Texas Longhorns Storm Back To Defeat the Mississippi State Bulldogs

Sometimes winning ugly beats losing pretty. The 22nd-ranked Texas Longhorns discovered that truth Saturday night, grinding out a gut-wrenching 45-38 overtime victory against Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium. It wasn’t smooth. It wasn’t pretty. But after clawing back from two separate 17-point deficits in the fourth quarter, it was absolutely necessary.

This wasn’t supposed to be this hard. But then again, nothing comes easy when you’re trying to keep SEC championship dreams alive while simultaneously juggling injuries, momentum swings, and a hostile road environment that seemed determined to bury the Longhorns for good.

The Comeback Kids Strike Again

After trailing 38-21 with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation, Texas had every excuse to pack it in and chalk this one up to a learning experience. Instead, the Longhorns channeled something primal—call it championship DNA, desperation, or just plain stubbornness—and orchestrated one of the most improbable comebacks you’ll see this season.

Arch Manning, who finished with 346 yards and three touchdowns through the air plus a rushing score, orchestrated touchdown drives that kept Texas’ pulse going. Wide Receiver Ryan Wingo hauled in critical catches. The defense, which had been torched for 281 yards in the first half alone, suddenly remembered they were supposed to be one of the nation’s elite units.

Then came Ryan Niblett. Again.

The return specialist, who’s become Texas’s not-so-secret weapon on special teams, took a punt 79 yards to the house with 1:47 left in regulation to tie the game at 38. It was Niblett’s second touchdown on special teams in the last three games, and it sent this contest into overtime, where the drama would reach fever pitch.

When Plan A Goes Down, Enter Plan B

Here’s where things got dicey. On the first play of overtime, Manning took a hard shot and appeared to bang his head on the turf. He walked off the field looking woozy, heading straight for the medical tent. Cue the collective anxiety of every Texas fan watching.

Enter Matthew Caldwell, the Troy transfer who’d barely seen meaningful SEC action. On his biggest stage yet, Caldwell stepped up and delivered a perfect 10-yard touchdown strike to Emmett Mosley V. The officials initially ruled it incomplete, but video review overturned the call, giving Texas the lead they’d desperately need. The defense sealed it on the next possession, and suddenly a season that looked dead in the water was very much alive.

The DJ Campbell Injury Adds to Texas’ Growing Concerns

The Longhorns can’t seem to catch a break in the injury department. Starting Right Guard DJ Campbell, arguably Texas’ best offensive lineman this season, left the game in the first quarter after getting rolled up on and appearing to injure his leg. He returned late in the second quarter, but his absence highlighted just how thin this offensive line has become.

Campbell had been grading out at 73.5 overall this season, according to Pro Football Focus, with an impressive 85.4 in pass protection. Losing him, even temporarily, against a physical SEC opponent was less than ideal.

What This Win Means For Texas

At 6-2 overall and 3-1 in SEC play, the Longhorns kept their championship aspirations alive. But just barely. The road ahead doesn’t get easier—No. 10 Vanderbilt, No. 5 Georgia, Arkansas, and No. 3 Texas A&M all loom on the schedule. This team will need to find consistency, health, and perhaps a bit more of that fourth-quarter magic if they want to survive what might be the most brutal stretch in college football.

For now, though, they’ll take the W. In a season where style points have gone out the window, surviving and advancing is all that matters. Texas proved Saturday night that it has the grit to battle back when everything’s going wrong. Whether that’s enough to hang with the SEC’s elite remains to be seen.