No. 11 Texas looked in control early, then spent the rest of the first half and into the third quarter trying to keep Mississippi State from hanging around. The Longhorns jumped out to a 7-0 lead on their opening possession Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, but the Bulldogs kept finding ways to survive long enough to trim the margin to 17-3.
The first Texas drive belonged to Cam Coleman. Back after a shoulder injury that cut short his outing against Ole Miss last week, the junior wideout helped erase a sack on the second play of the series with a 47-yard catch on 3rd and 8, then finished the march with a 14-yard touchdown grab. Coleman entered the game with only 33 yards after the catch on his 21 receptions, an average of 1.6 yards after the catch.
Mississippi State answered with a series that showed some life but not enough finish. Anthony Evans III lined up at running back on 3rd and 5 and turned a wheel route into an 11-yard gain, and AJ Swann, starting over Billy Pucket, kept the offense moving with a mix of short runs and completions. But the Bulldogs’ drive stalled after back-to-back false starts, and the punt went into the end zone.
Texas couldn’t build on the early touchdown right away. The Longhorns went three and out after freshman receiver Jermaine Bishop picked up six yards on a screen, and another possession fizzled when Hollywood Smothers was stopped for a loss and Arch Manning couldn’t connect with Ryan Wingo on third down. Mississippi State kept working through Swann, who found a pocket of space in Texas zone coverage for a 23-yard gain and later stayed perfect as a passer through the first quarter on a run-pass option that moved the game into the second.
The Bulldogs had a chance to break through early in the second quarter, getting into the red zone after Fluff Bothwell powered through contact. But the sequence unraveled fast. A direct snap to Bothwell that was supposed to become a toss to Evans turned into a six-yard loss when the exchange went wrong, and a 38-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright and bounced away.
Texas answered with a methodical drive that leaned on Manning’s legs and the ground game. The Longhorns mixed in a push pass to Wingo, a quarterback sneak for a first down, and a tough scramble from Manning that left his right hand bloody.
Later, backup quarterback KJ Lacey entered briefly while Raleek Brown helped move the chains with an 11-yard run against a blitz. The drive eventually stalled, but Gianni Spetic drilled a 45-yard field goal to make it 10-0.
Special teams nearly gave Texas a bigger jolt. Ryan Niblett ripped off a 76-yard punt return touchdown, only for it to come back because of a block in the back penalty on walk-on receiver Rett Andersen. The Longhorns then backed themselves up with an illegal formation penalty and nearly got trapped at their own 1-yard line before punting.
That’s when the game flipped hard. After Mississippi State picked up a first down, Rasheem Biles forced a fumble from Swann, Maraad Watson scooped it up and took it 57 yards for a touchdown, and the Longhorns suddenly had a defensive score to stretch the lead. Swann was injured on the play and left before halftime.
Texas finished the half by getting after the quarterback, with sacks from Justus Terry and Zina Umeozulu ending Mississippi State’s final push before the break.
The Bulldogs opened the third quarter with Billy Puckett at quarterback and tried to test Warren Roberson, who was on the field because Graceson Littleton was injured in the first half. Roberson broke up the first throw and helped force the next one incomplete, and after another penalty Mississippi State punted.
Texas moved the ball some to start its next possession, with Wingo catching a six-yard pass and Mosley adding a 14-yard gain on a glance-route run-pass option. Then the offense stalled again. Manning took two sacks, including a sack-fumble after he passed up a swing throw to Brown with a blocker in front of him.
Mississippi State finally got on the board after the defense forced a negative play. Biles turned an attempted trick play into trouble by forcing Evans into a lateral to Puckett, and the Bulldogs settled for a 30-yard field goal.
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 🡒]
Cam Coleman Gave Texas A Spark Then Left Fans Worried
Cam Coleman gave Texas exactly the kind of early burst it needed against Mississippi State, turning two catches into 61 yards and a touchdown before the first half had even settled in. After being listed on the injury report earlier in the week with a shoulder issue from the previous game, he was cleared to play and looked ready to make an immediate impact.
Then came the part that had Longhorns fans watching closely. Coleman was seen heading to the locker room in the second quarter without any obvious injury moment on the field, leaving a jolt of concern after such a promising start and raising fresh questions about his status for the rest of the game. [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 🡒]