Mississippi State may still be learning how to win games, but it’s gotten its degree in making games exciting.
After dominating No. 22 Texas for three quarters Saturday, the Bulldogs watched the Longhorns score 24 points in the fourth quarter, to tie the game at 38-38 at force overtime.
And for the second time this season, a visiting team left Davis Wade Stadium with an overtime victory.
Texas escapes Starkville with a 45-38 win and keeps its slim hopes of making the College Football Playoff alive.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a pass during the second quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Mississippi State, meanwhile, is left wondering how it let a 17-point fourth quarter lead slip away to another SEC team with an orange and white color scheme in an overtime loss.
The immediate reaction won’t be good, either from the Bulldogs themselves or their fans.
.@kelleyjones511 found his people 🫶 pic.twitter.com/pocgfZObAY
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) October 25, 2025
Mississippi State truly did dominate Texas for the first three quarters and when Davon Booth caught a shovel pass from Blake Shapen and ran 62 yards for a touchdown, a win seemed all but assured.
But then the Longhorns got some help extending a drive with a roughing the passer penalty, which lead to a 21-yard touchdown pass by Manning. Then Mason Shipley made a 26-yard field goal five minutes later to cut into the lead.
Even when the Bulldogs lined up to punt the ball away with less than two minutes to go, a Mississippi State win still seemed like an inevitability.
Then Ryan Niblett scored his 79-yard punt return touchdown, the Longhorns scored a touchdown in the first overtime period and the Bulldogs couldn’t.
It’s the third SEC loss this season for Mississippi State that could be looked at as games it should’ve won. There’s the overtime loss to Tennessee and last week’s loss to Florida that reopened some previously healed scars.
🎯 https://t.co/CNCGKyLKwV pic.twitter.com/dgjp78qT0l
— Mississippi State Athletics (@HailState) October 25, 2025
This loss rips those wounds wide open because this Mississippi State team is three plays away from being 7-1 and in the conversation for a playoff spot. And the loss to Texas is an even bigger “should’ve won” game than the one to the Gators.
Instead, the Bulldogs are 0-4 in SEC games and the goodwill generated from the significant signs of improvement from this team is nearing empty.
There’s been a lot of talk this week about Mississippi State being “close” to being a winning team and for 47 minutes, it looked like the Bulldogs had broken that barrier.
The Bulldogs are still close to their breakthrough, but there’s still a lot of work left to be done.