On a day when it seemed nothing was going right, Texas freshman Colin Simmons stepped into the void. He’s proving himself invaluable.

Simmons had seven tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble in Texas’ 35-13 win over Mississippi State. Both of his sacks came at critical times when the defense needed major stops, too.

He wasn’t the team’s leading tackler. Jaylon Guilbeau and David Gbenda both had eight tackles each. But Simmons was the most disruptive UT defender inside Royal-Memorial Stadium, followed closely by Anthony Hill Jr., who had six tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.

“Go get it. Go get it. Go get the ball back. Go get a sack. Go, go, make a play. Open everybody’s eyes,” the loquacious Simmons said.

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Texas football showed resiliency vs. Mississippi State that will help Longhorns rest of the season

Ugly or not, a win is a win. Despite all the craziness, No. 1 Texas moved to 5-0.

In the third quarter, Mississippi State faced third-and-18 from midfield. Simmons brought down MSU quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. for a 9-yard loss. That play forced a punt as Texas took over at its 25-yard line and started a 75-yard touchdown drive that gave UT a 21-6 lead.

Then late in the fourth quarter, Simmons was still being disruptive. He sacked Van Buren on first-and-10 from the MSU 49 and knocked the ball loose. The Bulldogs recovered but didn’t go anywhere on the drive.

Three plays later, Barryn Sorrell sacked Van Buren for a 9-yard loss on fourth-and-15 and the game was effectively over.

Texas had six sacks overall against Mississippi State, the unit’s biggest haul of the season. After five games, it’s Simmons who leads the Longhorns with four of the team’s 13 sacks overall.

“Man, I got something to prove, so at the end of the day, like when I’m lined up in front of that tackle, and I look at him in his eyes, and I look at the quarterback in his eyes before the play, I’m going to give it everything,” Simmons said.

Texas freshman Colin Simmons becoming a huge part of the pass rush and Longhorns’ future

Duncanville product leads Texas football with 2 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries, 3 tackles for loss

The edge rusher from Duncanville was a two-time state champion in high school. Even then he was known as a terrific interview. Having some personality is great, but you have to produce, too. So far, Simmons checks all the boxes for defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.

Mississippi State finished with 150 rushing yards as Texas allowed only its third touchdown of the entire season. After the numbers were recalculated Sunday morning, the Longhorns are tied for second nationally in scoring defense, allowing seven points per game, same as the Tennessee Volunteers.

Asked to describe his first SEC game, Simmons said, “It’s very different and each team is different. Mississippi State ran the ball well. The run game was definitely increased. Other than that, I feel like it’s a different ballgame.”