On a night themed around spookiness and scares, Texas never had any fear of being upset by Mississippi State Saturday night. The defense capitalized on Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor being out, holding them to only a field goal. The offense started off slow, but had some notably positive drives, securing the win at home 31-3.
With a win that will give Longhorn fans a little more optimism moving forward in the season, here are the three players to highlight most from the victory.
Oct 31, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Raleek Brown (0) runs for yards during the first half against the Mississippi State Cougars at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With the final score, you would expect the game script to reflect a strong ground game from the Longhorns.
It was quite the opposite.
Texas finished with only 60 rushing yards as a team total, but Brown finished with over half of them at 30. Along with his rushing, Brown finished with two catches for 26 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown catch.
The main reason Brown stands out in this game is the questions coming into tonight about Texas' running back room. After Hollywood Smothers didn't play last week against Ole Miss, Brown got the opportunity to start and rushed for over 100 yards. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was faced with how to split the carries with Smothers' return and it ultimately ended in favor of Brown.
Brown finished with eight carries to Smothers' four, along with the fact that Smothers ran for negative six yards tonight, which means we may be seeing a larger dosage of Brown going forward.
Oct 31, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Emmett Mosley V (3) reacts after scoring a touchdown after making a reception during the second half against the Mississippi State Cougars at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Texas came into this season with their two primary weapons for quarterback Arch Manning being Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo, but Mosley V stepped up today in a game where the offense always found itself with short field position.
Mosley V finished the evening with four catches for 98 yards, leading the team in both categories to go along with a score. His night, along with the game, was clinched with a 42-yard receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter.
This now gives Texas another weapon for Steve Sarkisian and his offense that is slowly starting to find their identity over the last two weeks.
Oct 24, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Rasheem Biles (3) reacts after a pass break up during the second half in front of Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Deuce Alexander (1) at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
When Colin Simmons went out, there was a rush to figure out who would step up as the next leader of this elite Longhorns defense.
Biles was one of those candidates and came out tonight as maybe the clear answer.
Biles covered the entirety of the field against Mississippi State, producing eight tackles, including four of them being solo, to go along with three sacks and four tackles for a loss.
In a game without their best player, the Longhorns may have had their best defensive performance, not allowing a single touchdown.
Biles played a huge part in that.
Texas will look to continue their momentum on the road against Missouri next week.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/texas as 3 Texas Longhorns Who Stood Out vs. Mississippi State .
