No. 11 Texas Defeats Mississippi State 31-3 Behind Strong Second Half

No. 11 Texas Defeats Mississippi State 31-3 Behind Strong Second Half

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The No. 11 Texas Longhorns secured a comfortable 31-3 victory against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, bouncing back to start a new winning streak as reported by burntorangenation.com.

How Did Texas Jump Out to an Early Lead?

The Longhorns wasted no time taking control of the game on their opening possession. Junior wide receiver Cam Coleman returned from a shoulder injury that had limited his playing time against Ole Miss the previous week.

Coleman proved vital immediately. After a second-play sack on the opening drive, he caught a curl route on 3rd and 8 and raced nearly 40 yards for a 47-yard gain. He entered the contest averaging just 1.6 yards after the catch across 21 receptions. Inside the red zone, Texas caught the Bulldogs with a single deep safety cheating to the opposite side of the field. This left the middle open in closed coverage, allowing Coleman to slip inside for a 14-yard touchdown.

What Went Wrong for Mississippi State’s Offense?

The Bulldogs struggled to sustain momentum, falling to a 4-4 record with their fourth consecutive loss, according to on3.com. Head coach Jeff Lebby fell back to an even record on the season and remains winless in October games during his tenure.

Matters worsened when backup quarterback AJ Swann suffered an injury in the second quarter. Swann, who started over Billy Puckett and completed 12 of 15 passes for 97 yards, took a hard hit under his throwing arm. The blow resulted in a fumble returned 57 yards for a touchdown by junior defensive tackle Maraad Watson after senior linebacker Rasheem Biles forced the ball loose.

Swann left the field and headed to the locker room, eventually returning for the second half with his right arm in a sling. Puckett stepped back in at quarterback, but the Bulldogs’ offense finished with under 200 total yards and was held without a touchdown for the second time in three weeks.

How Did Arch Manning and the Longhorns Pull Away?

Despite facing relentless pressure—surrendering five sacks and two quarterback hurries to the visiting defense, as noted by on3.com—Arch Manning and the Texas offense capitalized on big plays.

No. 11 Texas Defeats Mississippi State 31-3 Behind Strong Second Half
Photo: sports.yahoo.com

Manning scrambled effectively and connected on deep routes, including a 37-yard completion to junior wide receiver Emmett Mosley in the third quarter. Later in the game, on 3rd and 1, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian dialed up a double move. Mosley broke wide open, catching a 42-yard touchdown pass from Manning to extend the lead to 31-3.

Running back Raleek Brown also contributed significantly out of the backfield, including a 22-yard screen pass and a 4-yard rail route touchdown in the third quarter.

What Lies Ahead for Both Teams?

Mississippi State returns home next week to face Vanderbilt at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday, November 7, with kickoff scheduled for 3:15 p.m., needing two wins from their final four games to achieve bowl eligibility.

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