Seven sacks help Texas defense rout Mississippi State 31-3

Seven times Texas defenders forced Mississippi State quarterbacks to the ground during Saturday night's game at Royal-Memorial Stadium. The Longhorns used that pressure to secure a 31-3 victory, extending their season record to 6-2 while dropping Mississippi State to 4-4.

The defense anchored the performance. Maraad Watson returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The play also injured Mississippi State quarterback AJ Swann, who exited the game. Swann had been replaced earlier by redshirt freshman Billy Puckett after starting quarterback Kamario Taylor was also sidelined. Texas linebacker Rasheem Biles recorded three sacks and two forced fumbles. The unit held the Bulldogs to 188 total yards. This performance came without Colin Simmons, who leads the nation in sacks and missed the game for the second straight week.

Arch Manning contributed three touchdown passes for the offense. The first came early in the game when Cam Coleman caught a 14-yard pass for a score. Coleman had also gained 47 yards on a prior catch. He celebrated with a dance move from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video but left the game later with an injury. Ryan Niblett's 76-yard punt return touchdown was negated by a block in the back penalty. A 45-yard field goal closed out the first half, putting Texas up 17-0. The Longhorns have led at halftime in all five of their conference games this season.

Texas faced a familiar struggle in the third quarter. Manning fumbled on the first possession of the second half, leading to a Mississippi State field goal. The Bulldogs took the lead temporarily, making it a two-score game. Texas responded with a seven-play drive. Manning connected with Emmett Mosley V for 37 yards and Raleek Brown for 22 yards. Brown finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown catch. Mosley added another 42-yard touchdown catch with 7:56 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns finished with 280 passing yards and four scoring drives.

Mississippi State has lost four straight games after starting the season 4-0. The team is now 2-4 in SEC play. Next Saturday, Texas travels to Columbia, Mo., to play Missouri. The Tigers are 5-2 and 2-2 in conference play. Missouri beat Arkansas 34-10 on Saturday. This will be the first meeting between the two programs since Texas left the Big 12 after the 2011 season.