For the first time since the 1991 season, the Mississippi State Bulldogs would welcome the 22nd-ranked Longhorns of Texas to Davis Wade Stadium as Coach Jeff Lebby and the boys look to pick up their first Southeastern Conference win in two years. 

For the Longhorns, they limped into Starkville coming off the near-disaster in Lexington last weekend, where they needed overtime to take down a terrible Kentucky team, while struggling to hang on to an outside hope of reaching the College Football Playoff. A loss to the Bulldogs on Saturday would all but end Texas’s hopes of winning a National Championship and even earning a Heisman Trophy with Arch Manning. 

For Mississippi State, the Bulldogs came into the game with Texas looking to win their first Southeastern Conference game in two years, the first under Coach Lebby. Since beating a top-ten Arizona State team in September, the Bulldogs have been close, but just couldn’t finish the job. 

Texas would strike first in the first half, but the Bulldogs of Mississippi State would take a 24-14 lead into the locker room. Texas had no answer in the first half for Blake Shapen, Brenen Thompson, and Davon Booth as the Bulldogs racked up 281 yards of total offense, 187 of which came over the top of the Texas secondary. 

Mississippi State would add another touchdown on the board with 26 seconds remaining in the third to extend the lead over Texas to 31-14. 

Texas would open the fourth quarter with a quick touchdown drive to cut the Mississippi State lead to 31-21 with 13:15 remaining in the game. Blake Shapen would find Davon Booth on a slant route for a 62-yard touchdown to extend the Mississippi State lead to 38-21 with 12:29 to play in the game. Texas would respond with an Arch Manning 21-yard touchdown pass to Emmett Mosley to make it 38-28 with 9:34 left in the game. Texas cut the Mississippi State lead to a touchdown off a Mason Shipley 26-yard field goal to make it 38-31 with 4:14 remaining in the game. Texas would take a punt return to the house for a touchdown to tie the game at 38 with 1:37 remaining in the game. 

Regulation wouldn’t be enough for the Longhorns and Bulldogs as they went into overtime tied at 38. 

First play from scrimmage for Texas, and Arch Manning would go down with an injury after a 16-yard run, giving the Longhorns a first and ten. Back-up quarterback Matthew Caldwell would find Emmett Mosley for the game-winning touchdown to give the Longhorns a 45-38 victory over Mississippi State. 

Mississippi State will hit the road to take on Arkansas next Saturday. 

Photo Credits- Mississippi State Football on X