The Texas Longhorns have struggled their way to a 2-1 start during SEC play amid a tough away-from-home stretch in the month of October.
After scraping past Kentucky in a 16-13 overtime win in Lexington, Texas will stay on the road once again and head to Starkville on Saturday for a matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, making it the second straight game that the Longhorns will face an opponent that’s winless in SEC action.
The conference released the broadcast and kickoff details for the game following the Longhorns’ win over Kentucky, and it’s clear that the SEC is prioritizing other matchups on the schedule. Texas and Mississippi State will kick off at 3:15 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning signals first down in the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
Despite showing notable improvement, the Bulldogs have had some crushing losses this season.
Mississippi State secured an impressive win over then-No. 12 Arizona State during non-conference play but dropped a tough 41-34 overtime loss to the then-No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers. The Bulldogs then suffered a 31-9 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies before Saturday’s 23-21 loss in Gainesville to a reeling Florida Gators team.
Given the recent results, there’s no doubt that the Bulldogs will be a highly-motivated bunch headed into Saturday’s matchup in Starkville. Mississippi State has lost a few close games and could be on the brink of breaking through, especially against a Texas team that has shown major flaws on offense.
Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby looks on during warm ups prior to the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Texas played its inaugural game as a member of the SEC last season in Austin against Mississippi State, which also marked Arch Manning’s second-career start.
The Longhorns were far from perfect but came away with a 35-13 win in what is still the best game Manning has played during his time at Texas. He finished 26 of 31 passing for 325 yards, two touchdowns and no picks along with six carries for 33 yards and another score.
He showed a nice connection with wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., who had four catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
Additionally, Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner had 13 carries for 88 yards and one catch for 12 yards.
The Longhorns will need similar performances from this trio in order to move past the offense struggles against Kentucky and secure a second straight SEC road win to move to 3-1 in conference.