Manning leads No. 1 Texas over Mississippi State as the Longhorns earn their first SEC win, 35-13

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Arch Manning passed for two touchdowns and ran for another score, and No. 1 Texas produced another standout performance from its defense to earn the program's first win in the Southeastern Conference, 35-13 over, on Saturday Mississippi State.

Manning completed 26 of 31 passes for 324 yards in his second straight start, replacing Quinn Ewers, who is still recovering from an abdominal strain.

Texas moved from the Big 12 to the SEC this season and delivered a resilient, scrappy and ultimately effective debut.

Manning's 49-yard touchdown pass against Deondre Moore in the second quarter and his 1-yard TD run in the third opened a closer-than-expected matchup with the Bulldogs, who have lost four straight.

Manning set up his own touchdown with a 26-yard scramble near the goal line, and the touchdown made the score 21-6 on the final play of the third quarter. Another goal from Moore at the start of the fourth period gave the Longhorns the decisive victory (5-0, 1-0).

Texas had gotten through its first four games well, scoring its first touchdown in five games. But the Longhorns soon faltered with a turnover, a dropped touchdown pass and a partially blocked punt.

Mississippi State (1-4, 0-2) had overtaken Texas in total yards and got within 7-6 late in the first half on two Kyle Ferrie field goals until Manning faced a blitz and Moore delivered a perfect strike just before he was hit.

The Longhorns defense didn't allow a touchdown until Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren's 12-yard run with just under 7 minutes left. This result ended a streak of nine straight quarters without giving up a touchdown.

Van Buren started in place of Blake Shapen, who was sidelined for the season with a shoulder injury a week ago. He finished the game with 144 yards passing and the TD run.

The snack bar

Mississippi State: A run-first game plan with Van Buren doing what he could to keep the potent Texas offense off the field. It worked until Manning's late TD strike in the second quarter. Van Buren seemed to do well in his first career start on the road against the No. 1 team in front of around 101,000 opposing fans.

Texas: The Longhorns struggled for three quarters against one of the worst rush defenses in the country and were chaotic with nine penalties for 75 yards. Starting tailback Jaydon Blue ended two Texas drives with fumbles. There's a lot to clean up before the next two games against No. 21 Oklahoma and No. 2 Georgia, which will have a big impact on whether the Longhorns compete for the SEC Championship.

Next

Mississippi State has next week off before playing No. 2 Georgia on Oct. 12.

Texas rests next week before facing No. 21 Oklahoma on Oct. 12 in Dallas.

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