Texas football: 5 things for Longhorn fans to know about the Mississippi State Bulldogs

Nearly 109 years ago, the Texas football team played Rice in its first Southwest Conference game. And 28 years ago, Texas met Missouri for its first Big 12 battle.

On Saturday, No. 2 Texas (4-0) will play its first conference contest in the Southeastern Conference. That debut will come against Mississippi State in an SEC Network-televised game that will kick off at 3:15 p.m. at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

Here are five things to know about Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1):

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1. Mississippi State will break in a new quarterback

Mississippi State has announced that starting quarterback Blake Shapen’s season is over after he suffered a shoulder injury in Saturday’s 45-28 loss to Florida. Shapen, who spent four years at Baylor before transferring to Mississippi State last offseason, had thrown for nearly 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns against just one interception in 2024.

True freshman Michael Van Buren Jr., a former four-star recruit out of Baltimore, relieved Shapen on Saturday. Junior Jake Weir and redshirt freshman Chris Parson are the other two quarterbacks on the roster. Weir has yet to appear in a game while Parson has attempted 28 passes in his career.

2. Newcomers leading the Mississippi State offense

There were 89 slots available on the SEC’s preseason honors team, but Mississippi State filled none of them. So who’s the Bulldogs’ top talent? Through four games, Johnnie Daniels leads the team with 158 rushing yards. With 22 receptions, 287 receiving yards and three touchdown catches, Kevin Coleman Jr. has emerged as the top receiving target.

Daniels and Coleman are both new to the Bulldogs. Coleman was a starter at Louisville last season and played at Jackson State in 2022. Daniels transferred in from Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

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3. Some Mississippi State coaches have a rivalry with Texas

Texas and Mississippi State haven’t played each other since the 1999 Cotton Bowl, but a few Bulldogs coaches know a thing or two about the Longhorns.

New MSU head coach Jeff Lebby worked the last two years as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator, and he was an assistant at Baylor from 2012 to 2016. Jon Cooper, who coaches the Bulldogs’ tight ends, was the Big 12 offensive lineman of the year while playing at Oklahoma in 2008. And defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler was Texas’ co-defensive coordinator in 2020.

4. Mississippi State hasn’t won big in the SEC

Unlike Texas, Mississippi State is hardly an SEC newcomer. The school was among the 13 charter members that founded the league in 1932. Still, despite being in the conference for more than 90 years, Mississippi State has won only one SEC championship — back in 1941. That team went 4-0-1 in conference play.

After a 1-7 SEC record last year, Mississippi State was picked to finish 15th among 16 teams in the conference’s preseason poll.

5. Why is Mississippi State nicknamed the Bulldogs?

Over the years, Mississippi State has answered to other nicknames, such as the Aggies and Maroons. According to the university, the Bulldog nickname was officially adopted in 1961, but that moniker had been interchangeable with the school’s other nicknames since 1905.

There are two Bulldogs in the SEC. And just like Georgia, Mississippi State has a live mascot. Mississippi State’s bulldog goes by “Dak” although its formal name is Bully XXII. And yes, Dak is named after Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback and former Mississippi State star.

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