AUSTIN, Texas – Welcome to the SEC, Texas.
Arch Manning passed for two touchdowns and ran for another score, and No. 1 Texas got another standout performance from its defense to earn the program's first Southeastern Conference victory, 35-13 over Mississippi State on Saturday.
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Manning was 26-of-31 passing for 324 yards in his second consecutive start in place of Quinn Ewers, who is still recovering from a strained abdomen.
Texas joined the SEC this season from the Big 12 and delivered a rugged, ragged and ultimately effective debut that saw the Longhorns pull away late.
“I’m glad we had adversity today. The first four games were smooth sailing. We needed rough waters,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “Our guys showed composure. They found a way to fight back and pull away in a tough game and that’s what the SEC is all about.”
Manning continues to impress. He delivered yet another performance that most teams would love to get from their starter.
″What a luxury to have a player of his caliber as our backup quarterback," Sarkisian said. “(Ewers) is our quarterback and he’s our leader ...What we’ve learned, and what Arch has earned, is that this team can count on him, too.”
Manning's 49-yard touchdown pass to Deondre Moore in the second quarter, and his 1-yard TD run in the third, opened up a tighter-than-expected matchup with the Bulldogs, who have lost four in a row.
Manning set up his own touchdown with a 26-yard scramble near the goal line, and the touchdown made it 21-6 on the final play of the third quarter. Another scoring strike to Moore early in the fourth essentially put the game away for the Longhorns (5-0, 1-0).
Yet Manning seems to know that Ewers is back at No. 1 when he’s healthy enough to return.
“Quinn has proven himself. This is his team," Manning said. “I think he’ll come back and play really well.”
Texas raced to an opening touchdown in five plays. But the Longhorns soon bogged down with a turnover, a dropped touchdown pass and a partially blocked punt.
Mississippi State (1-4, 0-2) had outgained Texas in total yards and pulled within 7-6 late in the first half on two field goals from Kyle Ferrie, until Manning stood in against a blitz and delivered a perfect strike to Moore just before he was hit.
“We needed a big play and he hung that ball up,” Moore said. “We saw the play on the sideline. He got railed on that play.”
The Longhorns defense did not allow a touchdown until Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren's 12-yard run with just under 7 minutes left. That score snapped a streak of nine consecutive quarters without giving up a touchdown.
Van Buren started in place of Blake Shapen, who was lost for the season a week ago with a shoulder injury. He finished with 144 yards passing and the TD run.
“I thought we won at the line of scrimmage both sides of the football early in the game. We needed to finish drives and score touchdowns,” Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said.
The Takeaway
Mississippi State: A run-first game plan with Van Buren did what it could to keep the potent Texas offense off the field. It was working until Manning's late TD strike in the second quarter. Van Buren seemed to handle himself well in his first career start on the road against the No. 1 team in front of about 101,000 opposing fans.
“Really tough,” Lebby said of Van Buren. “Proud of his effort.”
Texas: The Longhorns struggled to run for three quarters against one of the nation's worst rush defenses, and they were messy with nine penalties for 75 yards. Starting tailback Jaydon Blue killed two Texas drives with fumbles. There's plenty to clean up before the next two games against No. 21 Oklahoma and No. 2 Georgia that will play a huge factor in whether the Longhorns contend for the SEC championship.
Manning family history
Manning’s grandfather Archie Manning and his uncle Eli Manning were two of the greatest quarterbacks in Mississippi history. It probably won't be lost on the family that Arch guided Texas' first SEC victory against their old archrival, Mississippi State.
Poll Position
Texas leapfrogged Georgia to No. 1 two weeks ago when the Bulldogs won a scrappy game over Kentucky. The Longhorns were as sloppy and uneven as they’ve been all season and it took them a long time to put away the game. Yet a 22-point SEC win should be good enough to keep them on top another week.
Up Next
Mississippi State is off next week before playing at No. 2 Georgia on Oct. 12.
Texas is off next week before facing No. 21 Oklahoma in Dallas on Oct. 12.
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