Texas freshman tracker: Jermaine Bishop Jr., Derrek Cooper play roles in win over Ole Miss

The Texas Longhorns bounced back on Saturday (after a two-game skid) with a 34-27 win over the then-No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. The Longhorns went up by a score of 24-3 at halftime, but by the time the third quarter was ticking away, the Rebels found a way to rally, eventually tying the game in the fourth quarter. Arch Manning’s second rushing touchdown restored Texas’ lead, and the Longhorns held on to secure the victory.

Several freshmen saw action against the Rebels. That included wide receiver Jermaine Bishop Jr., who has emerged as a weapon this year, running back Derrek Cooper, who saw reps with Texas’ offense, and five other players on special teams.

RB Derrek Cooper contributes through the air

Cooper recorded one reception for seven yards. In fact, that was the first-year back’s only listed offensive contribution against Ole Miss in three snaps. He did not record a rushing attempt in the game.

The limited workload meant Cooper didn’t have the same opportunity to contribute on the ground as he had in earlier games. Still, his reception gave Texas another way to involve the freshman in the offense.

Cooper remains a player to keep an eye on as the 2026 season continues, but he needs to get healthy — even though he wasn’t included on any of the injury report last week, head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the game that Cooper has been banged up and was also sick.

WR Jermaine Bishop remains involved

When junior wide receiver Cam Coleman missed almost the entire second half against Ole Miss, Bishop set his career high with 26 snaps, although his four targets only produced three catches for 14 yards, his second-lowest receiving yardage of the season. Bishop did gain a first down and force a missed tackle.

The speedy freshman was also involved in one of the game’s lowlights on a poorly-executed mesh concept that failed to convert a 3rd and 3.

On special teams, Bishop played another 17 snaps on kick return, kick coverage, and punt return.

LB Kosi Okpala makes the wrong impact on special teams

Okpala recorded one solo tackle on kickoff coverage in the fourth quarter as he brought down Ole Miss returner Jalyn Crawford following a 23-yard return by the opponent player.

The play came with a caveat; Okpala was also flagged for a personal foul, advancing the Rebels an additional 15 yards to their 47-yard line. That made it a mixed sequence for the freshman—he made the tackle, but the penalty gave Ole Miss better field position. It was also Okpala’s second penalty of the game after committing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a touchback playing on the kickoff return unit.

Special teams snaps can provide freshmen with early opportunities to contribute, and Okpala’s appearance was one of the more notable freshman moments outside the offensive box score.

Okpala played 21 snaps on special teams against the Rebels after recently landing a spot on the punt return and punt coverage units in addition to kick return and kick coverage. He’s now up to 89 snaps on special teams this year, eighth on the team.

Other special teams contributions

Other freshmen are working there way onto special teams, joining Bishop, Okpala, and wide receiver Kohen Brown, who played 21 snaps across four units — wide receiver Chris Stewart on kick coverage (seven snaps), cornerback Smoke Matthews on kick coverage (five snaps), and safety Toray Davis on kick coverage (five snaps).

Our takeaways after Week 8

Bishop’s three catches for 14 yards led freshmen offensive contributions, while Cooper added a seven-yard reception of his own. Okpala recorded a solo tackle on special teams, even if an accompanying offensive penalty then caused a complication with the play.

However, don’t understate what Texas’ win over Ole Miss means for the rest of the season.

For one thing, Texas fans everywhere can finally… breathe (again), finally.