable throughout the week but officially ruled out on gameday morning, On3 Sports' Pete Nakos reported.
Taaffe was initially feared to be out for the year following his thumb surgery, but the team now hopes he can return by the end of the regular season. The Longhorns have a bye in Week 11 and are hopeful that he can return for their Nov. 15 game against Georgia, per Nakos.
If it is not against Georgia, Texas has two more games for Taaffe to potentially return. Thumb injuries can be highly volatile, with some players missing multiple months and others returning within a matter of weeks.
Taaffe is currently third on the team with 51 tackles. As one of the Longhorns' best run defenders, his services will be missed against Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt's efficient ground attack. Texas enters Week 10 allowing just 81.3 rushing yards per game, the third-fewest in the country.
Without Taaffe in the lineup, Texas used a committee approach to make up for his loss. Jelani McDonald, Jaylon Guilbeau, Malik Muhammad, Graceson Littleton and Xavier Filsaime played most of the snaps and rotated throughout the secondary. Filsaime, McDonald and Littleton took most of the snaps at safety.
Few fans are high on Texas after two consecutive narrow victories over Kentucky and Mississippi State, but the Longhorns are still in decent shape without Taaffe. The last time they faced a top-10 opponent, they blew past Oklahoma 23-6 in the annual Red River Rivalry game.
