Colin Simmons, FBS sacks leader, listed Doubtful

Texas stays ahead, Mississippi State falls behind

Against Power 4 opponents, Texas is +5 in point margin, 29th nationally and eighth in the SEC. Mississippi State is -33 in the same games, 58th nationally and 14th in the SEC. The Longhorns have stayed just ahead of those opponents on the scoreboard, and the Bulldogs have fallen well behind them.

Against Power 4 opponents, Texas scores 25.2 points a game and allows 24.2, ranking 34th and 32nd nationally. Mississippi State scores 24.7 and allows 30.2, ranking 38th and 54th. The offenses are close. The defenses are not.

Neither team is clean against Power 4 opponents. Mississippi State is penalized 73 yards a game, 15th in the SEC, and Texas 67, 11th in the SEC. Texas holds the ball 29:16 a game to Mississippi State's 27:46. The Longhorns return punts for 11.7 yards on 15 returns, ninth nationally.

Where it's decided

When Mississippi State has the ball, it brings an offense that ranks 33rd nationally against Power 4 opponents at 386 yards a game into a Texas defense that ranks ninth, allowing 301. The Bulldogs run for 147 yards a game, 31st, and Texas allows 104 on the ground, 13th nationally and second in the SEC. Mississippi State passes for 239 yards a game, 34th, against a Texas pass defense allowing 198, 16th.

Against Power 4 opponents, third down tilts toward Texas. Mississippi State converts 41.0%, 30th nationally, and the Longhorns allow 32.5%, ninth. Texas ends 68.9% of opponents' drives without a score, 16th nationally.

Fluff Bothwell leads Mississippi State in rushing yards with 514 on 91 carries and 3 touchdowns, and Kolin Wilson is second with 218. Sanfrisco Magee is second on the team in receiving yards with 360 and is tied for second in the SEC with 6 touchdown catches.

When Texas has the ball, the pass is the soft spot on both sides against Power 4 opponents. The Longhorns throw for 208 yards a game, 13th in the SEC, and Mississippi State allows 289 through the air, 16th in the SEC. Texas totals 334 yards a game, 54th nationally, against a Bulldog defense allowing 411, 55th.

Against Power 4 opponents, Texas has scored on every red zone trip, second nationally and first in the SEC. Mississippi State allows scores on 84.0% of red zone trips, 45th. Getting there is the problem: Texas converts 30.8% of third downs, 68th nationally, and the Bulldogs allow 44.7%, 64th.

Quarterback Arch Manning leads Texas in passing yards with 1,510, with 12 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and a 63.5 completion percentage. Ryan Wingo leads the Longhorns in receiving yards with 456 and in catches with 33. Cam Coleman is second with 334 receiving yards and is tied for second in the SEC with 6 touchdown catches. Raleek Brown leads Texas in rushing yards with 422 and has 5 touchdowns, and Hollywood Smothers adds 289.

Mississippi State without Kamario Taylor

Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor is listed Out. He leads the Bulldogs in passing yards with 1,460, with 17 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and a 65.4 completion percentage, and he has run for 147 yards. His 17 touchdown passes are tied for the SEC lead.

Wide receiver Anthony Evans III leads the SEC with 53 catches and leads Mississippi State in receiving yards with 647, third in the SEC, with 5 touchdowns.

Texas from No. 1 to No. 11

Texas spent four straight weeks at No. 1 and was still there three weeks ago. It is No. 11 now. Last week's win over Ole Miss extended its winning streak against ranked teams to 5 games, dating to 2025. Texas' Michael Terry III scored his first career rushing touchdown in that game.

Mississippi State's slide out of the poll

Mississippi State was No. 16 two weeks ago and is unranked now. Jeff Lebby is 2-13 as a head coach against ranked teams. Last week against Oklahoma, Mississippi State's Camden Capehart scored his first career receiving touchdown.

Two former Longhorns and a Kyle native

Mississippi State defensive lineman Jaray Bledsoe played at Texas in 2022-24, making 7 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. He returns to Austin leading the Bulldogs in sacks with 2.5, along with 5.5 tackles for loss. Mississippi State linebacker Derion Gullette is also a former Longhorn facing the program he left.

Mississippi State safety Tanner Johnson grew up in Kyle, Texas, about 20 miles from Austin, and played at Lehman.

Texas rebuilt its skill group through transfers. Coleman arrived as a 5-star from Auburn with 725 receiving yards from 2025, and Smothers came from NC State as a 4-star. Texas returns only 32% of its 2025 rushing yards, and transfers brought in 2,111, including 1,141 from Brown. Biles, a 4-star from Pittsburgh, brought 100 tackles and 17 tackles for loss from 2025.

Texas had 6 players drafted, one each at linebacker, cornerback, edge, safety, guard and tight end, with 1 in the first two rounds. Linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. went in the second round, 60th overall, to Tennessee, and safety Michael Taaffe went in the fifth round to Miami.

Mississippi State had 2 players drafted, neither in the first two rounds. Wide receiver Brenen Thompson, who had 1,054 receiving yards in 2025, went in the fourth round to Los Angeles, and tight end Seydou Traore went in the fifth to Miami.

Mississippi State's linebackers thin out

Update, Sat, Oct 31, 5:00 PM CT: Since Friday's report, Mississippi State downgraded Tyler Lockhart (doubtful to out) and Isaac Smith (doubtful to out). On the latest report, Texas lists Colin Simmons, Richard Wesley and Trevor Goosby as out or doubtful. Mississippi State lists Kamario Taylor, Tyler Lockhart, Jalen Smith and 5 others as out or doubtful.

Mississippi State linebacker Tyler Lockhart, who leads the Bulldogs in tackles with 48, is new on this week's report as Questionable. Lebby said Oct. 26 that linebacker Jalen Smith is done for the year and has had surgery, according to Yahoo Sports. Smith is listed Out. Safety Isaac Smith is Questionable.

The Bulldogs also list wide receiver Ayden Williams, defensive linemen Trevion Williams and Diesel Moye and offensive lineman DJ Chester as Out.

For Texas, offensive lineman Trevor Goosby is new on the report as Out. Edge rusher Richard Wesley is also Out, and asked whether the injury is serious, Sarkisian said Oct. 29, 'I think we'll get him back here in the next couple of weeks,' according to On3. Wide receiver Kaliq Lockett is Probable.

Texas has owned the series since 1992

Texas leads the series 4-2 since 1921 and has won the last 3 meetings. The Longhorns won 45-38 at Mississippi State in 2025, and Wingo had 184 receiving yards. That Texas team went 10-3, and Taaffe won the Wuerffel Trophy. Mississippi State finished 5-8.

Mississippi State's last win over Texas came in 1992, a season the Bulldogs finished 7-5 and the Longhorns 6-5.

Three things to watch

Turnovers: against Power 4 opponents, Texas is -6 in turnover margin and Mississippi State is -4.

Mississippi State's path: its run defense ranks 24th nationally against Power 4 opponents at 122 yards allowed, facing a Texas run game that averages 126, and the Bulldogs are 2-1 in one-score games to Texas' 3-2.

Coleman's milestone: the Texas receiver needs 1 touchdown catch to reach 20 for his career.