Texas got the kind of jolt it needed early against Mississippi State, and Cam Coleman was right in the middle of it before the night took another turn.
The wide receiver opened fast with two catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, helping get the Longhorns on the board in a hurry. Then, in the second quarter, Coleman was seen heading back to the locker room. There was no clear hit or specific moment that explained the exit, but beat reporter CJ Vogel noted that he had seen the wideout leaving the field.
WR Cam Coleman is heading back to the #Texas locker room.
- CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) November 1, 2026
It was a sharp reversal after a start that looked exactly like what Texas wanted from the transfer addition it paid $3 million for. Coleman had already been in the spotlight last week against Ole Miss, when he dropped two huge passes, including one that would have been a sure touchdown, before leaving with a shoulder injury.
He had spent a few days on Texas’s injury report this week after that hard landing, though he was cleared to play by Friday night.
The problem for Texas is that the offense did not keep the same pace after Coleman’s burst. After a four-play, 62-yard opening drive, the Longhorns faded back into the same uneven rhythm that has followed them around all season. In the eight plays after Coleman’s touchdown catch, Texas managed only seven yards and punted on back-to-back three-and-outs.
That kind of stretch only sharpened the concern around an offense that still has not found much consistency, even after the win over Ole Miss in Week 8. The defense, at least, kept doing its part against Mississippi State, holding the Bulldogs scoreless through their first three possessions.
Still, the biggest issue was clear: Mississippi State was controlling the clock. Before the game had even crossed the 20-minute mark, the Bulldogs had held the ball for nearly 13 minutes, while Texas had it for less than five.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Landed In The Arch Manning Rumor Storm
Arch Mannings name is back in the rumor cycle, and this time the speculation is stretching well beyond the usual offseason chatter. Reports around the Texas quarterback have picked up after former ESPN analyst David Pollack said an SEC coach suggested Manning could move on from Texas after the 2026 season, with Georgia mentioned as a possible destination. Other reporting has also connected Manning to Ole Miss, adding another layer to a conversation that has quickly spread across the SEC.
For Texas, the bigger point is not the destination being floated but the fact that Mannings future is suddenly being discussed at all. He has not commented publicly on the rumors and remains committed to the Longhorns for now, but the noise around him is only going to grow as long as outside voices keep attaching his name to other programs. In a sport where quarterback movement can reshape everything, even a stray rumor about a player like Manning is enough to keep people watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Defense Suddenly Has A New Mississippi State Problem
Mississippi State is making another quarterback change before facing Texas, with AJ Swann set to start in place of injured starter Kamario Taylor and backup Parker Puckett. For the Longhorns, it adds a fresh layer to a matchup already shaped by uncertainty, because Swann arrives with prior college experience but without any game action yet for Mississippi State.
Texas spent part of the week preparing for one look and now has to account for another, since Swann is expected to bring a different style than Taylor. That kind of late adjustment can matter on defense, especially when a unit has to sort out tendencies on the fly and decide where the real pressure points are going to be. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Backfield Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Than Fans Expected
Texas backfield took another hit against Mississippi State when Hollywood Smothers was injured after absorbing a hard shot and had to be taken to the medical tent. It was already a frustrating afternoon for the Longhorns ground game, and Smothers had only a limited role before leaving, while Raleek Brown continued to show why he has become such an important part of the rotation.
Smothers had already missed two games because of a lower-leg injury, and the bigger concern now is how much more time he might lose in a backfield where Brown has clearly been the more productive runner this season. Brown has outpaced him in both rushing yards and touchdowns, which only sharpens the pressure on Texas to sort out a situation that has gone from inconvenient to potentially much more serious. [Read more 🡒]