Takeaways: No. 22 Texas Rallies For Gutsy Overtime Win Over Mississippi State

The No. 22 Texas Longhorns kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, needing overtime to rally and defeat the Mississippi State Bulldogs 45-38 in Starkville.

Texas trailed 38-21 with a little over 12 minutes left in regulation, but would score 24 straight points to secure the win.

“I think we got a mulligan because tonight was a culture win,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I said this to the team, I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of a group of guys. When they go up 17 in the fourth quarter... these guys literally didn’t blink.”

With a defense that found itself struggling at times throughout the afternoon, it found its footing with key stops in the fourth quarter and the game-sealing stop in overtime.

Here are three takeaways from Texas’ win on Saturday over Mississippi State:

Arch Manning’s career day

After an ugly performance against the Kentucky Wildcats last week, quarterback Arch Manning responded with the best performance of his young career, leading the comeback for the Longhorns.

Manning completed 29 of his 46 pass attempts for 346 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. However, the offensive line’s struggles continued as Manning found himself being sacked five times.

“I thought Arch battled his tail off,” Sarkisian said.

In overtime, Manning scrambled for a first down but took a big hit at the end of the play. He was shaken up and taken into the medical tent without returning to the game. Matthew Caldwell entered in his place.

Defense saves the day

Mississippi State had 445 yards of total offense, the most surrendered by the Longhorns all season, but when things mattered most, Texas made the stops count.

The Longhorns’ seven sacks were the difference as Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen was dropped four times in the final five minutes of regulation and overtime.

“We can’t keep living like this. That’ll be addressed on Monday,” Sark said.