Texas loses RB Hollywood Smothers for the season to torn MCL before Missouri trip

Texas will play the rest of the season without Hollywood Smothers. The running back who started the opener has a torn MCL, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. On3 had the news first. Smothers was already listed as out for Saturday's game at No. 18 Missouri on Wednesday's SEC availability report, Burnt Orange Nation noted. Now the Longhorns know he is not coming back.

The NC State transfer never got going in Austin. He ran for 939 yards and was named first-team All-ACC last fall, then was one of the most sought-after backs in the portal. He committed to Alabama before flipping to Texas. This year he managed 283 yards and two touchdowns in six games, five of them starts. He sat out the win at Tennessee with a lower-body injury and missed the Ole Miss game with a shoulder problem. In his return against Mississippi State last weekend he carried four times for minus-6 yards before leaving hurt.

His best day came in the biggest game. Against then-No. 1 Ohio State, Smothers ran for 74 yards and scored on each of the last two drives as Texas put up 21 fourth-quarter points to win 24-23. Since then he had been splitting carries with Raleek Brown, and CBS Sports reported that Brown will now take on a larger share of the rushing load.

The backfield is not Texas' only concern. ESPN lists edge rusher Colin Simmons as questionable after he missed the past two games with a high-ankle sprain. Starting receivers Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman are also questionable, along with nickel back Graceson Littleton, who has started every game this season.

What it means at Missouri

The No. 7 Longhorns are 6-2 and have won two straight since losing to Oklahoma and Florida by an identical 27-24 score. They beat No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27 and then Mississippi State 31-3. Their record is built on close games. Five of their eight results were decided by seven points or fewer, including the one-point win over Ohio State and the three-point win at Tennessee. Saturday is their second road game against a ranked opponent this season, and the offense will be without its opening-day back and possibly both starting wideouts.

The board for Texas at Missouri still has Texas as a modest favorite across 12 venues. On Novig's moneyline, Texas is favored at -133 and Missouri is +130. Novig lists Texas -2.5 at -108 and Missouri +2.5 at +106. The best Missouri number anywhere is Pinnacle's +3 at -117, so the spread runs only from 2.5 to 3 across the market. The total is a little wider. Novig sits at 42.5, BetRivers has the best over at 42 (-122), and Hard Rock Bet has the best under at 43.5 (-115). The sportsbooks carry a hold of roughly 3 to 7 percent on these markets.

The market reads this as close to a coin flip, slightly in Texas' favor. Brown's workload and the status of the questionable starters will decide how well Texas can hold up in Columbia.