The Texas football team is already preparing to be without Arch Manning and could also potentially be without another star in Week 10 against Vanderbilt. Safety Michael Taaffe recently became another notable addition to the team's injury report and is in danger of missing the marquee clash.
Taaffe, who recently had thumb surgery, is now considered questionable for the game, On3 Sports' Pete Nakos reported. Nakos noted that Taaffe's timetable is unclear, and the team initially expected him to be out until its Week 12 matchup with Georgia on Nov. 15.
Taaffe is currently the team's third-leading tackler with 52 stops on the year. He ended 2024 as the Longhorns' second-leading tackler; his 78 tackles were more than All-SEC teammate and eventual second-round NFL draft pick Andrew Mukuba.
Losing Taaffe hurts Texas' defense regardless, but it would be particularly notable against Vanderbilt. The Longhorns currently boast the third-best run defense in the country, but are now in danger of losing one of their best run-stoppers ahead of a matchup with the Commodores' relentless ground attack. The Diego Pavia-led offense enters Week 10 averaging the third-most rushing yards per game in the SEC.
Without Taaffe, Texas would turn to either sophomore Derek Williams or sophomore Jordon Johnson-Rubell. The Longhorns have tended to run a lot of two-high safety looks under defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.
Texas favored to top Vanderbilt in top-20 college football clash
Despite the injuries to Arch Manning and Michael Taaffe, Texas is still favored to come out on top of the top-20 Week 10 tilt.
The Longhorns enter the matchup riding a three-game win streak since suffering a shocking upset loss to Florida. However, they barely snuck past Kentucky in Week 8 and Mississippi State in Week 9 to get their record up to 6-2.
No. 9-ranked Vanderbilt has only won two consecutive, but it is coming off a pair of massive wins over LSU and Missouri. The Commodores' only loss of the year came against Alabama in Week 6.
Vanderbilt's recent wins have it up to 3-1 on the year against ranked opponents. Conversely, Texas has gone 1-1 against top-25 teams, losing to Ohio State in Week 1 and demolishing Oklahoma in Week 7.
With just one month remaining in the 2025 college football season, winning the game is crucial to both teams' championship aspirations. Both are still potentially in play for the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoffs, but a loss would be detrimental to those goals.
