The Mississippi State Bulldogs have been an incredibly scrappy team in 2025 for Jeff Lebby, but they have a couple of glaring weaknesses that the Longhorns can easily take advantage of in week 9.
If Steve Sarkisian and Texas want to get another important SEC win today, they'll have to be effective in two main areas:
The run game
Now that C.J. Baxter is officially active for today's matchup, the offense "should" look smoother on 3rd downs. One of the main reasons why Texas' offense has been stalling out in short-yardage situations is because they haven't had a player who can get 2-3 tough yards up the middle like Baxter can.
Tre Wisner has been excellent between the 20's for Steve Sarkisian and Co., and he'll have to continue with that success today if the offense is going to be effective. The Bulldogs have had an incredibly hard time stopping the run lately, giving up 181 yards per game and allowing opposing ballcarriers to average 4.8 yards per carry.
If the Longhorns end up looking good on offense today, it'll be on the heels of solid performances by Wisner, Baxter, and Christian Clark.
Pass defense
The only part of Mississippi State's offense that's been above-average at times is their passing game. Bulldogs QB Blake Shapen has been able to take over games when left unchecked, and he single-handedly beat Arizona State earlier in the season.
Colin Simmons, Trey Moore, and Ethan Burke have to find a way to get to Shapen today at a fairly consistent clip for DC Pete Kwiatkowski. It'll also be interesting to see if Kwiatkowski chooses to blitz Anthony Hill Jr. more often than he has over the first part of the season.
Texas being without Michael Taaffe today is undoubtedly worrisome, but Derek Williams Jr. and Xavier Filsaime are primed and ready to step up at safety alongside Jelani McDonald. If the Longhorns can shut down Mississippi State's passing game and force them to beat them on the ground, things could get ugly quick for the Bulldogs. They also might be without one of their top ball-carriers today in Fluff Bothwell, who's dealing with a lower body injury.