Following a 45-28 loss to Florida to open Southeastern Conference play, Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1 SEC) heads to Austin for a matchup with No. 1 Texas on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network.
The Longhorns (4-0) are playing their first-ever conference game as SEC members after moving from the Big 12 along with Oklahoma. So far, Texas has bulldozed every opponent in its path, highlighted by a road blowout win over defending national champion Michigan. After losing in the national semifinals last year, the Longhorns have national championship aspirations in their fourth year under head coach Steve Sarkisian.
To learn more about this Texas team, The Commercial Dispatch chatted with David Eckert, who covers the Longhorns for the Austin American-Statesman.
Editor’s note: This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
The Commercial Dispatch: Texas is No. 1 in the AP Top 25 through four weeks. Have the Longhorns looked like legitimate national title contenders to you?
David Eckert: Yeah, without a doubt. Most of the teams that are going to be competing at the top of the SEC have elite front-line talent, but the thing that separates Texas, in my view, is its depth. And we’ve gotten to see plenty of it over the first four weeks because the Longhorns haven’t yet played a close game. Outside of running back, where they suffered a pair of key preseason injuries, there really isn’t a place on the field where Texas is not two or three deep with quality options.
The Dispatch: With Quinn Ewers hurt and Arch Manning playing well last week, where do things stand with Texas’ quarterback situation?
Eckert: When healthy, Ewers is the starting quarterback. Sarkisian has made that clear. He told us that Ewers practiced Monday, which is a positive development, obviously, as he recovers from an abdominal strain sustained in Week 3. It’s going to come down to how Texas feels about Ewers’ health and the likelihood of reinjury. Manning’s performances have shown them that they’ll be OK if they decide to err on the side of caution with a bye week coming up.
The Dispatch: Quarterbacks aside, what will be the biggest challenges the Longhorns’ offense will pose?
Eckert: The offensive line is just elite. It’s a veteran unit that brings back four guys from last season’s College Football Playoff team, anchored by Kelvin Banks Jr. at tackle, who should be a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft in the spring. Texas’ wide receivers are really gifted, too. Isaiah Bond is as talented as anyone in the country, and five-star freshman Ryan Wingo looks like he’s going to be special as well.
The Dispatch: What do you make of this Texas defense, and what will it need to do to slow down Mississippi State’s offense?
Eckert: The Longhorns have opted to play coverage a lot this season. Their blitz percentages are way down from last year, and they only have seven sacks. It’s an approach that has served them well against a variety of different offensive styles, mostly because they’ve been really impressive on third down. I will be interested to see if they dial it up a bit for Michael Van Buren and look to speed things up on a young guy making his first start.
The Dispatch: What would it take for the Bulldogs to win this game, or at least stay close?
Eckert: A really strong cocktail full of the typical upset ingredients: turnovers, special teams, success in the red zone and on third down. Mississippi State isn’t going to come into Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and go blow-for-blow with the top team in the country. The Bulldogs are going to have to catch some breaks.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
