Three reasons why No. 22 Texas fans should be worried about facing Mississippi State

The Bulldogs have played above expectations this season while the Longhorns have played well below theirs and have shown they're vulnerable to upsets.

Mississippi State Wide Receiver Anthony Evans III (#3) during the game between the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. | Mississippi State Athletics

Other than Arkansas, is No. 22 Texas the next best chance for Mississippi State to get a win to reach bowl eligibility?

It’d be hard to believe in the preseason, but at this point in the season the answer that question is yes.

The Longhorns (5-2, 1-2 SEC) have not lived up to their status as the preseasons No. 1 overall team and that has caused more than a slight worry among the burnt orange fan base.

It’s also created a belief amongst Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3 SEC) fans that the Longhorns are beatable and some even believe the Bulldogs will win.

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They may be right, too, because there are three reasons why Texas fans should be worried about their team.

And we’ll start with Mississippi State’s great equalizer…

The Cowbells

Mississippi State Bulldogs fans ring their cowbells during the second quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

You can’t realistically simulate what 50-60,000 cowbells sound like and the only way to “handle” the noise is to experience it.

Sometimes the bells don’t bother an opposing team and its quarterback. Other times, they melt like Arizona State did. Of course, there was a clear difference in the amount “ring responsibly” reminders between the two games.

This will be a lot of the Texas players’ first time coming into the cowbell-fueled sensory deprivation chamber known as Davis Wade Stadium.

It will be loud. It will be raucous. The bells will be ringing nearly the entire time.

How the Longhorns respond to the cowbells will be a factor in this game because the longer the Bulldogs have a chance at a win, the louder the bells will get.

Mississippi State’s pass defense

Mississippi State Bulldogs safety Brylan Lanier (3) breaks up a pass to Florida Gators tight end Amir Jackson (7) during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The strength of Mississippi State is its pass defense.

The Bulldogs have an SEC-best 10 interceptions this season, are allowing opposing teams 187.3 yards per game (5th in SEC, 30th in FBS) and 12.43 yards per completion.

Why this should concern Texas and its fans is because of the already well-documented struggles Arch Manning and the Longhorns have had on offense.

The offense is averaging 368.1 total yards per game, which is 11th in the SEC and 79th in FBS and also less than what Mississippi State’s offense ranks.

It’s not a case of one the Longhorns focusing more on rushing or passing than the other. They just haven’t been great at either.

Last season Texas had one of the best offensive lines in the nation. But four of those players are gone and the replacements haven’t matched their predecessors.

Also, the Bulldogs had some success limiting Manning’s aerial attack with two interceptions. He’s thrown five, so far, this season and is going against the SEC leader in picks.

Texas fans should hope running back CJ Baxter is healthy and the Longhorns don’t have to try and rely on its passing attack.

Bulldogs’ big play capability

Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Brenen Thompson (0) reacts after a touchdown during the second quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

A traditional ingredient for the underdog’s recipe of an upset win is big, explosive plays and there aren’t many more teams better at that than Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs lead the nation in passing plays over 40 yards with 14 and a lot of those have been touchdowns. There could be even more if not for dropped passes, overthrown passes and penalties negating big plays.

“Score from far” is the term the Bulldogs use when talking about their offense.

So far this season, the Bulldogs have seven touchdowns of 40 yards or more. The longest was a 75 yard touchdown catch by Jordan Mosley against Alcorn State.

Mississippi State also has 13 touchdown drives that lasted less than two minutes. A year ago, Mississippi State had 15 such touchdowns.

Lebby is a smart enough coach to have specific plays ready that are designed to have Brenen Thompson or Anthony Evans III or Mosley or even tight end Seydou Traore get one-on-one coverage and beat the defender deep.