Texas 31, Mississippi State 3: Manning throws three scores, defense adds one
Arch Manning went 16 of 20 for three touchdowns and a 61-yard fumble return sank Mississippi State as No. 11 Texas won 31-3 and covered 19.5.
Mississippi State held the ball for more than half the game and still never got close. Texas needed only 280 yards to score 31 points, because Arch Manning made almost every throw count and the defense supplied a touchdown of its own just before halftime.
Manning finished 16 of 20 for 220 yards and three touchdowns. A sack of AJ Swann by R. Biles with 1:13 left in the second quarter shook the ball loose, and the 61-yard return made it 17-0 at the break. Mississippi State never scored a touchdown.
How it was won
Texas scored on its opening drive. Manning hit Cam Coleman for a 14-yard touchdown at 12:59 of the first quarter, and G. Spetic added the extra point.
The second quarter was quiet until late. Spetic made a 45-yard field goal at 5:41 for a 10-0 lead. Then came the sack and fumble return, with Spetic's kick making it 17-0.
Mississippi State got on the board at 8:58 of the third quarter with a 30-yard K. Ferrie field goal. That was all. Texas answered at 5:35 with a 4-yard Manning pass to Raleek Brown, and early in the fourth, at 7:56, Manning found Emmett Mosley V for 42 yards to close the scoring at 31-3.
The box score explains the shape of it. Mississippi State controlled possession 32:28 to 27:32 but gained 187 yards, 119 passing and 68 rushing, and converted 6 of 18 third downs. Swann was efficient on short throws, 12 of 15, but for only 97 yards and no touchdowns. Fluff Bothwell carried 17 times for 49 yards, and J.J. Hill added 15 on five carries. Marquis Johnson caught six passes for 61 yards; Anthony Evans III had three for 19.
Texas did little on the ground: 60 rushing yards, with Brown at 30 on eight carries and Michael Terry III at 16 on four. It did not need more. Mosley caught four passes for 98 yards and Coleman two for 61, meaning six receptions produced 159 yards and two scores. Texas had 13 first downs to Mississippi State's 12 and went 6 of 14 on third down. Each side turned the ball over once, but only one of those turnovers ended in the end zone.
Against the number
The closing line had Texas at -19.5, and the 28-point margin covered it by 8.5. The total closed at 50.5; with 34 points scored, the under came in comfortably, helped by a Mississippi State offense that managed three points.
On the moneyline, Texas closed at -1350 and Mississippi State at +800. The full closing board is on the game page.
What's next
Mississippi State is 4-4 and has lost four straight after a 4-0 start, scoring 41 points across those four games. The Bulldogs host Vanderbilt on Saturday, November 7, on SEC Network.
Texas is 6-2 and has won two in a row since back-to-back 27-24 losses to Oklahoma and Florida. The Longhorns travel to No. 23 Missouri on Saturday, November 7, on ESPN. Missouri lost 31-24 at Mississippi State earlier this season.
