Mississippi State will be traveling to Austin, TX this weekend to take on No. 1 Texas. Considering the way the Bulldogs have been playing this season, the 1-3 Bulldogs at the Longhorns could be considered a David-and-Goliath story. However, this a different version of the story, where David might not come out the winner. That’s not much of a lesson for children, but then, the way it’s likely to go down, may not be for innocent eyes.
This will be Texas’ inaugural SEC game as they enter conference play. So far, in non-conference play, they have outscored their opponents 191-22. Considering the challenge State’s defense has already undergone with lesser opponents, it’s no wonder odds-makers are listing them as a 37.5-point underdog.
Against the Odds
The Bulldogs will go into week five without their original starting quarterback. Blake Shapen went down in last week’s game against Florida with a shoulder injury. It gets worse than that since he had to undergo season-ending surgery. Instead, Michael Van Buren will get his first collegiate start at the position. He stepped in last week against the Gators and moved the ball quite well. However, going up against the No. 1 team in the country isn’t exactly the way one wants to start their quarterback career.
However, Van Buren was able to drive the team from State’s 34-yard line and hand off to running back Johnnie Daniels for a 10-yard score with four minutes left in the game. Perhaps some good karma for the upcoming contest.
Bulldog head coach Jeff Lebby plans to keep the other quarterback Chris Parson in his back pocket but intends to have Van Buren run out first. In his Monday morning press conference, he voiced confidence in the sophomore. “I was proud of how he was able to put a drive together there for us in the fourth quarter,” Lebby said. “A guy that has great confidence in himself and the guys around him. Chris has been unbelievable in being a great teammate, working his butt off, doing some things that we need him to do to create a ton of confidence. But Mike will run out there first.”
Welcome to the SEC
This will be the Longhorns’ first game with an SEC opponent. Losing three games in a row doesn’t provide much confidence in Miss. State as a worthy welcoming committee. Still, Lebby sees this as an opportunity for his Dawgs to pull off an upset. “Texas is a football team playing as good as anybody in the country,” Lebby said. “What an unbelievable opportunity for us to see how we’re gonna respond.”
Van Buren will be playing in front of 100,000 Texas fans, raucous as usual, waving the two-fingered Longhorn salute. Lebby is still confident about his young QB. “He can keep things alive with his feet, he can go make the throws we need him to make, but the experience piece of it is what matters,” Lebby said. “For Mike, it’s about focusing really small, taking great care of the football.”
He will be going up against the No. 5 team in total defense, who has held its previous four opponents to only 22 points.
If there is any hope for the Dawgs, it could be in their running game that showed major improvement last week. They racked up 240 yards, whereas in the two prior games, they could only muster 24, and 56 yards respectively.
The other element is what Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said is the lack of film on Van Buren. “It’s a small sample size,” Sarkisian said in his Thursday press conference. “They’ve had a week now to prepare a game plan for the things that he does well, and that’s what we’re going to have to sort through and figure out. But knowing Jeff Lebby, a really good offensive mind, he’s going to put him in a good position to have some success
Bull in a China Shop
The Texas offense is ranked No. 1 in the country and has been running through defenses just like a Longhorn in a china shop. Quarterback Quinn Ewers, once a front-runner in Heisman predictions, suffered an oblique tear in their game with UTSA, In their first SEC Availability Report, he is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game. His replacement, Arch Manning, proved to be a worthy opponent, scoring 51 points last week against UL Monroe. That was his first start at the position, wherein he went 15 of 29 (52%) for 258 yards.
As of Thursday, Sarkisian was still unsure who he will start at the position. “We’re going to decide on the quarterback thing tomorrow,” Sarkisian said. “It won’t be a secret. We’re not trying to pull the wool over anybody’s eyes. Just want to give Quinn every opportunity to see if he’s ready to play and what he looks like.”
Whichever quarterback Sark decides to start, the Longhorns still have a formidable offense, to face a lackluster defense. One positive note in that regard is that the Bulldogs’ leading tackler, Isaac Smith, is listed as probable for the matchup.
Let the Game Begin
There was some distracting news Wednesday with the release of the Availability Report. Sophomore slot receiver Creed Whittemore was listed as Out, without having been injured. The answer is that he has declared as a redshirt and thus sitting out the remainder of the 2024 season. He was an impact player, and usually gained significant yardage, despite having minimal exposure to the ball. What effect this may have on team morale is unknown at this point.
In terms of continuing improvement on the running game, it was announced that running back Keyvone Lee will miss this game, and perhaps others to come, due to injury. Regardless, Lebby continues to plow ahead. “Frustrated, disappointed without a doubt,” Lebby said Monday. “But our energy, our toughness, our effort, our focus is about us. We’re going to continue to focus on those things and get ready to roll.”
