Scouting Report: Mississippi State

Saturday’s matchup against Mississippi State looks a lot different for Texas than it did last month. The Bulldogs started off the 2026 campaign 4-0, with starting QB Kamario Taylor establishing himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the country. It has all come crashing back down in the span of 30 days, with Mississippi State dropping 3 straight games to Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma, and losing Taylor for the season with a toe injury.

Offense

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With Taylor out, the Bulldogs will turn to freshman Parker Puckett or senior AJ Swann. Puckett started the LSU game and played the majority of the Oklahoma game, completing 33 of 50 passes for 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Swann has not played this season, but will compete with Puckett this week for snaps, according to head coach Jeff Lebby. Swann started 12 games across two seasons for Vanderbilt before transferring to LSU in 2024 and Appalachian State in 2025. He is a career 57.1% passer with 32 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Considering the uncertainty at QB, expect to see a heavy dose of Fluff Bothwell on Saturday evening. Bothwell, who missed last year’s game against Texas with an injury, has 514 yards on the season.

Anthony Evans (53 catches for 647 yards) has more than double the number of catches as the #2 receiver and is one of the top pass catchers in the SEC.

The Mississippi State offensive line ranks towards the bottom of the league in many statistics, most notably allowing 21 sacks.

Defense

Former Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett returned to Starkville as the defensive coordinator this offseason, and it has not been the smoothest transition. The most notable news heading into Saturday is that starting LB Jalen Smith is out for the season.

The Bulldogs struggle mightily against the pass (16th out of 16 SEC teams in opponent passer rating) and have recorded only two interceptions on the season. Despite the poor pass defense numbers, CB Kelley Jones is a name to know and is a future NFL player.

Final Thoughts

Taylor being out for Mississippi State really changes how to view this game. Vegas has the Longhorns as 20.5-point favorites. The Texas defense is the most trustworthy unit between the two teams by a long shot, so as long as the Longhorns move the ball somewhat consistently on offense, a victory should follow.