“Can You Win a Game When It Gets Ugly?” — Rusty Mansell’s Blunt Texas-Georgia Reality Check

Summary

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Podcast Summary: “Can You Win a Game When It Gets Ugly?” — Rusty Mansell’s Blunt Texas-Georgia Reality Check

Podcast: On Texas Football
Host: Bobby Burton
Guest: Rusty Mansell (DogsHQ/Georgia insider)
Date: July 21, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Bobby Burton hosts Rusty Mansell for an in-depth conversation dissecting what separates perennial contenders like Georgia from ascending programs like Texas. They discuss the realities and perceptions each program faces, the underpinnings of Georgia’s championship pedigree, the evolving physicality at Texas, conference rivals to watch, the rising significance of quarterback play, and the impact of NIL on roster retention. The episode takes a blunt, honest look at what it will take for Texas to get over the hump against college football’s elite—particularly when the game turns “ugly” in the trenches in the fourth quarter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Championship Pedigree: Georgia vs. Texas

[00:30–02:56]

• Georgia’s Edge: Rusty credits Georgia’s ability to seize momentum and close games as a major difference-maker, pointing out their three-game win streak over Texas, including the SEC title game.
  • Rusty Mansell: “There’s points of momentum that Georgia seized and closed them all. That was the difference between Georgia and Texas.”
• Physicality and Identity: Mansell uses a vivid analogy to paint Texas as the “good-looking dude” who has all the flash but needs to prove physical dominance, especially late in games.
  • Rusty Mansell (01:51): “He’s walking around but he ain’t really putting nobody down… The next step for Texas is to actually get in there and duke it out for four quarters because athletically, you’re not going to out-athlete Texas. But can you win a game in the fourth quarter with physicality?”
• Impact of Coaching Trees: Noting Texas’ hire of Will Muschamp, Rusty says bringing in someone from the Kirby Smart/Nick Saban tree could harden Texas’s approach in the trenches.

2. Roster Comparisons: Texas Now Looks the Part

[02:56–04:10]

• Eye Test: Rusty, from field level, asserts that Texas now matches Georgia and Alabama physically in terms of roster build, passing the “off the bus” test.
  • Rusty Mansell (03:26): “When I see Texas come out… I said, ‘Yep, that’s what a team looks like.’ Texas, Georgia, Ohio State… They’re all aliens. Those are one percentile humans. Texas looks like that now.”

3. Coaching Relationships: Mutual Respect over Rivalry

[04:10–04:58]

• Sark vs. Kirby: Rusty dispels any notion of animosity, instead stressing mutual respect between Steve Sarkisian (Texas) and Kirby Smart (Georgia).
  • Rusty Mansell (04:31): “There’s a lot of respect between Sark and Kirby… Guys like that compete, look for those challenges. But it’s a very mutual respect type relationship.”

4. Georgia’s 2026 Outlook & Returning Starters

[04:58–05:38]

• Returning Experience: Georgia leads the SEC in returning starters (15 or 16, depending on the source), giving them continuity at key positions, including quarterback Gunner Stockton.
  • Rusty Mansell (05:19): “You got 16 returning starters with a second-year quarterback starting… Teams that have done well—Texas will fit this mold—are older teams with experienced quarterbacks.”

5. SEC Contenders, Dark Horses & Key Players

[05:38–09:41]

• Besides Texas and Georgia, Rusty highlights notable programs and players, providing a candid assessment.
  • Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin’s “$40 million roster” and explosive offense.
    • “Lane can call plays. Matt Rooney is going to be nuts.”
  • Texas A&M: Trinidad Chambers is a player who “scares the piss out of” Rusty.
    • Rusty Mansell (06:33): “The one player in the league that would scare me is Trinidad Chambers… I was rooting for him to lose that appeal and get to the NFL—I’ve seen enough!”
  • South Carolina: QB LaNorris Sellers could be a “talent equalizer.”
    • “LaNorris Sellers can freaking play… They put some pieces around him.”
  • Oklahoma: John Mateer offers critical stability at QB.
  • Florida: “Scary good” with new coach Buster Faulkner and weapons at WR, but depth is a major concern.
    • “They lose one of those five guys [on the offensive line]… they’re in a pretty tough situation.”

