When the 11th-ranked Texas Longhorns take the field at 6:30 Saturday night against Mississippi State, Steve Sarkisian’s squad will not just be trying to protect a 5-2 record.
The Bulldogs enter Austin with a 4-3 overall mark and a 2-3 record in SEC play, showcasing a profoundly different look under center. Mississippi State lost dynamic playmaker Kamario Taylor to a season-ending toe injury that required surgery this week, robbing the offense of the dual-threat quarterback who helped spark a 4-0 start featuring wins over Missouri and Minnesota.
Instead, the Longhorns will prepare for either athletic redshirt freshman Billy Puckett or Appalachian State transfer A.J. Swan. Swan brings considerable starting experience with 12 starts across two years at Vanderbilt and six more at App State. Meanwhile, Puckett has completed 66% of his passes with one touchdown and two interceptions, feeding a strong running game anchored by Fluff Bothwell, a physical runner who has already notched four 100-yard games this season.
The Tempo Threat and Defending the Wide Splits
Sarkisian expects Jeff Lebby’s offensive philosophy to remain entirely unchanged despite the quarterback shift. Lebby, the third-year coach who holds a 7-18 record, nearly pulled off a massive upset against Texas last year in a 45-38 overtime loss at home. He calls his own plays with a distinct mandate: go fast, spread the field wide, and commit heavily to the ground game.
The Bulldogs snap the ball with an average of 27 seconds left on the play clock. Sarkisian noted that they currently operate as the fastest team Texas has faced all season. That blistering pace puts immense pressure on the defense to communicate, get cleats in the ground, and align correctly before the snap.
Failure to match that tempo spells disaster. Texas missed 19 tackles in a loss to Florida and another 14 against Ole Miss, though the defense managed to contain Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss under a 50% completion rate with three interceptions. Against Mississippi State’s receiving corps—highlighted by Anthony Evans, who ranks 15th nationally and leads the SEC with 53 catches for 647 yards and five touchdowns alongside teammates like Francisco Magee running 10.2 or sub-10.2-second 100-meter times—sloppy tackling in space will prove fatal.
Linebackers Play Every Snap to Anchor Aggressive Scheme
To shore up a defense missing Colin Simmons, the nation’s premier sacker—who is listed as questionable for Saturday—Will Muschamp unleashed his blitzers against Mississippi to compensate and clamped down on the Rebels receivers. Sarkisian explained that this aggressive press coverage philosophy was a primary reason for Muschamp’s hiring, aiming to eliminate easy completions in zone coverage.
Anchoring that aggressive scheme requires extraordinary stamina. Linebackers Rasheem Biles and Justin Cryer played every single snap against Ole Miss, hauling in an interception each to bring their season totals to four. Supported by a stellar performance from third linebacker Brad Spence at edge rusher, the group has leaned into October’s cooler temperatures and high football IQ to shoulder the workload.
Protecting Arch Manning After a Devastating Loss
Saturday marks the first game for Texas without Trevor Goosby, whose career ended when he ruptured his patellar tendon in his left knee and required surgery.
Senior Andre Cojoe will step in to protect Arch Manning’s blind side. Cojoe missed last season with a knee injury and appeared in just four games as a sophomore in 2024, but Sarkisian expressed confidence in the 6-6, 330-pound lineman’s ability to handle the physical and mental grind alongside tight end and running back assistance.
With only a November 21 date with Arkansas remaining at Royal-Memorial Stadium after this weekend’s contest, the margin for error is razor-thin. One more loss could keep Texas in the College Playoff conversation at 9-3, but a defeat against Mississippi State would mirror last year’s stumble against Florida and kill the Longhorns’ playoff chances.
