No. 11 Texas vs. Mississippi State opponent preview: Bulldogs look to end three-game SEC losing streak

After starting the year 4-0 and cementing themselves as one of the most surprising teams in the country, the Mississippi State Bulldogs head to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns on Saturday having lost three straight games and quarterback Kamario Taylor to injury.

Taylor was one of the most electric players in the country through four weeks, helping the Bulldogs to two road wins and an upset of then-N0. 19 Missouri. However, late in the contest against the Tigers, Taylor injured his toe and has been unable to play a full game since. Mississippi State has lost all three games without him and has struggled to score points.

In the first four games, the offense averaged 43.0 ppg compared to a measly 12.67 ppg since his injury occurred.

Heading to Austin, head coach Jeff Lebby and the Bulldogs will have their work cut out for them, especially since the announcement that Taylor will undergo season-ending surgery.

In his third season at the helm, Lebby has been responsible for turning around a struggling program in his first head coaching gig. Before taking over in Starkville, Lebby was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and Ole Miss. His track record has been prolific offenses and productive quarterbacks, including McKenzie Milton, Dillion Gabriel, and Matt Corral.

It appeared Lebby had figured some things out with Taylor and was on track to really turn things around before the injury occurred.

This past offseason, Lebby addressed issues on the other side of the ball by bringing back Zach Arnett, the former Mississippi State defensive coordinator (2020-2022) and short-term head coach (11 total games), to serve as the head of the defense, a unit that struggled heavily last season.

On Saturday, the suffocating Texas defense will get a chance to face an offense that has been unable to piece together successful drives in recent weeks and a defense that has still faced its fair share of struggles.

Here’s how the Bulldogs break down.

Offense

As mentioned, Lebby is known for his prowess on the offensive side of the ball. A former Baylor assistant under Art Briles, he shares some schematic commonalities with Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, but incorporates more formations and pre-snap motion than the Volunteers head coach.

Lebby’s veer and shoot style offense is built around tempo, spacing, and explosive plays. Mississippi State utilizes incredibly wide splits to stretch a defense and force defenders into revealing their assignment before finding optimal play calls to exploit the spacing.

While the downfield passing may get more attention, this offense thrives on a run-heavy philosophy. Lebby will use inside zone runs and quarterback keepers to exploit light boxes before leveraging run-pass options to bend a defense. If that isn’t enough, the vertical passing game will create explosive plays.

With Taylor at the helm, the offense clicked. A strong running game, accurate passing attack, and healthy dose of quarterback run made the Bulldogs hard to stop.

Though not impossible, it will be a tall task for Mississippi State to get back on track offensively on Saturday.

Quarterback

Orchestrating the offense with Taylor out has fallen on the shoulders of redshirt freshman Billy Puckett. Listed at 6’0, 180 pounds, Puckett has started the two most recent games for the Bulldogs, but is now in the midst of a quarterback competition with well-traveled veteran quarterback AJ Swann.

In those two contests, Puckett is a combined 33-for-50 passing (66.0 percent) for one touchdown against two interceptions while carrying the ball 18 times for 77 yards including multiple runs of 15-plus yards.

So while Puckett isn’t Taylor, he’s shown flashes, including great mobility and strong arm talent. Limiting turnovers will be a key for Puckett, who also fumbled last week.

If Lebby decides to go a different direction, Swann started 12 games for Vanderbilt in 2022 and 2023 before leading Appalachian State in six games as a starter last season.

“Swann’s maturity gives us something that we don’t have in that room without Kamario. So for me, that’s a huge piece of it. Being able to take care of the ball will be a huge piece of it. We will ultimately be making the decision as we get close to kickoff,” Lebby said.

Running back

Leading the ground attack is dynamic running back Fluff Bothwell, a talented junior who has shined in the five games where he has been healthy enough to contribute.

Battling ankle issues this season, Bothwell has proven that he can punish a defense. In his last four contests with meaningful playing time, he’s exceeded the 100-yard mark in each game and tallied four total touchdowns.

