Texas cruised past Mississippi State behind another dominant defensive performance, but the Bulldogs revealed certain vulnerabilities the Longhorns can't afford to ignore.
Texas' 31-3 win looked convincing on the scoreboard.
But it wasn't nearly as convincing when Texas had the ball.
The Longhorns surrendered five sacks, rushed for just 60 yards and managed just 13 first downs against a Bulldogs defense that entered Saturday surrendering 23 a game in SEC play, relying on another dominant defensive performance to turn an uneven offensive showing into a comfortable victory.
And with tougher tests ahead, the Bulldogs may have revealed a few problems Texas can't keep asking its defense to erase.
The Offensive Line Remains a Major Concern
Oct 10, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Dylan Sikorski blocks the Oklahoma Sooners rush during the game between the Sooners and the Longhorns at Cotton Bowl. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After dealing with the season-ending loss of Trevor Goosby, Texas reshuffled its offensive line, moving Melvin Siani to left tackle and Andre Cojoe to right tackle.
The changes did little to prevent pressure on Arch Manning.
According to PFF, Cojoe allowed three pressures, including two sacks, and earned a 43.1 pass-blocking grade. Left guard Dylan Sikorski surrendered two more sacks and received a 46.0 grade.
Together, the two accounted for 80% of Mississippi State's sack count.
"Clearly there were some issues in protection," Steve Sarkisian said after the game. "I felt like it was a little more internal than it was external."
Three of those sacks came on third down, repeatedly bringing drives to an end. In the third quarter, Manning was sacked on consecutive plays, fumbling on the second to hand Mississippi State possession at the Texas 28.
The Bulldogs turned it into their only points.
An Inconsistent Run Game and Reliance on Explosive Plays
Oct 31, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Raleek Brown runs during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The offensive line's struggles weren't limited to pass protection.
A week after rushing for 207 yards against Ole Miss, Texas managed just 60 yards on 32 attempts against Mississippi State. Even removing yardage lost on sacks, the Longhorns' running backs combined for only 50 yards on 19 carries.
Raleek Brown, fresh off his 157-yard performance, gained just 30.
Without a dependable ground game, Texas relied on Manning and its playmakers to produce offense in bursts rather than sustain it from snap to snap.
Manning was efficient when given time , completing 16 of his 20 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. But four completions accounted for 148 of his yards - more than two-thirds of his passing production.
By no means are explosive plays a problem; they'll always be an asset and not a flaw. But the concern is how little Texas produced between them.
For an offense with as much talent as Texas, the inability to consistently move the chains remains troubling, particularly against a defense that had struggled to get off the field throughout conference play.
Oct 31, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Justin Cryer reacts after making a sack during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Fortunately for Texas, its defense has been more than capable of compensating for the offense's shortcomings.
When Manning and the offense struggled to sustain drives, the defense consistently kept Mississippi State from capitalizing.
And when the Longhorns needed a spark, it was the defense that provided one, with Maraad Watson's unforgettable 61-yard fumble return touchdown giving the Longhorns a commanding 17-0 lead entering halftime.
It's a formula that worked against Mississippi State, but one that could become nearly impossible to sustain against ranked opponents.
With Missouri and LSU still on the schedule, the Longhorns can't assume their defense will always be capable of masking their offensive deficiencies.
Texas may have cruised to a 28-point victory Saturday, but the problems that plagued its offense didn't entirely disappear.
Mississippi State simply wasn't capable of making the Longhorns pay for them.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/texas as Mississippi State Exposed Some Massive Holes for Texas .
