No. 22 Texas will look to put all the pieces together against swooning Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon in a Southeastern Conference game in Starkville, Miss.
The Longhorns have done enough to win over the past two games but will have to be better if they want to stay in the SEC race. Conversely, the Bulldogs look to break into the win column in league play after losing three straight this season and 15 consecutive SEC contests since October 2023.
Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC) is bidding to find offensive consistency and build momentum for the stretch run. The Longhorns haven’t played at home since beating Sam Houston on Sept. 20, and their final five games will see them face three teams currently ranked in the top 10.
Texas dropped one spot in the poll after outlasting Kentucky 16-13 in overtime on the road last week. The Longhorns’ defense — which all but won the game with a goal-line stand in the Wildcats’ possession in the extra period — and special teams will be called on again against Mississippi State.
The Texas offense, however, continues to struggle.
Arch Manning passed for only 132 yards in the victory at Kentucky and the Longhorns won despite being outgained 395-179. Texas ranks 11th in the SEC in yards per game (368.1) and points per game (26.7).
“At the end of the day offensively, I’ve got to do a better job,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I’ve got to do a better job of putting all of our players in position to be successful — that’s blocking people, that’s throwing the ball to open people, that’s running routes precisely where they need to be.
“It’s not about what I know or what looks good on the whiteboard when you draw it up, it’s what are our guys going to execute really well predicated on the defense that we’re playing and where our strengths are.”
Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3) heads home after a 23-21 loss at Florida last week. The Bulldogs were driving late for a potential game-winning field goal before Blake Shapen tossed an interception.
Shapen completed 24 of 36 passes for 324 yards and Davon Booth rushed for 105 yards with two touchdowns in the loss. Brenen Thompson had seven receptions for 155 yards and Anthony Evans III had a game-high 11 catches for 107 yards.
Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby recognizes that his team’s SEC losing streak is weighing on the players.
“We need to find a way to go win the game — that’s a very real thing,” he said Monday. “This team is this team, and it’s got nothing to do with any years in the past, nothing like that. Finding ways to get better every week, that’s what good football teams do. I do think that we’ve gotten better from Week 1 to right now. Man, all is gonna get right with the world if we’ll find a way to go win one.”