Stopping Bothwell will be priority number one for Muschamp and the Texas defense.

At 5’10, 230 pounds, he brings a physical running style — Bothwell can break tackles and get hard yards between the tackles while still possessing enough speed to rip off a big gain when given the space. Last week against Oklahoma he tallied 111 yards on 17 carries (6.5 YPC).

Spelling Bothwell is Kolin Wilson with Xavier Gayten and J.J. Hill also providing depth. Wilson has carried the ball 54 times for 218 yards this season.

Puckett will also be heavily involved in the run game.

Wide receiver

WR1 for the Bulldogs is Anthony Evans. With 53 catches for 647 yards and five touchdowns, Evans has continued to find success in Starkville after establishing himself as one of the teams top pass catchers last season. He leads the SEC in catches and slots second in yards per game.

Originally from Converse, Evans spent two years in Athens but saw little playing time for Georgia, catching 13 passes over two season. In his first year in Starkville, Evans recorded 67 catches for 831 yards and four touchdowns.

Though the injury at quarterback complicates things, Evans is well on track to surpass those numbers, and has already showcased the ability to take the next step this year.

Behind Evans is a trio of Sanfrisco Magee, Marquis Johnson, and Zion Ragins.

Magee has been the most dynamic of the group with six touchdowns and an average of 16.4 yards per catch on the season. He’s a vertical threat that can take the lid off a defense. Ragins is also dangerous and has reeled in four touchdowns while setting career highs across the board.

The Mississippi State wide outs bring plenty of speed and explosiveness to the offense. Beyond their ability to make plays downfield, their presence forces defenses to respect the pass, which opens up space for Lebby’s run game to thrive.

Tight end

The tight end position in Lebby’s offense is more important than what meets the eye. With wide splits and tempo, the tight end in his system is used for a little bit of everything. They can be create advantageous situations in the run game, serve as an extra blocker in pass protection, and catch passes down the field.

“Yeah, tight ends have a huge role in the offense,” Lebby said. “We ask those guys to do a ton.”

The two primary tight ends for Mississippi State are Sam West and Joeseph Skipworth. West has great size and has snagged eight passes for 69 yards and a touchdown this season.

Offensive line

The biggest struggle for the offensive unit outside of injuries is the offensive line. The big fellas up front have struggled mightily this year after being forced to rebuild in the offseason. A few key misses in the portal have really been felt this season.

Right tackle Jakheem Shumpert-Perkins and left guard LJ Prudhomme both came into the season with zero starts. Yet they have looked fine for the most part.

A lot of the blame, fairly or not, has been focused around the left side of the line on left tackle Miles McVay and left guard DJ Chester. Against LSU, Puckett was pressured 11 times and sacked five while Oklahoma was able to record four sacks.

This group will need to play better against a talented Texas front.

Losing Taylor is a significant blow for the Bulldogs, but the offensive product on the field should still be better than it has been in previous weeks regardless of who is catching snaps. Mississippi State’s offense has the pieces to improve on its recent performances.

Lebby’s scheme is designed to force defenses to show their hand before the snap, creating advantages for the offense. The explosiveness of Bothwell on the ground and Evans through the air give Mississippi State two weapons capable of putting points on the board.

If the offensive line can string together a few good series and Puckett protects the ball, Mississippi State still has the potential to put up big numbers on the scoreboard.

Defense

As mentioned, Lebby made a chance at DC, bringing in Zach Arnett to revamp the Mississippi State defense. So far, it’s been mixed results. In conference play, the Bulldogs rank 13th in points per game after finishing 16th last season.

However, in total defense Mississippi State slots at 14th in the conference after finishing dead last a year ago.

The run defense has been more effective this season, but the pass defense has been rather porous. Attacking the Bulldog secondary will be a key part of the game plan for Texas on Saturday.

Here are some key Mississippi State defenders to keep an eye on.

