Texas Longhorns Have Impressed Mississippi State's Jeff Lebby in More Ways Than One

The Texas Longhorns will take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday for Week 9 of college football.

Now 5-2, Texas pushes to extend its winning streak as it heads to Starkville, Mississippi for the fourth consecutive game away from Austin. Ahead of the game, the Bulldogs have made clear that the Longhorns are bringing a high level of competition with them.

“What they're doing right now… they're playing to who they are,” Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby said in a press conference on Monday. “And they're trying to protect the ball.”

Jeff Lebby Impressed by Texas Special Teams, Defense

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Jaime Ffrench Jr. (2) and wide receiver Rett Andersen (35) celebrate with kicker Mason Shipley (49) after game winning field goal in overtime, on Oct. 18, 2025 at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

“They’re really aggressive, and they've got great personnel,” Lebby said. “When you have great personnel, you got a real chance to be great on teams.”

He added, that Longhorns are pushing for a high percentage, and the core strength of their offensive power is pushing the ball downfield.

“(They’re) very timely when they're pushing the ball down the field and giving (Arch Manning) a ton of freedom to go run the offense,” Lebby said. “(And) they've got great depth on their roster, and so they have posed some problems that way."

While the offensive has shown to be inconsistent throughout the first half of the season -- oftentimes struggling to secure protection or finding a passing rhythm -- Lebby noted that Texas’ defense and two-deep are major strengths for the Longhorns.

“They’ve played great defense… (and) they bring (a) big, great situation,” Lebby added. “They've created turnovers, but then, they have been really, really good on special teams.”

The defensive unit has racked up 21 sacks across seven games and ranks third in total points per game (11.3) behind No. 1 Ohio State (5.9) and No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners (9.4). They also maintain an average of 279.7 yards per game, which places the Longhorns’ within the top-15 in the nation.

As for the special teams, they have proven to step up in recent weeks. With pivotal plays from punt returner Ryan Niblett and kicker Mason Shipley in their games against Oklahoma (week 7) and Kentucky (Week 8).

Against Oklahoma, Niblett scored a 75-yard punt returning touchdown that gave the Longhorns a significant advantage. Additionally, Shipley scored three field goals in their 16-13 victory over Kentucky — one of which was the game-winner in overtime.

“I think Sark understands exactly who they are defensively, and they've been really, really good,” Lebby said. “So for them, I think it's about running the football at a really high level, being able to have some play pass in, and then taking great care of the ball.”