What went right for Bulldogs?

AUSTIN, Texas – Mississippi State football wasn’t expected to do many things right in adding Texas to the SEC, but Saturday held plenty of surprises.

First of all, everyone in burnt orange had to be shocked to see the Longhorns leading by just eight points at halftime and their offense fumbling the ball away twice. And with Texas once again struggling on its first play of the second half, those concerns only grew.

However, the Longhorns eventually pulled away and won 35-13. Still, there are many things that went well for Mississippi State. Here are some of those things:

What went right?

Running the ball (with honorable mentions to Michael Van Buren, which I will cover in a future story). Mississippi State’s offense opened against Texas with the 97th ranked rushing offense in the FBS (133.3 yards per game). Texas had the No. 26 rushing defense with just 95.8 yards allowed per game. Therefore, it is a remarkable achievement that the Bulldogs have accumulated the most rushing yards against the Longhorns this season.

What went right?

Takeaways. Prior to Saturday’s game in Austin, the Bulldogs’ defense had forced just one turnover in four games, an interception (returned for a touchdown) against Eastern Kentucky. Mississippi State’s defense has improved greatly over the last three games and the two forced fumbles were a big reason the Bulldogs were able to keep the score close.

What went right?

Field goals. Kyle Ferrie was 2-2 on his field goal attempts (45 and 32 yards) and scored Mississippi State’s only points in the first half. He is now 4 of 5 field goals this season.

When did Mississippi State’s upset attempt against No. 1 Texas end?

Mississippi State fails in an upset attempt against No. 1 Texas

Resilient Mississippi State offense delivers solid performance against No. 1 Texas

Mississippi State’s defense shows improvement over No. 1 Texas, but familiar issues remain