The Texas Longhorns went through their worst two-game stretch since Steve Sarkisian’s first season as head coach when they went to overtime against the Kentucky Wildcats and Mississippi State Bulldogs in back-to-back weeks last year. While the Longhorns certainly had a more talented roster than both of those teams, they were pushed to the brink because they lost a few key individual matchups.
Now, Texas is entering the 2026 season with the most talented roster it has had since Mack Brown was calling the shots. Unfortunately, that will not matter unless the Longhorns are able to outperform their opponents in the most important battles.
So, here are the key matchups that will determine whether Texas endures another heart-attack against the Bulldogs.
Texas’ New-Look D-Line vs. Mississippi State’s O-Line
Mississippi State Bulldogs offensive lineman Canon Boone against the Arizona State Sun Devils | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Texas’ New-Look D-Line vs. Mississippi State’s O-Line
Among the sea of moves that Sarkisian made this offseason was the firing of defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and subsequent hiring of SEC-veteran Will Muschamp. While it still not known exactly what the new coordinator’s defense will look like, he has historically been a proponent of the ‘mint’ front, which uses three defensive linemen between the offensive tackles and one ‘jack’ linebacker outside of them to shut down opposing run games.
Texas’ ability to execute that look will be extra important against the Bulldogs, who ran the ball at the 37th-highest clip in the FBS last season. While they averaged just 3.4 yards on each of those carries, that number figures to rise with the head coach Jeff Lebby’s ascending squad.
Texas will need to stop the run early and often to make Lebby uncomfortable and prevent momentum-shifting runs, especially with back Xavier Gayten, who had a breakaway percentage of 39% last season, stepping into a bigger role.
Texas Linebackers vs. Mississippi State’s Former Freshman Phenom
For all of those same reasons, Texas’ linebackers will also need to be sharp. In fact, they will be particularly important because they will need to stop dynamic rushing quarterback Kamario Taylor from flipping the game with big-time scrambles, option plays and designed runs.
On top of limiting the ground attack, the Longhorn linebacking corps will need to be prepared for the play-action passing game, which Taylor used to great effect last season.
Manning’s Weapons vs. Bulldog Defensive Backs
While the front seven will determine whether or not Texas loses the game, it is quarterback Arch Manning’s weapons that will determine if the Longhorns win. Cam Coleman, Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown joined an already great group this offseason, and they will give every defensive coordinator they face a headache week-in and week-out.
Big plays through the air saved the Longhorns in Starkville last season and if Kelley Jones and the rest of the Bulldogs’ secondary fail to hold Texas’ pass-catchers, it may not matter how effectively they run the ball.
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