AUSTIN, Texas — The Starkville-based Mississippi State Bulldogs head to No. 11 Texas for a Halloween night SEC game Saturday at Royal-Memorial Stadium in Austin trying to stop a three-game losing streak, and it will do so without star quarterback Kamario Taylor.
Coach Jeff Lebby said this week that Taylor will have surgery to fix a toe injury. Before he got hurt, the Bulldogs had started 4-0, with a lopsided win over Minnesota, a road win at South Carolina and a home win over Missouri. They are now 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the SEC, while Texas sits at 5-2 and 2-2 after beating Ole Miss 34-27.
Sophomore Parker Puckett, a former walk-on from Madison, has taken most of the snaps the past two games. He has completed 41 of 64 passes for 368 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Appalachian State transfer AJ Swann is also listed as a possible starter on the depth chart. In four games, Taylor had thrown 17 touchdown passes.
The running game is where State still has punch. Junior Fluff Bothwell has carried 91 times for 514 yards and three scores, and he ran for 111 yards on 17 carries in last week’s 23-15 loss to Oklahoma. Georgia transfer Anthony Evans leads the receivers with 53 catches for 647 yards.
The Bulldogs defense has had a hard time against the pass, giving up 267.4 passing yards a game, the most in the SEC, and the team has 10 turnovers. At home since 2023, the Longhorns are 23-2.
The last time the two met, on Oct. 25, 2025, in Starkville, Texas won 45-38 in overtime. A win Saturday would snap the slide and get State to five wins with November games still ahead, while Texas is trying to protect its playoff hopes before road trips to Missouri and LSU.
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