The Mississippi State offense still has plenty of teeth, even without Kamario Taylor.
That’s the uncomfortable part for No. 11 Texas as it gets ready to host the Bulldogs in Austin on Halloween.
Mississippi State is 4-3 now after opening the year 4-0 and outscoring opponents 172-84 with Taylor steering the attack. Taylor is officially out for the season, but the Bulldogs aren’t walking into this one empty-handed.
They already proved that a backup quarterback can still make Texas sweat. Florida did it at home two weeks ago, when Buster Faulkner and Tramell Jones Jr. out-schemed the Longhorns in a 27-24 upset. Jeff Lebby and Parker Puckett now have a similar opening if they can put Texas in the same kind of bind.
Lebby’s offense is built on the Veer-and-Shoot, a system that stretches defenses horizontally and vertically, then punishes them when they start cheating toward the pass. It’s fast, it’s motion-heavy, and it keeps defenses guessing with a tricky run game and constant tempo. Texas handled a Veer-and-Shoot Ole Miss attack last weekend and held the Rebels to 20 points, but Mississippi State doesn’t run the scheme the same way.
The biggest difference is on the ground. Ole Miss runs it on just 44.3% of plays, while Mississippi State leans into the run 51.6% of the time. So even with Taylor gone, the Bulldogs haven’t suddenly become one-dimensional.
That showed up against Oklahoma. Mississippi State ran the ball 29 times, not counting sacks, and averaged 6.2 yards per carry with a 55% success rate against a defense that’s been a problem for plenty of teams.
The Bulldogs were especially effective when Oklahoma used lighter boxes to help cover the wide-open passing game. That’s the same kind of answer Texas has often used against this offense, and it’s the area that could decide the night.
Puckett brings enough athleticism to keep the run game moving, and Lebby’s motion and backfield movement help hide what’s coming. But there’s no pretending the passing game is the same without Taylor. The Bulldogs lost their downfield punch when he went down, and Puckett just doesn’t drive the ball with the same consistency.
He also grades out worse than Taylor at every level beyond the line of scrimmage, according to PFF, and he’s not throwing deep nearly as often. That gives Texas a chance to adjust. If Muschamp decides to move away from his usual light-box approach and crowd the line, the Longhorns can dare Mississippi State to beat them through the air.
If that works, Texas gets its second straight win and keeps building after the back-to-back losses that knocked it off course earlier this season.
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