6. The NIL Factor: Retention, Spend, and Program Health

[11:20–12:41]

• NIL Spending: Rusty explains that while teams like Texas and Texas A&M may outspend Georgia on high school recruits, Georgia focuses NIL money on roster retention.
  • Rusty Mansell (11:33): “I bet you Georgia’s very close [to Texas and A&M] on what they’re spending on the roster. I’m not sure Kirby’s paying as much right now with a high school kid but, you talk about roster retention—that’s why players didn’t leave.”
  • “People say they bleed red and black—no, they bleed green like everybody else.”
• Portal vs. Development: As rosters lose experience to the NFL, both Texas and Georgia will face critical tests: replace leaders with portal vets (which costs big in NIL) or trust young blue chips.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rusty Mansell on Texas’s Evolution (01:51):
  “He’s walking around but he ain’t really putting nobody down, you know what I mean?...The next step for Texas is to actually get in there and duke it out for four quarters... Can you win a game in the fourth quarter with physicality?”
• Rusty on Texas’s Physical Presence (03:26):
  “When I saw Texas walk that field in analysis… I said, ‘Yep, that’s what a team looks like.’”
• Rusty on the Nature of Modern Roster Retention (11:33):
  “I know people are like they bleed red and black. No they bleed green…They’ve got agents. Kirby didn’t pay to keep those kids? Of course he did.”
• On Trinidad Chambers (06:33):
  “That’s the one player in the league Bobby that would scare the piss out of me is Trinidad Chambers… I’ve seen enough!”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Georgia’s ability to close vs. Texas’s need for physicality: [00:30–02:56]
• Texas now “looks like” the top of the sport: [02:56–04:10]
• Sarkisian vs. Kirby Smart dynamic: [04:10–04:58]
• Returning starters and the value of experience in 2026: [04:58–05:38]
• SEC dark horses and breakout players: [05:38–09:41]
• NIL’s role in sustaining elite rosters: [11:20–12:41]

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Tone and Takeaway

With authenticity and a touch of southern candor, Rusty Mansell delivers an unvarnished assessment of where Texas stands: athletically elite, but searching for battle-tested grit in crunch time. The episode offers both caution and optimism for Longhorn fans—Texas is physically ready, but must prove it when “games get ugly.” The discussion also peels back the curtain on how top programs are leveraging NIL, the shifting power centers of college football, and the demands facing both old-guard and upstart SEC coaches.

For any fan wondering how Texas “breaks through”—especially in the fourth quarter against a team like Georgia—this episode lays out the playbook, pitfalls, and possibilities in no-nonsense terms.

Transcript

[Naomi Girma]

My community gives me the confidence to ask myself, what would you like the power to do? So every time I'm on the pitch, I play for more than myself.

[Sports Analyst]

Oh, what a tackle from Naomi Girma. Absolutely brilliant.

[Naomi Girma]

Bank of America champions U.S. women's national team member Naomi Girma and everyone who dares to ask, what would you like the power to do? Bank of America proud to be the Official bank of U.S. soccer bank of America NA Member FDSE welcome in to

[Host/Interviewer]

on Texas football we have a special guest with us, Rusty Manziel from Dogs hq. We're going to talk a little UGA football but not just UGA football. I want to ask you guys your perception of Texas from the outside looking in. But let's start. Georgia has owned Texas, let's be fair. Three in a row including the SEC championship two years ago. What is it about Kirby Smart that that team seems to have that championship pedigree?

[Sports Analyst]

You know, Georgia has faced the the opposite side of Alabama and what's the commenting on there? And there's games. Alabama's found ways to finish those games. I think if you look at Georgia, Texas, Georgia has found ways to finish those games. There's been points where you know, obviously the game in Austin, I think Georgia pretty much seized that one early on. You take the SEC championship, you take the game last year. I think there were points of momentum that Georgia seized and closed them all. Where I've seen Alabama do that way against Georgia. So you know it is three and three in a row but you know there's been in all those games, honestly.

[Host/Interviewer]

Yeah, well the question I had there for you is this, is it the offensive line? Because we feel like the Georgia offensive line has really been a big piece of it. The run game for Georgia has been more consistent than Texas's run game. Your thoughts?

[Sports Analyst]

Let me go ahead and just get into the Texas. This will relate to that thought. Yeah, go for it. I'm going to give you. Oh, let's just dig into it. This is kind of my perception and I'll give you what I think about to happen to Texas too. You know I kind of relate Texas is that really good looking dude shows up beats with the best looking girl and he's abbed up. He's got the baddest boat and all that. But he ain't been really hitting them out, you know what I mean? He ain't hitting nobody in the mouth, you know what I mean? Like he, he's walking around but he really put nobody down, you know what I mean? Okay, I Think Texas iron. Well must champ. They're looking for that knockout. Can we be physical? And I think at times, you know, people use that quote, do you want to get in the phone booth for Georgia? Do you want to fight in small areas in between those tackles of physicality, those type of things? And I think at times that was the difference between Georgia and Texas. So what did Sargo do? He went and got somebody from the same tree. He went and got. Somebody knows exactly how Georgia does things, how they've done it in Alabama. You know, Kirby carried that Saban model over there. But that physicality and I think for Texas, the next step for Texas is to actually get in there and duke it out with some. I'm four quarters because athletically you're not going to out athlete Texas. You're not, you're not going to look better coming off the bus. But can you win a game in the fourth quarter with physicality? And I do pay the world must chance to be a piece of that puzzle for me.

