4 takeaways from Texas's sloppy win vs. Mississippi State
It wasn't easy for No. 1 Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian in the SEC opener on Sep. 28 against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. However, Texas was able to escape with a victory despite Mississippi State keeping this game close for the first two and a half quarters.
No. 1 Texas football salts away a closer than expected game vs. Mississippi State in the second half
This game was very close at halftime, despite the Longhorns being a massive favorite before the kickoff of this game, by a margin of over five touchdowns. Texas went into the locker room at halftime up by just eight points against Mississippi State.
Miscues and penalties really cost the Longhorns on both sides of the ball in the first half. Redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning played pretty well in this game, but his receivers and offensive line didn't do much to help him out early on.
Manning, getting his second straight start in place of the injured Quinn Ewers, finished up the game with 26 completions on 31 passing attempts for over 300 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and no turnovers.
Here's a look at the four takeaways from No. 1 Texas's sloppy victory at home in Week 5 in the SEC opener over Mississippi State.
Run defense struggles
Texas's defensive front was pushed around by Mississippi State's line in the first half of this game. Mississippi State outgained Texas on the ground in the first half, with 115 rushing yards to Texas's 10. The Longhorns did a better job on the ground in the second half, but some bigger gains on the ground and in the screen game were negated by penalties.
Since the Longhorns had the lead entering the locker room at halftime, Mississippi State's run game wasn't as effective in the final two quarters. Texas was able to flip the rushing stats in the second half, outgaining the Bulldogs on the ground by a margin of roughly 100 yards.
Mississippi State's inexperienced offensive line being able to push around Texas's defensive line in the first half was a concerning sight. But the Longhorns defense was able to respond in the second half. The defensive line does have some issues to work out entering the bye week to shore up against the run entering October in SEC play against teams like Oklahoma and Georgia.