AUSTIN -- The Texas Longhorns have a problem at tight end. Starter Blaine Irby is out for the season with a dislocated kneecap, leaving the Longhorns quite thin as a position that has been a strength during coach Mack Brown's 11 seasons.

Brown says his staff has "got to find somebody" to fill in as No. 7 Texas (3-0) prepares for Saturday's game against 2-1 Arkansas.

The Longhorns have had a slew of top tight ends in recent years. Bo Scaife, David Thomas and Jermichael Finley were critical parts of the passing game, but they're all in the NFL now.

Good tight ends are difficult to recruit, which means there's usually very little depth. Irby was able to step in when Finley turned pro after his sophomore season and had 10 catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns in the first two games. But then he had to be carted off the field last week against Rice.

The next best option would have been Josh Marshall, but he broke his shoulder blade in the preseason. That leaves Peter Ullman, a senior who has four catches in 35 games; sophomore Greg Smith, a 295-pounder who switched from tackle to tight end in the spring; and redshirt freshman Ian Harris, who was an All-American in high school but has battled injuries this season.

Ahmard Howard is another redshirt freshman who had moved from tight end to defensive end in the spring.

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Q PACKAGE: In the James Bond novels and movies, "Q Branch" is the arm of the British government that would outfit the secret agent with gadgets such as cars with ejector seats, ski pole guns, even a hydrofoil gondola for escaping the bad guys in the canals of Venice.

At Texas, the "Q Package" offensive set uses both quarterbacks Colt McCoy and John Chiles. It's still being field tested with mixed results, although Brown says he likes what he sees.

Brown said during the preseason that Chiles was too good of an athlete to keep off the field and promised to work him into the lineup at other positions. Chiles is big, strong and fast and could be a nightmare for defenses if Texas can get him in a one-on-one mismatch.

The "Q Package" has yet to produce much, partly because Texas has seldom used it. Brown said Texas ran about nine or 10 plays from it in last week's 52-10 win over Rice, including a fourth-down run by Chiles when McCoy split out as a wide receiver.

Chiles ran for 72 yards against Rice, but most of it came when he had taken over at quarterback after McCoy had left the game. Chiles has caught only one pass for six yards, and that came in the season opener against Florida Atlantic.

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RECORD WATCH: With four touchdown passes last week against Rice, McCoy now holds the Longhorn record with 62. He already held the Texas record for most touchdowns in a game with six and a season with 29, both set in 2006.

A redshirt junior, McCoy could rewrite most Texas career passing records by the time he's finished. Here's a look at where McCoy currently stands in the chase for more school records.

--Career yards. Major Applewhite, 8,353 from 1998-2001. McCoy ranks fifth with 6,706.

--Single season yards: Major Applewhite, 3,357. McCoy's 3,303 last season ranks second. He's on pace for 3,332 yards this season.

--Career victories: Vince Young, 30-2 from 2003-2005. McCoy is 23-6 to rank seventh. If Texas wins 10 games this year for the eighth year in a row, McCoy would tie Young.

--Single season touchdowns. With 11 so far, McCoy is one pace to throw for 40 or more.

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HONORING THE GREATS: The Arkansas rivalry is a chance for the Longhorns to formally some of the program's biggest names.

The school will have a pregame ceremony to retire the No. 20 of former quarterback Bobby Layne and No. 60 of linebacker Tommy Nobis (No. 60).

Layne was dubbed the "Toughest quarterback who ever lived" by Sports Illustrated in 1995. He went 28-6 as a starter from 1944-1947. After a 15-year career in the NFL in which he won three league titles, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967. Layne died in 1986.

Nobis was the only sophomore starter on Texas' 1963 national championship team and an All-American in 1964 and 1965. He won the Outland and Maxwell awards and played 10 years in the NFL, earning Pro Bowl honors five times with the Atlanta Falcons.

For the record, Layne was 3-0 against Arkansas and Nobis was 1-2.

The school also will honor former offensive tackle Jerry Sisemore during the pregame ceremony. Sisemore was a 2002 inductee into the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame and played 12 seasons in the NFL.

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BY THE NUMBERS 0-- The number of times Texas punted against Rice, the first time that's happened since 2003.

7-- Sacks Texas had against Rice, after getting just two in the first two games. It's also the total second-half points allowed by Texas this season.

11-- Snaps Rice had inside the Texas 2 in the second quarter without scoring.

103-- Texas' national rank in pass defense.

194-- McCoy's rushing yards, most on the team.

1.5 million-- Hours worked during the two-year project to expand Royal-Memorial Stadium to its current capacity of 94,113.

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QUOTEABLE: "It's pretty neat. I like the `Eyes of Texas' better." -- Texas offensive lineman Chris Hall on the Arkansas hog call.