[Host/Interviewer]

That's, that's interesting. I've got to ask you about this because we look at Georgia from our van point being, you know, primarily focused on Texas y as a team that nobody looks better than. And frankly, Kirby Sport is that draft pick after draft pick on the offensive and defense up front. Yep. Yet you're saying you see something similar in Texas. Oh, yeah.

[Sports Analyst]

Oh, God, no question. I still on the sideline two years in a row I'm seeing Texas. I've said this. The Georgia fans know this quote. When Georgia played Alabama in the national championship, I went to media day and I sat on our board that morning. I said, guys, I don't know who's going to win this game, but I promise you, Georgia don't look like Alabama. They don't 1 through 85. They don't look like that. They still almost beat them. I think two years later when I saw them play in the SEC championship, I said Georgia looked like them. They didn't beat them. They look like 20, 21. They beat them. And they look like. When I see Texas come out, when I saw Texas walk that field analysis, they all had their suits on and their headphones and they walked the entire stadium. I'm standing right there early and Texas walk in. And I said, yep, that's what a team looks like. There's no question. I mean they're all those. The Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, all those. They're aliens. Let's be honest. No, those are one percentile humans. Texas. She looks like that now.

[Host/Interviewer]

Let Me ask this Kirby, smart defensive guy. Steve Sarkeesian offensive guy, former former Nick Saban assistance.

[Sports Analyst]

Yeah.

[Host/Interviewer]

What is there. Is there a little bit of a push and pull between those two? A little bit. You know what I.

[Sports Analyst]

What I've heard feel pretty good by my source. They kind of like each other. Okay. There's not. There's not.

[Host/Interviewer]

There's some coaches that probably ain't they.

[Sports Analyst]

They're very cutie on Tech. I think there's a lot of respect there. I think there's a lot of respect between Sark and Kirby. I think you kind of know, especially with Sark, offensively, your ass ready, ready to roll. He's gonna throw something different. Every time you play, he's gonna throw something different. When I think for Kirby, you know, you gotta be ready and guys like that compete, you know, look for those challenges against each other. But I don't think. I know people probably want it that way, but I'll be honest with you. I think between Sark and Kirby, there's not a whole lot of, you know, I got a very mutual respect type relationship.

[Host/Interviewer]

Interesting. Y another question for you. Just talk a little bit about Georgia. We know they graduated heavily, but they bring. They got gunner stocking coming back. They've got a bunch of guys coming back.

[Sports Analyst]

I think Georgia has the most returning stars anybody at se. I think they're. So I was telling some people this morning, I looked at a magazine. One magazine had them 15 return starters. One had 16, I consider 16. But I think Juan Gaston started last year. Yeah, I think so.

[Host/Interviewer]

You got big off.

[Sports Analyst]

Yeah. You got 16 returner starters with a. A second year quarterback starting. So with that, you know, I'm not saying Georgia won the national championship, but I'm saying the teams that have done well and Texas is going to fit this mold, the older teams with an experienced quarterback, both teams are going to walk into the season at least with that on the West.

[Host/Interviewer]

I had gene chisk1 earlier and he picked Georgia. When the SEC this year, who would you think are the teams that you're watching for other than Georgia and other than maybe Texas?

[Sports Analyst]

Well, you say if you take Georgia Tech out of equation, I think, and listen, I said this earlier, Lane Kiffin's going to walk in here later the week. He's going to start talking about the process of building the pros to BS they spent now money. They went and spent money to give him this roster. Is this a $40 million roster just like everybody else is? It's now money now. I will tell you that that quarterback has really good play. They've got a, they, they will, they will to me be very interested in how they jail because Lane can call plays. He's in a place. Matt Rooney is going to be nuts. I think the one player in the league Bobby that scared would scare the piss out of me is Trinidad Chambers. Yeah. And I've seen it twice and, and, and from the outside in Georgia beat them the first time. They had to score 43 to beat him. Then you score 34 the second time and you get beat. I mean this guy's, this guy is, it's a really damn good player. I ain't gonna be honest with you. I was rooting for him to lose that appeal so he can go on the NFL. It's gotta open. The fact that we're getting. I was like come to Atlanta, we'll take you. Now I've seen enough. You know I, I agree with you

[Host/Interviewer]

because one of the things, that's one of the guys I've talked about because not only do you have him, you've got a guy that can really push through every play with Keyhorn Lacey.

