Manning's 31-3 rout over Mississippi State keeps Texas in SEC title hunt

Arch Manning threw three touchdown passes to lead No. 11 Texas to a 31-3 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday night in Austin. The win extends the Longhorns' winning streak to two games and keeps them competitive in the Southeastern Conference title race.

Texas (6-2, 3-2 SEC) built an early lead before Maraad Watson returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown just before halftime. The score extended Texas' advantage to 10-0 at the break after the Bulldogs failed to capitalize on a brief offensive surge.

Mississippi State (4-4, 2-4 SEC) entered the game with a transfer quarterback, AJ Swann, making his first start of the season. Swann was sacked by Texas linebacker Rasheem Biles, and the loose ball was recovered by Watson. The 6-foot-3, 333-pound defensive tackle ran into the end zone with the support of several blockers.

Swann left the game with an injury after the play and finished the second half with his right arm in a sling. Parker Puckett, a walk-on, assumed offensive responsibilities for the remainder of the contest.

Manning opened the scoring on the fourth play of the game with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cam Coleman. He added two more touchdown passes in the second half, connecting with Raleek Brown in the third quarter and Emmett Mosely V in the fourth quarter.

The Texas defense recorded six sacks on Manning and held Mississippi State to under 300 total yards. Biles finished the night with eight tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles. He credited the team's effort for the final result.

"Every time I get a sack, I try to go for the ball," Biles said. "Our defense played great tonight.. I was the one who ended up with the better part of the stats."

Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby acknowledged the team's struggle to execute under pressure. "There’s a ton of frustration in those things, but my stress is make the layups," Lebby said. "No false start on the first third down of the game. No false start on fourth-and-2, second series of the game. We’re not good enough to overcome things right now."

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian noted that his team continues to develop. "I don’t know what our potential is. We're a growing team that continues to find ways to win," Sarkisian said. "I think we still have better football out there that we have to go out and play."

The Longhorns face injury concerns after Cam Coleman left the game early for the second consecutive contest. The team did not immediately disclose the nature of his injury, but he was seen in street clothes on the sideline during the second half. Texas will play at Missouri on Nov. 7, while Mississippi State hosts Vanderbilt on the same day.