Arch Manning passed for 324 yards and two touchdowns, both to DeAndre Moore Jr., and ran for another score as No. 1 Texas defeated visiting Mississippi State 35-13 on Saturday in Austin, Texas, in the Longhorns’ first Southeastern Conference game as a member of the league.
The Longhorns (5-0, 1-0 SEC) sputtered a bit in their second week as the nation’s top-ranked team, but they turned it on late. Texas lost two fumbles, had a punt blocked and allowed the Bulldogs to stay in the game by dominating the time of possession until they ran out of gas.
Manning started for the second consecutive game after erstwhile starter Quinn Ewers, who is working his way back from a strained oblique, was designated as inactive about an hour and half before kickoff.
Manning finished 26-of-31 and connected with 10 different receivers. Moore Jr. had four of those receptions for 103 yards.
True freshman Michael Van Buren Jr. passed for 144 yards and ran for a TD in his starting debut at quarterback for Mississippi State (1-4, 0-2 SEC). Johnnie Daniels rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries for the Bulldogs, who lost their fourth straight game.
The Longhorns drew first blood via a 1-yard scoring plunge by Jaydon Blue at the 6:06 mark of the opening quarter that followed four straight completed passes by Manning.
Mississippi State answered with a 45-yard field goal by Kyle Ferrie six snaps after Zakari Tillman partially blocked a punt by Texas’ Michael Kern. The Bulldogs drew closer when Ferrie tacked on a 32-yarder with 1:56 to play in the half.
That was plenty of time for Manning, who stood in the pocket in the face of a blitzing linebacker and hit Moore on a 49-yard TD bomb that pushed the Longhorns’ lead to 14-6 at intermission.
The Longhorns then scored after a 10-play, 75-yard march to end the third quarter, capping the drive with a 1-yard touchdown rush by Manning. A Manning-to-Moore 27-yard scoring connection with 9:30 to play expanded the lead to 28-6 and put Texas.
Van Buren finally got Mississippi State into the end zone with 6:12 left, scoring on a weaving 12-yard run. The Longhorns immediately answered with a 72-yard drive that was punctuated by Isaiah Bond’s 26-yard touchdown rush with three minutes to play.
–Field Level Media
