Texas didn’t expect to be clinging to a single-digit lead at halftime, but that’s where the No. 1 Longhorns are, leading Mississippi State 14-6.
The Bulldogs have played keep away, with 21 minutes, 3 seconds of possession compared to the Longhorns’ 8:57. The strategy is a sound one given that Mississippi State is starting a true freshman quarterback on the road and it has been effective, limiting Texas to just four first-half possessions.
A turnover killed one of those Texas drives in the red zone and a dropped third-down pass by Johntay Cook erased what could have been a long touchdown. Texas could be up by three or more scores if not for those miscues, but the margin of error shrinks when possessions are hard to come by.
Redshirt freshman Arch Manning was solid in the first half, going 15 of 19 passing for 202 yards and a touchdown. He has taken better care of the ball, not throwing it into danger zones like he did in his first start last week against Louisiana-Monroe.
But the Texas offense has been mostly on Manning’s shoulders, as the Longhorns have handed the ball to a running back just six times for 12 yards. Will be interesting to see if the Longhorns run the ball more in the second half.
