Texas Longhorns vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs: What The Stats Say

The Texas Longhorns look to increase their winning streak to three games as they travel to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs

Oct 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns still have the fate of their season in their hands, able to control their own destiny if they continue winning the rest of the season. Now, as they look to continue their winning streak, they head to Starkville to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Steve Sarkisian's team possesses the talent edge and has shown flashes of being the dominant team that many believed they would be before the season, when they were named the number one-ranked team in the preseason poll.

As they continue working through their struggles, what do the statistics say about their matchup against the Bulldogs and their chances of increasing their winning streak to three games?

Throwing Deep

Oct 18, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) looks for an open receiver during the first quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

For quarterback Arch Manning, he has one of the longest times to throw in college football, ranking 13th in the country at 3.09 seconds according to PFF. However, it's not because he is unnecessarily holding onto the ball too long either. Sarkisian has said that Manning's strength lies in his ability to throw the deep ball accurately, something they have tried to incorporate into their offense.

When Manning has the time to throw it deep, it does work, but he's only thrown it 20-plus yards 18.4 percent of the time this season. With a 51.4 completion percentage (18 of 35), he has garnered a 90.6 PFF passer rating in those opportunities, with an average depth of target of 30.9 yards, which is the 19th highest among quarterbacks who have taken 50 percent of the snaps.

However, Manning has 625 yards on his 18 completed passes of 20-plus yards, averaging 34.7 yards per reception on those throws. For his passing total, though, those 625 yards account for 43 percent of his total yards on the season (625 of 1,449). Finding a way for the Longhorns to open up that part of their offense will make a difference in their ability to move the ball downfield.

Conversely, though, Blake Shapen, their opposing quarterback this weekend, has the highest average depth of target distance among quarterbacks who have taken 50 percent of the snaps, with 39.8. With 11 catches on 29 attempts for 573 yards, he doesn't throw it often, but when he does, the receptions average 52 yards per attempt.

For the Longhorns' defense, finding a way to get home and not give time for the deep ball to get open will be the difference, as he only completes 20-yard passes 37.9 percent of the time. With Michael Taaffe also out, avoiding getting burned on top should be a priority in their game plan.

The Longhorns travel to take on the Bulldogs on Oct 25, at 3:15 p.m. CT