'It's a Dangerous Way to Live': No. 11 Texas Chases Consistency as Mississippi State Arrives Saturday
Texas has beaten three ranked teams by one score and blown a 21-point halftime lead in the process. Steve Sarkisian's message before Mississippi State's visit: clean it up — starting with a season-high 14 penalties.
No. 11 Texas is in the thick of the College Football Playoff race, but the Longhorns are living on the edge as they prepare to host Mississippi State on Saturday night, according to Field Level Media's preview carried by Deadspin. Texas (5-2, 2-2 SEC) has played five teams in the current AP Top 25 and won three games by one score.
The pattern peaked last Saturday: Texas built a 21-point halftime lead over then-No. 7 Ole Miss, squandered it, and recovered to win 34-27, narrowly avoiding overtime. "It's a dangerous way to live," coach Steve Sarkisian said, as reported by Field Level Media. "We've got to clean this stuff up. We've got to play better, and that's the beauty of winning but not being perfect, is that I get to come in and coach these guys on 'here's where we can get even better.'"
The cleanup list is specific. Quarterback Arch Manning turned the ball over three times against Ole Miss, and the team-wide problem was penalties: a season-high 14 for 134 yards, with a series of defensive infractions doing particular damage. "What's important for us defensively," Sarkisian said, "is learning how to play with an edge and play with emotion, but not get emotional." The Ole Miss win ended a two-game losing streak, and Saturday is Texas's final home game before road trips to No. 23 Missouri and No. 15 LSU.
Mississippi State (4-3, 2-3 SEC) arrives on a three-game losing streak after a 4-0 start that carried it to No. 16, and with quarterback Kamario Taylor's status uncertain after he aggravated a toe injury against Oklahoma. Redshirt freshman Billy Puckett has completed 64 percent of his passes for 368 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and fifth-year transfer AJ Swann is the healthiest he has been this season; coach Jeff Lebby said the staff will evaluate both through the week. The teams met in Starkville last season, when Texas trailed 31-14 entering the fourth quarter and won 45-38 in overtime.
