Everything college football fans need to know about Texas vs. Mississippi State in Week 5 SEC matchup
After a multi-year buildup, Texas finally faces its first SEC opponent in Mississippi State
One of Nick Saban’s best traits appears to have rubbed off on former Alabama assistant Steve Sarkisian.
Sarkisian is obsessed with perfection for No. 1 Texas (4-0, 0-0 SEC) this season.
The Longhorns enter this Saturday’s SEC opener with questions at quarterback and running back, but they’ve still managed to put up red-hot offensive numbers. The defense has allowed only two touchdowns in four games, but coaches were furious about those two, too.
Ready or not, bring on Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1) and the rest of the Southeastern Conference. Let there be no doubt, Texas is more than ready.
“I wouldn’t know if I’ve ever not gotten made about stuff, but you probably have to ask the coaches and the players that,” Sarkisian joked late this week. “There’s a million things that we, that I want to get better at and get right.
“You know, even a lot of times you know the result of the play is a touchdown, but I see the left guard getting beat, or I see the other receiver run the wrong route, or I see the running back not pick up the protection, and everybody else is cheering, and I'm kind of still upset that we didn't do something correctly on the play.”
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Where to watch, stream, and listen to Texas vs. Mississippi State Week 5 college football game
The years leading up to Texas’ first SEC game were filled with questions over whether the Longhorns would be ready. Now that it’s here, not only is Texas (4-0, 0-0 SEC) the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, but UT is a 38.5-point favorite against Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1). Saturday has been three-plus years in […]
It’s almost as if Sarkisian has to remind himself that winning, even with a few rough spots, is still winning.
“So I don't ever have a problem of finding areas for us to improve upon,” Sarkisian said. “It's just a matter of, how much do I do?”
Sarkisian faced a quarterback dilemma this week. Quinn Ewers may be participating in practice, but just how healthy is he with the strained abdominal injury? Ewers may want to play, but should he? Backup Arch Manning, the projected starter in 2025, has proved himself more than capable.
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Ewers was listed as questionable on the late-week SEC availability report. Sarkisian said he would make a decision on Friday. “It won’t be a secret,” he said. “We’re not trying to pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. Just want to give Quinn every opportunity to see if he's ready to play and what he looks like. But I’d say he’s improved every day.
“I think Arch has had a very good week. And I would say this, (third-stringer) Trey Owens probably had his best practice as a Longhorn today, so that was really encouraging as well.”
Texas fans are revved up for the program’s first SEC game. They’ve been waiting since July 2021 when it was first announced the Horns wanted to switch conferences.
Finally, the moment is here.
“I think the beauty for us has been we haven’t changed,” Sarkisian said. “Our preparation, the way we’ve prepared now for the first four weeks of the season, we’ve remained very consistent this week, which I think is a great thing.”
