Texas football: 5 things for Longhorn fans to known about the Mississippi State Bulldogs

Nearly 109 years ago, the Texas football team played Rice in its first Southwest Conference game. And 28 years ago, Texas met Missouri for its first Big 12 battle.

On Saturday, No. 2 Texas (4-0) will play its first conference contest in the Southeastern Conference. That debut will come against Mississippi State in an SEC Network-televised game that will kick off at 3:15 p.m. at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

Here are five things to know about Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1):

RELATED: No. 2 Texas beats up ULM but still feels it is an ‘unfinished product’

1. Mississippi State will break in a new quarterback

Mississippi State has announced that starting quarterback Blake Shapen’s season is over after he suffered a shoulder injury in Saturday’s 45-28 loss to Florida. Shapen, who spent four years at Baylor before transferring to Mississippi State last offseason, had thrown for nearly 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns against just one interception in 2024.

True freshman Michael Van Buren Jr., a former four-star recruit out of Baltimore, relieved Shapen on Saturday. Junior Jake Weir and redshirt freshman Chris Parson are the other two quarterbacks on the roster. Weir has yet to appear in a game while Parson has attempted 28 passes in his career.

Mississippi State receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. runs past Florida defensive back Dijon Johnson during the Bulldogs’ loss Saturday.

2. Newcomers leading the Mississippi State offense

There were 89 slots available on the SEC’s preseason honors team, but Mississippi State filled none of them. So who’s the Bulldogs’ top talent? Through four games, Johnnie Daniels leads the team with 158 rushing yards. With 22 receptions, 287 receiving yards and three touchdown catches, Kevin Coleman Jr. has emerged as the top receiving target.

Daniels and Coleman are both new to the Bulldogs. Coleman was a starter at…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/texas-football-5-things-longhorn-110057330.html

Author : Austin American-Statesman

Publish date : 2024-09-23 11:00:57

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