Longhorns to Watch Against Mississippi State: Terry and Cooper in the Backfield, Coleman Against the Nation's 129th Pass Defense, and Masunas at Tight End
Texas turned a confidence-building win over Ole Miss toward Saturday night at Darrell K. Royal. Longhorns Wire's seven names to watch start in a backfield that may lean young — and at a receiver facing the pass defense ranked 129th in the country.
No. 11 Texas (5-2, 2-2 SEC) hosts Mississippi State (4-3, 2-3 SEC) under the lights in Austin on Saturday (6:30 p.m. CT), and the singular win over Ole Miss becomes a streak only if specific players step up, Longhorns Wire wrote in its players-to-watch file, read in full by this desk. The Bulldogs arrive without quarterback Kamario Taylor, lost for the season.
Start in the backfield. Raleek Brown set a career high with 23 carries against Ole Miss — a heavy workload for a smaller back — and with starter Hollywood Smothers working back, head coach Steve Sarkisian could lean on his younger backs Saturday, Longhorns Wire wrote: Michael Terry III, coming off his best performance as a Longhorn, and Derrek Cooper, who was dealing with an illness last week and should be back to full strength. It could be a youth-heavy rushing attack before the heavier lifting Missouri and LSU will demand.
The passing matchup is the night's invitation. Wide receiver Cam Coleman faces a Mississippi State defense bringing in the 129th-ranked pass defense in the country under defensive coordinator Zach Arnett — a chance, Longhorns Wire wrote, for Coleman to find the rhythm the offense needs to reach its ceiling, after a frustrating drop last week. Tight end Michael Masunas is the quieter name: his three catches and elite blocking against Ole Miss — handling defensive ends and freeing the line to set edges — made him as responsible as anyone for the run game finding its rhythm.
On defense, defensive lineman Justus Terry, back from injury since the Florida game, could give the Longhorns even more third-down pass rush; edge Colton Vasek, an underrated star of the Ole Miss game for his edge-setting, is in line for consistent snaps again with Colin Simmons likely out another week and Richard Wesley nursing an ankle sprain; and cornerback Kade Phillips needs the bounceback — Ole Miss attacked him in man coverage and found success, and Mississippi State will test him with speed and separation. Saturday night will say whether the depth is real.
