Texas is coming off one of its biggest wins of the season, and now the Longhorns have an opportunity to build on it against a Mississippi State team that just lost its starting quarterback.
The Bulldogs entered this season with more promise than we’ve seen from that football program in a long time, but things have fallen apart pretty quickly. With Kamario Taylor now out for the rest of the year, it’s hard to envision a strong finish for Mississippi State.
Texas, meanwhile, is fresh off a top-10 victory over Ole Miss. That felt like the Longhorns’ biggest win since their comeback against Ohio State earlier this season.
It’s a good opportunity for Texas to get things right offensively, especially against a Mississippi State defense that has struggled against the pass.
Texas Needs to Establish the Running Game
Texas should be feeling pretty confident offensively after what happened against Ole Miss, but the biggest question is whether the Longhorns can continue running the football successfully.
We know what Arch Manning is at this point. He’s played well at times, but there’s still been a lot of inconsistency.
That’s why I would be hard-headed with the running game this weekend.
The one thing Mississippi State’s defense is relatively decent at is stopping the run, but Texas should use this opportunity to establish something it can lean on for the remainder of the season.
You’ve still got Missouri and LSU coming up, and those are two teams you’re going to need to run the football against.
We got Arch some confidence last week. We got Raleek Brown some confidence in the fourth quarter. Now let’s get that offensive line some confidence by showing them they can run the football against a decent run defense.
This is about more than beating Mississippi State. It’s about developing an identity offensively that Texas can carry into the final stretch of the season.
Trouble Without Kamario Taylor?
The entire outlook for this game changes with Taylor no longer in the equation.
Mississippi State will have to rely on its backup quarterback situation, with Parker Puckett among the options after stepping in for Taylor.
I don’t expect Puckett to light it up against Will Muschamp and this Texas defense.
He’s been fairly mediocre in his recent appearances, and I don’t expect the Bulldogs to put up many points in this football game.
Texas has a really good defense. I know some people might question the offenses they’ve played, but I think this group is legitimately good.
They held Tennessee’s offense to 10 points, with the Volunteers also scoring on a punt return. Against Ole Miss, Texas limited a dangerous offense led by Trinidad Chambliss to fewer than 25 offensive points.
If Texas takes care of the football, I don’t care how well it runs or throws it. The Longhorns should win this game.
We’ve seen Manning get careless with the football at times, and we’ve seen Texas lose the turnover battle in games where it’s cost them.
Protect the football, let the defense do its job, and Texas should be in good shape.
Michael Terry Should Get a Bigger Workload
One thing I’m particularly concerned about is keeping Raleek Brown healthy down the stretch.
Hollywood Smothers has been dealing with injuries throughout the season, and Texas can’t afford to lose Brown while trying to establish the run against Mississippi State.
I don’t need Brown getting 25 carries in this football game.
If I’m Steve Sarkisian, I’m making sure Michael Terry gets at least 12 to 15 carries.
He’s 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. He can handle that kind of workload.
The last thing Texas needs is to be up 14 points in the second quarter, have Brown already approaching his 15th carry, and watch him get banged up.
Then you’re dealing with his health for the rest of the season.
Terry needs a workload this weekend. Texas can still commit to running the football without putting unnecessary mileage on Brown.
Cam Coleman Has an Opportunity to Get Going
Another player Texas needs to get going is Cam Coleman.
Coleman suffered a shoulder injury against Ole Miss, although there have been positive reports about his availability for this weekend.
He was one of the most highly regarded wide receivers in the transfer portal this past offseason, and bringing him to Texas was supposed to be a major addition alongside Ryan Wingo.
It hasn’t worked out quite the way everyone expected.
There have been opportunities for Coleman to make big plays in this offense, but the consistency hasn’t been there.
I’m not saying Texas needs to force-feed him the football. The Longhorns have other talented receivers.
But if Coleman is healthy enough to play, this would be a good opportunity to get him involved and help build his confidence heading into the final stretch of the season.
Mississippi State vs. Texas Prediction
I’ve got Texas winning 37-10.
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