First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Texas

STARKVILLE – Home sweet home. Mississippi State is finally back at Davis Wade Stadium after nearly a full month away.

MSU (4-3 overall, 0-3 in Southeastern Conference play) hosts No. 22 Texas (5-2, 2-1) at 3:15 p.m. CT on Saturday in the Bulldogs' first home contest since Sept. 27. The game will be televised by SEC Network.

Ahead of the contest, let's have a look at 10 items to be aware of as State gets ready to square off against the Longhorns:

MSU is celebrating homecoming on Saturday. It's the 86th homecoming game at Mississippi State dating back to the first one on Oct. 23, 1937. State is 59-23-3 in its homecoming affairs and has won 14 of the last 15. Saturday is the fifth time in the last six homecoming games in which the Bulldogs have faced an SEC team on the occasion.
State and Texas are meeting for only the sixth time ever. The Bulldogs have won two of the previous five contests with those victories coming in back-to-back seasons in 1991 and 1992. MSU has dropped its last two games against Texas with one of those defeats coming in the 1999 Cotton Bowl and the other last season when the Dawgs trailed the then-No. 1 Longhorns by just eight points at halftime before ultimately falling 35-13.
The Bulldogs are looking to continue their big-play ways on Saturday. MSU leads the nation in passing plays over 40 yards with 14 of them. The next closest is Florida State with 12.
Meanwhile, State's defense has been incredibly strong as well. MSU has already eclipsed last season's turnover total as the Dawgs have 13 of them entering Saturday. The 13 takeaways are the 12th most nationally, and tied for first in the SEC. Additionally, State still hasn't allowed a first-quarter touchdown this season, and the defense averages allowing nearly 14 points less per game and over 100 yards less per game than their season averages of a year ago.
Special teams has been stout for State, too. Punter Ethan Pulliam is averaging 47 yards per punt this year. If the season ended today, that mark would be a program record. Meanwhile, kicker Kyle Ferrie continues to chase the MSU career scoring record. Ferrie, who has made all of his extra point attempts this season and is 7-for-9 on field goal tries including a school-record 55-yarder, currently sits eighth in Mississippi State history with 190 career points. Ferrie is now just nine points behind seventh place.
MSU receiver Anthony Evans III is having a career year for the Bulldogs. Evans has already caught 42 passes for 471 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Evans' 42 receptions are tied for second in the SEC. His 471 yards are ninth in the conference.
Bulldog safety Brylan Lanier enters Saturday's contest on the heels of a tremendous performance last weekend at Florida. Versus the Gators, Lanier had eight tackles, including a sack. He also picked off two passes. Lanier became only the second MSU player since 1995 to record two interceptions and have a sack in the same game, joining Jett Johnson, who pulled off the feat in 2023.
Texas' calling card this season has been its defense. The Longhorns rank third in the FBS allowing only 11.3 points per game on average. Texas is fifth in the FBS in rushing defense and 12th in total defense.
The Longhorns have found life difficult in true road games this season. Texas comes to Starkville having lost two of its three road contests in 2025. The lone win on the road came last week – and it took overtime – as Texas topped Kentucky 16-13 in Lexington.
Following Saturday's game, MSU will turn the page to its November slate to close out the 2025 regular season. It'll be quite the challenge for the Dawgs as three of State's final four opponents are currently ranked inside the top 15 of the Associated Press poll. The only unranked team left on State's schedule is the Arkansas Razorbacks, who the Bulldogs face next weekend in Fayetteville.

Mississippi State University Athletics

First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Texas

Players Mentioned

Anthony Evans III

Kyle Ferrie

Brylan Lanier

Ethan Pulliam

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