The Good, Bad and Ugly of Texas' Thrilling OT Win at Mississippi State

The Texas Longhorns advanced to 6-2 on the season with a shocking comeback victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in overtime on Saturday.

The Longhorns, yet to be involved in a high-scoring shootout in 2025, outlasted the Bulldogs by a score of 45-38, in a game that saw 873 total yards be gained.

Here is the good, bad and ugly of Texas' performance in Starkville:

Good -- Arch Manning and the comeback

Entering the fourth quarter, it looked like Mississippi State was on its way to snapping its 15-game losing streak in Southeastern Conference play.

When MSU running back Davon Booth took a checkdown from quarterback Blake Shapen 62 yards to restore the Bulldogs' 17-point lead at 38-21 with 12:29 remaining, the final nail seemed to be halfway into the coffin. Then, when quarterback Arch Manning's pass fell incomplete on 4th & 1 on Texas' own 34-yard line, the Longhorns' fate seemed to be essentially sealed. Yet a roughing the passing call kept the drive going. The Longhorns stayed alive.

And from there, Texas ended the game on a sensational 24-0 run to steal the victory. It took heroics from all three phases of the game to get the job done.

Manning's 21-yard touchdown to Emmett Mosley IV was followed up by a three-and-out forced by the Longhorns' defense. Texas, getting the ball back with just under eight minutes to play, couldn't find the endzone, but made the contest a one-possession game through a Mason Shipley 26-yard chip shot.

Another three-and-out by the Bulldogs offense resulted in a punt to gadget weapon Ryan Niblett, who has proven to be a game-changer time and time again on special teams for the Longhorns. And on his fourth punt return of the day, Niblett made his presence felt -- finding the left sideline, evading tacklers and taking it back 79 yards to tie the game at 38 a piece.

The Longhorns prevented the Bulldogs from entering field goal range on the final drive of regulation, and the game headed to overtime.

After a Manning injury on a 13-yard scramble, backup Matthew Caldwell converted a 10-yard touchdown to Mosley IV. The defense stood tall against Shapen on the Bulldogs' subsequent drive.

That was it. Chaos. Shock from the home fans. And the ultimate comeback.

"I think we got a mulligan because tonight was a culture win," head coach Steve Sarkisian said postgame, per Inside Texas. "I said this to the team, I don't know if I've ever been more proud of a group of guys. When they go up 17 in the fourth quarter... these guys literally didn't blink."

Manning set a new college career high in passing yards with 346 and contributed three passing touchdowns and one rushing. Wide receiver Ryan Wingo recorded 184 receiving yards across five receptions, flipping the field for Texas on multiple occasions and putting on display his explosiveness and playmaking capability. Wingo could have had more yards and potentially multiple scores if he had secured a couple of the open targets that he dropped.

Six players had four or more receptions. Mosley IV and Parker Livingstone came up clutch with two touchdowns each. With help from the other two phases, the offense found its best when it needed to most, elongating Texas' winning streak to three as a result.

Bad -- the middle quarters

Oct 25, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen (2) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The second and third quarters were a rough span for the Longhorns. Tied 7-7 going into the second, MSU outscored Texas 24-7 across the middle 30 minutes to comfortably lead heading into the fourth.

After scoring a touchdown on their first drive of the second quarter, the remaining four Texas drives saw them turn it over on downs, throw an interception and punt twice. Across those drives, the Longhorns gained a total of just 22 yards.

On the flip side, MSU took advantage of Texas' slow, unproductive offensive play through a 17-point quarter. Texas went into halftime down 10 after being tied with just five minutes remaining in the half.

The Longhorns started the third with a little bit of momentum, driving 64 yards down the field. After stalling in the red zone, though, Shipley could not return the contest to a one-score game, missing his short attempt wide left. Despite stops by the defense on the next two MSU drives, consecutive three-and-outs by Manning and company left little hope for the Longhorns as the Bulldogs extended the lead to three scores late in the quarter.

The offense that came alive in the fourth was a whole different unit than had been out there previously. The change in urgency, fight and confidence across all three phases of the ball was obvious.

"We can't keep living like this. That'll be addressed on Monday," Sarkisian said postgame, via Inside Texas.

Ugly -- pass defense until the comeback

Oct 25, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Davon Booth (6) runs after a catch for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

MSU's passing attack on Saturday accumulated 382 yards and five touchdowns. Shapen set a new career high in passing yards himself, making it a record day for both him and Manning.

While the time of possession numbers ended practically even, for much of the game, the Bulldogs' offense was breaking Texas' defensive unit down across the field. MSU looked to be out-physicaling the Longhorns, lengthening gains and keeping Texas' personnel on the field with fast transitions in between plays.

For example, MSU's 11-play, 83-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter took just 3:16 off the clock. No MSU drive in the ballgame lasted over 3:43, but the Bulldogs still scored 38 points -- their offensive game plan got the better of Texas, at least until the Longhorns' miracle comeback.

The faulty coverage of the Texas secondary, which was without star safety Michael Taaffe, may have been the most surprising aspect of Saturday's game. The defensive back group will look to get things cleaned up heading into a matchup with No. 10 Vanderbilt and Heisman Trophy candidate Diego Pavia.