Mississippi State heads into Halloween night in a tough spot, and the assignment does not get any friendlier with No. 11 Texas waiting in Austin. The Bulldogs are trying to bounce back from a three-game skid without Kamario Taylor, who is out for the season after foot surgery, and they’ll have to do it with either Billy Puckett or AJ Swann at quarterback.
The matchup kicks off Oct. 31 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN, with Mississippi State sitting at 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the SEC. Texas comes in at 5-2 and 3-2 in the conference. The Longhorns are the clear favorite, even with some injury questions of their own.
Taylor’s absence changes everything for Mississippi State. He had flashed as a Heisman Trophy contender before the injury, but the Bulldogs never fully stabilized after that, and the losses piled up against Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma. Now the offense has to reset on the fly, and that usually means leaning on the run game and trying to keep the whole thing from turning into a track meet.
Fluff Bothwell is the obvious engine. He’s been excellent at running back and is averaging 102.6 rushing yards per game if you leave out the Alabama contest, when he played one series before exiting. Mississippi State will also need to find ways to feature Anthony Evans III, who ranks second in the SEC with 92.4 receiving yards per game.
There is at least some familiarity between these teams. This will be the third straight season Mississippi State has faced Texas since the Longhorns entered the SEC, and Arch Manning is set to make his third career start against the Bulldogs. Texas has already beaten Mississippi State twice, including last season’s 17-point comeback at Davis Wade Stadium after erasing a fourth-quarter deficit.
The Longhorns have been volatile this season, with wins over Ohio State, Tennessee and Ole Miss, but also losses to Oklahoma and Florida. Still, this is a game where their depth and offensive firepower could matter more than the recent wobble. Avoiding turnovers may be enough for Texas to stay in control, especially against a Mississippi State offense that will be missing its starting quarterback and trying to keep the pace down.
That said, the Bulldogs could try to make this ugly. That was the approach in 2024 at Texas when freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. made his first career start. If Mississippi State is going to hang around, the formula likely involves slowing the game, stealing a couple of turnovers and making Texas uncomfortable for as long as possible.
Texas has its own injury concerns. Left tackle Trevor Goosby is out after reportedly suffering a season-ending injury against Ole Miss, and his replacement, Andre Cojoe, was responsible for a strip sack that Ole Miss recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. Colin Simmons, who leads the SEC with 10.5 sacks, was also listed as questionable on the initial SEC availability report.
As for the players Texas can still roll out, Manning’s last outing against Ole Miss showed both the upside and the growing pains: 212 passing yards, one passing touchdown, two interceptions and two rushing touchdowns. Running back Raleek Brown has 157 rushing yards and ranks 11th in the SEC in total rushing yards. The Longhorns also have Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V at receiver.
The full injury report released Oct. 28 lists Mississippi State DL Diesel Moye, DL Trevion Williams, WR Ayden Williams, LB Jalen Smith and QB Kamario Taylor as out, with S Isaac Smith and OL DJ Chester questionable. For Texas, Trevor Goosby and Edge Richard Wesley are out, while Edge Colin Simmons is questionable and RB Hollywood Smothers, WR Kaliq Lockett and WR Cam Coleman are probable.
Prediction-wise, Texas is expected to handle business. A 40-17 final feels like the kind of result that fits the matchup, especially with the Longhorns having reason to keep pushing for style points in the College Football Playoff race.
In Other News...
Mississippi State Enters Texas Test With One Huge Question Unsettled
Mississippi State heads into its first game since Kamario Taylor underwent season-ending foot surgery with the quarterback spot suddenly back at center stage. With Taylor out, Billy Puckett and A.J. Swann are battling for the start against Texas, and the Bulldogs have kept the competition close enough that the answer will not come until late Saturday.
For a team trying to reset on the fly, the timing adds another layer to a tough road trip. Texas brings its own intrigue with Arch Manning, who has flashed enough this season to keep people watching even if he has not fully lived up to the early hype, so Mississippi States weekend storyline is as much about its own uncertainty as the opponent on the other side. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State's Skid Is Raising Bigger Questions Before Texas
Mississippi States loss to Oklahoma did more than extend a frustrating slide. It pushed the Bulldogs deeper into a statistical spiral at a time when the schedule is about to get even less forgiving, with Texas next on the list. The concerns are spread across both sides of the ball, from total offense and turnover margin to sacks allowed, and the picture that has emerged is one of a team still searching for consistency in just about every phase.
The defensive numbers may be the sharpest warning sign. Mississippi State has dropped near the bottom of the SEC and the national rankings in several key categories, and the issues in coverage have become especially hard to ignore. Offensively, the Bulldogs have also struggled to stay on schedule and sustain drives, leaving them with a three-game losing streak and a growing sense that the fixes need to come quickly before the Longhorns arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Fluff Bothwell Faces A Brutal Test In Mississippi States Texas Matchup
Mississippi States offense heads into its Texas matchup with a lot of the usual Week 9 uncertainty, and the focus naturally falls on how the Bulldogs might try to create room for Fluff Bothwell on the ground. The freshman has been one of the more watchable pieces of the attack, but the larger DFS picture around this game points toward a setup that could make life difficult for any running back trying to find steady production.
Recent trends, target shares and game-script concerns all lean in the same direction, with the matchup itself adding another layer of resistance for Bothwell. Mississippi State has also been navigating personnel questions around Kamario Taylor, and Bothwells own health has been part of the conversation this month, which only adds to the uncertainty surrounding how much of a workload he can realistically carry in this spot. [Read more 🡒]