But there\u2019s a difference between keeping a season alive and making something of it.<\/p>\n
Texas Must Make Something of Its Win Against Ole Miss![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m607tkyw8ta6d6btp5.jpg\" "\\"Texas")
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Oct 24, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian celebrates with fans and players after the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
If Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns want Saturday\u2019s victory to mean anything beyond one emotional night in Austin, they have to prove that what happened against Ole Miss wasn\u2019t the exception.<\/p>\n
Because for all the excitement surrounding Texas\u2019 biggest conference win of the season, the issues that nearly derailed it haven\u2019t gone anywhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Longhorns looked like the team everyone expected them to be for the first half. They were up 24-3 and playing elite football on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n
Then, almost as if on cue, the problems returned<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Texas surrendered 21 unanswered points, allowing the Rebels to erase the deficit and tie the game early in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns committed 14 penalties for 134 yards<\/a>, turned the ball over three times and converted just three of their 13 third-down attempts.<\/p>\n Those aren\u2019t the numbers of a team that suddenly has everything figured out.<\/p>\n Unlike the previous two weeks, though, the Longhorns found a way to overcome their mistakes. It was an encouraging performance, even if it was far from a complete one.<\/p>\n Now comes the difficult part: doing it again.<\/p>\n Longhorns Must Carry Their Momentum Against Mississippi State Oct 24, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning throws a pass during the second half against the Mississippi Rebels at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n \u201cNow is not the time for relief syndrome,\u201d Sarkisian said during his Monday media availability. \u201cNow is the time for a Mamba Mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s right.<\/p>\n Against Ole Miss, Texas had every reason to fight with a sense of desperation. Its season was on the brink, and a top-10 opponent offered an opportunity to turn things around.<\/p>\n It\u2019s one thing to fight with urgency against Ole Miss; it\u2019s another to fight with it against a stumbling Mississippi State team that has lost three consecutive games.<\/p>\n The Bulldogs enter Saturday\u2019s matchup at 4-3 and will be without starting quarterback Kamario Taylor<\/a> for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n Texas should have every advantage. But that exact statement could\u2019ve been repeated against Florida and Oklahoma. Talent and expectations are nothing without execution.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s why Saturday\u2019s matchup matters.<\/p>\n Texas doesn\u2019t need another dramatic, season-saving victory. It needs a convincing performance that demonstrates the lessons of the past month have actually been learned.<\/p>\n That means eliminating the self-inflicted mistakes that have repeatedly stalled promising drives. It means carrying offensive momentum into the second half rather than watching it disappear. And it means playing with the same desperation that fueled Saturday\u2019s victory, regardless of the opponent.<\/p>\n Because the Longhorns can no longer afford to decide when they\u2019re going to play their best football.<\/p>\n Texas has already shown it has the talent to beat some of the best teams in the country. What it hasn\u2019t shown is the consistency necessary to become one of them.<\/p>\n The victory over Ole Miss gave the Longhorns a chance to change that narrative.<\/p>\n Now it\u2019s their responsibility to make sure it wasn\u2019t for nothing. <\/p>\n Sign up to\u00a0our free newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0for the latest news.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m607veegs5jawm3qmp.jpg\" "\\"Texas")
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