What Steve Sarkisian Said Ahead of Mississippi State

Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the No. 21 Texas Longhorns (5-2) are preparing for their fourth-straight game on the road, as they face Mississippi State (4-3) in a 3:15 p.m. CT matchup on Saturday.

The Longhorns will be looking to win this game convincingly and gain some momentum before they return home to face No. 10 Vanderbilt next week. They’re also looking for a bounce-back performance after a 16-13 win over Kentucky on Saturday.

Texas has fallen victim to No. 1 Ohio State and Florida so far this season, but has also had many disappointing performances, even in its wins. The offense has particularly struggled to gain momentum and play complete games.

Last week, the defense played great; meanwhile, the offense could never move the ball effectively. Quarterback Arch Manning threw for 132 yards with less than a 50% completion rate, and the offense as a whole finished with less than 200 yards.

After almost a full week of practice and reflection, Sarkisian recapped the week and gave a preview of the Mississippi State game.

“This group is a very resilient group, and they have really grown together as a team,” Sarkisian said in his weekly Thursday press conference over Zoom. “And so for us, for the fourth straight week, to get on an airplane, stay in not our team hotel, I think one, it’s brought us closer than we were at the start of the season, and that’s what’s going to be needed. This is a little bit unprecedented, to go on the road for four straight weeks into a hostile environment, and we’re going to need to stay really well connected as a football team, and I credit our guys for doing that, because that’s what it’s going to take. This is going to be a heck of a game. This is a good football team. The record could be much better than it is. They lost two heartbreakers. So we know this is going to be a big challenge, and we’re going to need all 74 guys who make this trip to contribute to our success.”

Playing at Mississippi State can often provide opponents with a dangerous atmosphere to play in, as every Bulldog fan will be screaming as loud as they can while shaking their iconic cowbells, creating an annoying and loud atmosphere.

Hopefully, after three weeks on the road, Texas will be prepared and able to overcome the environment. However, more importantly, Texas will need to overcome its offensive struggles and a missing piece on defense.

Texas will face Mississippi State on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network.