[Sports Analyst]

Yeah, every play. And I think now I think they carried a lot of momentum. I think that team was together, I think that team was united. We got a lot of turnover there. Yeah, Pete Golden's going to face entire off season he had to deal with all that stuff off the field, not just coaching ball, he had to deal with everything. So where are they at? But I will tell you the one player to reward out of me, Trinidad Chandlers.

[Host/Interviewer]

Now South Carolina is on a do or die mission right now with Lenora Sellers seeing a good, another adult quarterback guy that's started multiple years is Marcel Reed stm Oklahoma with John Madeir I

[Sports Analyst]

think deep it's talks about Brett talks about them. Y' all understand with Venables it's such a, it's not just SSC anymore. It's such a quarterback driven college football. You gotta have a guy that can win games in the fourth quarter. I say that about Gunner Stock Gunners Stockton had a great year. Now let's dissect him a little bit. You start talking about the Texas game in Athens Ole Miss in Athens. If Georgia gets that Gunner Stockton they're going to be a very deep problem. They're going to be a problem all the way to him. If they get the Georgia Tech game, if they get really the Alabama, you know, I mean like you need him to be that guy. John Mateer is a key there. I think Lenore Sellers I really think the fit or Kendall Browse is going to be good for South Carolina? I don't know what they're going to do after him, but I'm telling you, Lenore Sellers can freaking play. They put some pieces around him. We don't have a ton of depth. They got Dylan Stewart who's a damn animal off the edge. Got some good offensive linemen. They brought him. They got tough schedule. If they went four and eight last year, they were to get the eight wins, it'd be helping them. But North Sellers can be another guy's a kind of a talent equalizer where they win a game they're not supposed to.

[Host/Interviewer]

I mean, what do you think about two other teams? Georgia and Florida. Excuse me, Florida and Tennessee.

[Sports Analyst]

Tennessee, man. Obviously because it's such a quarterback driven offense. I don't know what they're going to do there. You know, I mean if they start the freshman, they might just say if he beats out George McIntyre and you go with Faison, then maybe you're like, okay. But I think this for Florida, Florida scary good now. It's a new system, it's a new coach. I like to hire a Buster Faulkner. I think it's going to wind up being there in Philo. I really do. On, they got Eric Singleton, they got Jaden Bott, they got a freaking running back. They're really good on defense. The question there is going to be, they have little to no depth of line. They lose one of those five guys. What I heard they're going to be in a pretty tough situation with their schedule. But I really do feel out of these new coaches obviously won't start with Lane because they're rostered. But out of all these new guys, I think some are all. And I've had some guys that went to their practices and they're. Let me tell you something, those four wide receivers they got and freaking go. And I know Eric single. I don't know what the hell was on Auburn with Camp Dolman and Eric Singleton. Everybody's gonna find out.

[Host/Interviewer]

Everybody runs a go route. But I can be free.

[Sports Analyst]

Terry Singleton can go.

[Host/Interviewer]

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[Sports Analyst]

Well here's Kirby relies on you a little bit. It's a great question and I'll tell you this. I don't know the exact numbers but if you were to look at Texas's roster, Texas A and M roster and you look at Georgia's roster, the guys that are playing I bet you Georgia's very close. What they're spending on the rosters, I'm not sure Kirby's paying as much right now with a high school kick. But you talking about roster retention. That's why they didn't players didn't lead. And I know people are like they bleed red. Black. No they bleed green. The state enough states like every other human. You know what I mean? They've got agents. So. So I mean you think Kirby didn't pay to keep those kids. There's a lot of guys that probably watching the officer shot people anywhere in the country redoing their deals and so so he might get a little bit of a discount. George is spending. But here's a big question too. We'll revisit this too. A lot. George is going to lose a lot of experience. The question is going to be for Kirby Smart in December, do I go in the portal heavier than I've ever been, or do I trust my young kids and maybe have to roll the dice and say these kids are ready to play or go. You know what? I don't know what this gets. We got to go out and get. And when you get into Ford or heavy, you gotta start spending.

[Host/Interviewer]

Yeah. I'll be blunt. I mean, Texas is gonna have the same situation. Texas looks like they could have 12, 13, 14 guys drafted off the steam. If that's the case, we're both going to find it. Yeah.

[Sports Analyst]

I mean, exactly.

[Host/Interviewer]

Could be that.

[Naomi Girma]

Yeah.

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