Defensive line

Mississippi State runs a 3-3-5 scheme which puts a lot of responsibility on the big fellas up front. This group boasts a lot of experience, but hasn’t quite been able to translate it directly to disruption.

Former Longhorn Jaray Bledsoe leads the charge in the middle. A highly sought after recruit, Bledsoe has started every game this year while contributing a team leading 2.5 sacks along with 22 tackles, one batted ball, and one forced fumble.

His backup, DJ Reed, continues to shine in Starkville after transferring from Auburn.

Two other names to know are Will Whitson and Amaree Williams. Both create havoc on the edge, Whitson has two sacks this season while Williams has recorded 39 tackles, the second most on the team, and 1.5 sacks. Williams is the most dangerous player up front for the Bulldogs.

Keeping him in check will be key for the Texas offensive line.

Linebackers

The middle of the defense falls into the hands of Tyler Lockhart and Fatt Forrest, who were high school teammates in Mississippi.

Lockhart has been a standout player this season, leading the team in tackles with 48 while contributing two sacks as well. His film shows an ability to contribute against the run while also pressuring the quarterback, making a rather versatile player.

After planning to enter the transfer portal this past winter, Forrest ultimately decided to return to Starkville. Having played high school football together, Lockhart and Forrest do a great job of playing to each other’s strengths.

Forrest has tallied 30 tackles this season.

Texas should be able to test the linebackers with plays in space and play action. I’d expect a heavy dose of plays designed to keep Lockhart and Forrest running from sideline to sideline.

Secondary

The secondary has talent across the board, particularly at corner, but has really struggled this season, becoming one of the defense’s biggest weaknesses. Cornerback Kelley Jones is one of the best defenders on the team, but the unit as a whole has struggled to limit opposing offenses.

Against the Longhorns, pressure will be put on the entire secondary, meaning players behind Jones will need to step up. I’d imagine that Sarkisian and Co., avoid Jones, but targeting Jett Jefferson is no easy task. He’s leading the SEC with nine passes defended this year.

Between Jones and Jefferson, the Mississippi State secondary can be sticky.

At safety, senior Isaac Smith brings experience and playmaking. Two years ago, he led the SEC with 127 tackles and while he has been banged up this year, he can still be a difference maker. Expect a heavy rotation from the rest of the safeties with multiple players being used in multiple roles.

Marcus Williams can disrupt opposing offenses close to the line of the scrimmage as evidenced by his two sacks while Jardin Gilbert has a nose for the ball and has forced two fumbles this season.

The secondary has looked out of sorts the last few weeks. In coverage scenarios, defenders have struggled to stay close to opposing wide outs and given up big plays while also struggling to make tackles that limit short passes. Oklahoma and LSU certainly provided a game plan that Texas will attempt to replicate when it comes to attacking the back end of the Bulldog defense.

Special teams

The punter for Mississippi State is Ethan Pulliam. He was a second-team All-American, according to Sporting News, and third-team All-SEC, according to Phi Steele.

The kicker is lefty Kyle Ferrie, who has connected on 7-of-8 field goals with a long of 52 and has been a reliable presence for the Bulldogs over the last three seasons. He’s the program record holder for field goals made, PATs made, and total points scored.

Evans handles punt returns while Johnson returns kickoffs.

The Bulldogs head to Austin in need of a win. Despite losing Taylor, the offense still possesses firepower and Lebby has shown a willingness to rely on trickeration to spark the unit. Winning up front will be key for the Texas defense. Against a struggling offensive line, the Longhorn front has to create havoc and shut down Bothwell while making Puckett uncomfortable. Preventing explosive plays starts up front.

Defensively, attacking the secondary should be fruitful. While the unit possesses top end talent, there have been big holes for opposing wideouts in recent weeks. Finding ways to exploit them is possible.

On paper, this matchup looks advantageous towards the Longhorns, but there is talent all around the Mississippi State roster and a certain amount of desperation that has to be growing in Starkville.

The Longhorns and Bulldogs are scheduled to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. Central on ESPN.