Steve Sarkisian shares high praise of Mississippi State’s 2026 wins
By Mark Kern
Published:
Steve Sarkisian and Texas picked up a huge win last week when they were able to hang on at home and knock off Ole Miss, 34-27. The Longhorns were up in the game 24-3, but then saw that lead evaporate and had to rally late to get the win.
Entering that game on a two-game losing streak, the Longhorns just needed to get a win in the worst of ways. They will look to carry that momentum into the Week 9 game against Mississippi State. While the Bulldogs may be without Kamario Taylor for the rest of the year, Sarkisian had nothing but positive things to say about the Bulldogs program.
“They got off to a tremendous start this season. You think about their ability,” Steve Sarkisian said. “Minnesota turned out to be a pretty good football team, and their ability to win at Minnesota. South Carolina turned out to be a pretty good football team. Their ability to win at South Carolina. Missouri turned out to be a pretty good football team, beating that Missouri team. Obviously, they’ve gotten hit with the injury bug here a little bit, but they’ve still got very talented players.”
The Bulldogs started the year 4-0, but have lost three straight games against Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma. As Sarkisian said, the Bulldogs have had to deal with injuries. Taylor is the biggest one, but running back Fluff Bothwell is another key player who has missed time.
While the team is dealing with adversity, Sarkisian knows that Jeff Lebby and Zach Arnett will have the team ready to play on Saturday.
“They’ve got really good schemes on offense and defense,” Sarkisian said. “I have a ton of respect for Coach [Jeff] Lebby and Coach [Zach] Arnett and what they do on offense and defense. It’s a little unique. They challenge you from a preparation standpoint. I think they play with a lot of belief. We felt that last year when we were there at Starkville. I’m sure they’re going to give us all they got Saturday night here at DKR.”
With two losses on the season, the Longhorns are in a situation where they don’t have a lot of room for error. With road games still against Missouri and LSU, the Longhorns need to come out Saturday and take care of business against the Bulldogs.
