FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas’ offensive struggles against Ole Miss in a 63-31 loss were overshadowed by the Razorback secondary, which was beaten five times by Rebels wide receiver Jordan Watkins for touchdowns.

Despite the defense giving up eight touchdowns, the offense may need a bigger return. The offense managed just a 55-yard field goal and a touchdown late in the first half before scoring three touchdowns in garbage time against backups.

No. 3 Texas presents a different challenge than Ole Miss’ vaunted defensive front, which should help an offensive line that allowed eight sacks against the Rebels.

“They’re not as complicated,” coach Sam Pittman said. “They’re big and very physical. Whoever’s in the top five, 10, maybe 15 in the country, all those teams are very talented on the D-line and offensive lines. That’s the case with Texas.”

Don’t mistake simplicity for incompetence. The Longhorns lead the SEC and are in the top-5 nationally in several categories. Texas ranks fourth in scoring defense (12.1 points per game), first in passing defense (135.3 yards) and second in total defense (251 yards). Texas has only allowed more than 20 points in a game twice this season (Georgia and Vanderbilt).

Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, who has been with Texas coach Steve Sarkisian since his start at Texas, created a unit that produced stellar stats without getting to the quarterback at a high rate. The Longhorns rank eighth in the SEC with just 21 sacks on the year.

“They’re really simple, but they play hard and shoot their goals,” tight end Luke Hasz said of the defense. “We’ll be ready for that, and it’s something we’ve been working on in practice this week. They’ve got some guys in the secondary that can play, too.”

One of the playmakers is Jahdae Barron, the top-rated cornerback by the PFF. He leads the team with three interceptions and also has 31 tackles.

“We have to play better on the line,” said guard Fernando Carmona Jr.. “We didn’t have our best performance in that Ole Miss game and the talent level is about the same. It’s just about looking at our past film and how we’re going to correct it this week.”

Kickoff between Arkansas and Texas is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Razorback Stadium. The match will be broadcast on ABC.

• Arkansas’ defense has four tasks it must accomplish in order to win