Texas Longhorns vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Way-Too-Early Preview: Keys to Victory

For their fourth conference game of the season on Oct. 25, the Texas Longhorns will make their way to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs. 

The Bulldogs finished as the lowest-ranked team in the SEC last year, and 247Sports ranks their 2025 schedule as the second toughest in the nation.

That being said, with their home crowd there to back them, they will fight as hard as they can for as long as they can to stay in the competition. In order to achieve their goals for this season, the Longhorns can’t afford blemishes in SEC matchups like this one. Here are three Keys to victory for Texas in this game:

Run the ball well

Although Mississippi State fielded the SEC’s worst defense in 2024, returning safety Isaac Smith accumulated 127 tackles and served as a major leader for the team. He is anticipated by several to be among the best defensive backs in the SEC this year, making him a player to account for as the Longhorns create their offensive game plan against the Bulldogs. 

That’s not to say that Texas and their receiving core can’t have a solid game, but given that running backs as talented as Christian Clark, CJ Baxter and Quintrevion Wisner should all be options, it makes sense to try to wear down this defense as much as possible by running the ball. 

This would also slow down the offense, which could help Texas establish control and spend more time with the ball than the Bulldogs. 

Battle complacency

It’s possible that the Longhorns will develop an early lead, but keeping their guards up will be essential throughout all four quarters. They did a strong job of this in their matchup against the Bulldogs in 2024, which helped them secure a solid 35-13 victory. 

However, with this game being on the road, it will be even more important that Texas creates momentum that can last through all minutes of play.

If they maintain their energy and start to pull away in terms of scoring, they could also use the later parts of this game to let younger players earn meaningful minutes in an SEC matchup.

Block out the noise

The last point is one that has been vaguely referenced above, but playing on the road in the SEC means that players and coaches can’t be hindered by the noise. Although Mississippi State’s stadium capacity of 61,337 people is the second lowest in the conference, the fans that pack it can be expected to bring the noise.

However, by this point in the season, the Longhorns will have already played Florida and Kentucky away, along with Oklahoma in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl. They will need to use what they learned in these games and hope that at least a few of their fans in burnt orange will make the trip to Starkville.