AUSTIN — The SEC era in Austin has officially begun, though it could’ve certainly gotten off to a smoother start.

The No. 1 Texas Longhorns kicked off conference play Saturday at home against Mississippi State, but did so without their starting quarterback. With Quinn Ewers sidelined for a second straight game, Arch Manning got the start and led Texas to a 14-6 halftime lead over the Bulldogs. He went 15 of 19 passing for 202 yards and one touchdown in the first half.

Mississippi State dominated time of possession 20:34 to 8:57 in the first half, as head coach Jeff Lebby’s game plan was clearly to keep the ball out of Manning’s hands.

The Bulldogs put together a steady opening drive that featured a heavy dose of runs, as both Van Buren and backup quarterback Chris Parson used their legs.

And on Texas’ first possession, Manning found Matthew Golden for a 22-yard gain on a comeback route that got 15 yards added on due to a facemask penalty. On the next play, he connected with Isaiah Bond for a 16-yard pickup. The Longhorns were right outside the red zone after just two plays.

Sophomore receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. appeared to have a touchdown two plays later, but his 20-yard gain was ruled short of the end zone at the one-yard line. Blue punched it on the next play for this fifth total touchdown in the last five quarters.

After a quick Bulldogs three-and-out, the Longhorns were in prime position once again after competitions of 27 and 17 yards to Bond. However, Blue made his first big miscue of the season with a fumble at the 20-yard line that Mississippi State recovered.

The Bulldogs were unable to take advantage of the takeaway and punted after seven plays. Texas was unable to do anything as well on the ensuing possession after a holding penalty on Cam Williams forced the drive to end in a three-and-out.

A partially-blocked punt by the Bulldogs set Van Buren and the offense up at the Texas 37-yard line. After gaining only 10 yards in seven plays, Mississippi State got on the board with a 45-yard field goal from Kyle Ferrie to make it a 7-3 game.

Looking to respond, the Longhorns started the next drive with a 12-yard catch-and-run from running back Quintrevion Wisner, who powered through multiple defenders. Manning then took a depp shot to Johntay Cook II, Wisner’s second cousin, two plays later on third down, but the would-be 62-yard touchdown fell through his hands. Texas punted for the second straight drive.

The Bulldogs added their second field goal on a 10-play, 64 drive to make it a 7-6 after the two-minute timeout.

Texas had one last chance to make the most of the first half, which Manning did after finding Moore Jr. for a lofting 49-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline with 29 seconds to play.

The Longhorns will get the ball to begin the second half.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — CJ Bailey scored on the ground and through the air as North Carolina State defeated visiting Northern Illinois 24-17 on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Bailey, a true freshman making his second start for the Wolfpack (3-2), completed 13 of 20 passes for 108 yards. He supported a strong defensive effort from N.C. State that forced NIU (2-2) into four crucial turnovers.

“It was a team win. You know, offensively, obviously, statistics are not good, but we did not turn the football over the whole game,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. “We punted the football really well and we played dominant defense against a really good football team.”

Momentum seemed to swing in the Wolfpack’s favor early in the second quarter, when N.C. State safety DK Kaufman reached NIU quarterback Ethan Hampton on a third-down blitz, knocked the ball out of his throwing hand and recovered the fumble for a 2-yard defensive touchdown.

N.C. State’s defense provided another boost in the third quarter when Devin Vann forced Hampton into a fumble that Brandon Cleveland recovered and returned to the 1. Bailey took advantage of the superb field position, throwing a short touchdown pass to KC Concepcion that pushed N.C. State ahead by two scores.

Trailing by seven points with four seconds to play, NIU’s attempt at a game-tying score was stifled when Hampton was intercepted in the end zone by Corey Coley.

“You lose the turnover battle four-to-nothing and it’s hard to win,” NIU coach Thomas Hammock said. “They blitzed us early and often. We just didn’t make enough plays.”

Antario Brown paced the Huskies with 114 yards rushing on 28 carries.

The takeaway

NC State: On offense, the Wolfpack played just well enough to complement their stout defense. The Wolfpack didn’t turn the ball over and scored when they reached the red zone. After a demoralizing defeat at Clemson last week, this was a bounce-back victory for N.C. State in its final non-conference game of the season.

“I know people are upset we didn’t have enough yards, this, that and the other,” Doeren said. “Don’t be mad about winning. That was a hell of a team win.”

NIU: The Huskies haven’t been able to recapture the magic of their Sept. 7 win at Notre Dame. This is NIU’s second consecutive loss and one where the Huskies struggled to capitalize on offense. The Huskies held the Wolfpack to 1-of-11 on third down conversions and to just 175 yards of total offense, but turnovers and stalled drives doomed NIU’s chances at another signature win.

Providing pressure

NIU had been on a six-game streak dating back to last season of not giving up any sacks. The Wolfpack shattered any hope the Huskies had of extending that mark, sacking Hampton four times. In all, N.C. State registered a season-high 12 tackles for loss.

N.C. State had just four sacks combined in its previous four games this season. It’s worth noting that the Wolfpack racked up this many sacks without Red Hibbler, who led N.C. State in the stat last season and is no longer on the team as of this week.

“We started communicating on a higher level. And that started with me. It was my job to do so… being more physical in practice,” said Wolfpack linebacker Caden Fordham, who had a team-high 14 tackles. “And I believe it translated to the field today.”

Key absences

Quarterback Grayson McCall and running back Hollywood Smothers were not dressed to play for N.C. State. McCall, the former three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year from Coastal Carolina, left the Wolfpack’s Week 3 win over Louisiana Tech with an undisclosed injury and hasn’t played since. Smothers, a transfer from Oklahoma, had 114 rushing yards and touchdown on 22 carries in the Wolfpack’s first four games.

Up next

NC State: The Wolfpack host rival Wake Forest next Saturday.

NIU: UMass visits the Huskies next Saturday.