AUSTIN — We’re now just one day away from the Texas-Mississippi State matchup that will take place on Saturday, which will also be the sixth time in history that the Longhorns and the Bulldogs have met.

This is the second consecutive matchup between the two teams, as the two faced off in Austin last year, when a Texas team led by quarterback Arch Manning beat Mississippi State 35-13, the first game between the two in 25 years.

Before the 2024 game, the last time the two met was in the Cotton Bowl in 1999. The Longhorns won that game 38-11. The Bulldogs beat the Longhorns in the two prior matchups, but Texas secured the first win of the series back in 1921.

In 2025, the Texas Longhorns will look to extend their all-time lead to 5-2 over the Bulldogs.

Texas is now in a spot where it’s hoping to earn its third win of conference play. So far, the Longhorns are 2-1 in conference play after a bad 29-21 loss to the Florida Gators a few weeks back, before earning a surprising victory over No. 6 Oklahoma.

After the Longhorns earned their first big win of the 2025 season with the 23-6 win in the Red River Rivalry, things unfortunately got back on track for Texas, as it struggled to beat the Kentucky Wildcats in overtime.

Getting back on track for the Longhorns consisted of offensive struggles that have been consistent all season, except for in their game against the Sooners. Although, Manning’s performance still wasn’t great.

The Longhorns’ defense has played amazingly all season, except for the loss to the Gators. For the most part, it has been the saving grace for Texas amidst offensive struggles under the guidance of head coach Steve Sarkisian.

The good news, however, is that Texas will finally have running back CJ Baxter make his return for the season.

For Mississippi State, it will be looking to earn its first win of conference play after losing three straight to Tennessee, Texas A&M and Florida. The Bulldogs’ struggles are also due to an inability to pass the ball effectively.

However, Mississippi State does have a very good ground attack and a good defense. With transfer running back Fluff Bothwell to power through opponents’ defense on the ground, and a decent defense all over the field, the Bulldogs keep games close.

It didn’t quite go their way against Texas A&M, but against Tennessee, Mississippi State took the game into overtime and just couldn’t pull the upset off in the end, as they lost by a touchdown. And against the Gators, the Bulldogs only lost by two.

In the end, the Longhorns shouldn’t struggle too much with stopping the Bulldogs’ offense; however, they will need to ensure that they contain Bothwell. The concern for Texas is whether or not they’ll finally get their offensive issues settled.

The sixth game between the two will kick off at 3:15 p.m. CT, and fans can watch on SEC Network.