Steve Sarkisian explains the challenge of facing Mississippi State’s offense
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Steve Sarkisian is coming off a gigantic victory on Saturday night against Ole Miss that just might have saved the Longhorns’ season.
It stopped a 2-game losing streak for Texas, which had fallen from the No. 1 ranking all the way to 19th. The Horns nearly blew a big lead but survived, 34-27, and that was great. But Sarkisian met with reporters on Monday to discuss that other Mississippi school that is now coming to Austin for another primetime showdown in Week 9.
Yes, Mississippi State has lost 3 in a row since that electric 4-0 start, and the Bulldogs are mighty banged up as they prepare for Saturday night’s matchup (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) against the now 11th-ranked Longhorns (5-2, 2-2 SEC).
Sarkisian doesn’t want to hear any of it. He is well aware of what Mississippi State (4-3, 2-3 SEC) can bring to the table, especially if star quarterback Kamario Taylor is able to suit up and play. That’s a giant question mark as the leadup to the game begins, and Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby didn’t have a definitive update either way on Taylor’s status for Saturday.
Taylor reaggravated his injury in Saturday’s home loss to Oklahoma, and he watched the rest of the game from the sideline while wearing a boot on his right foot. The status of Taylor will be closely watched this week by Sarkisian, but on Monday he was giving Taylor his flowers for what he brings should he indeed play in Week 9.
While Lebby told reporters that Mississippi State would know a lot more about Taylor’s status in the next couple days, Sarkisian was speaking in the here and now on Monday about the Bulldogs and Taylor.
“Mississippi State is, obviously, a very dangerous football team. Kamario Taylor is a fantastic quarterback. Understandably, he’s going through some stuff from an injury standpoint, but we have to prepare as if he’s going to play because this guy is a very dangerous player,” Steve Sarkisian told reporters.
Sarkisian spoke about something else that he sees in the Bulldogs — the fast pace that they play with — and he knows that his team will have to prepare for that, no matter who’s playing quarterback.
“They play really fast. They spread you wide with their splits, and they play fast on the perimeter,” said Sarkisian, mindful that Taylor is at the center of it all with his arm and his legs.
Whether Taylor plays on Saturday night in Austin or not, there is a game to be won for both SEC teams. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about who has the edge as the banged-up Bulldogs face the suddenly rejuvenated Longhorns in a primetime showdown in Week 9:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
