Texas defends the belt, 35–13, at home over Mississippi State.
AP poll, week 5: Mississippi State unranked at Texas No. 1 · No. 1 that week: Oklahoma State. The belt vs. the polls →
Where this game sits in the lineage
Texas came in 21 days into reign #323, which began with a win over Michigan, with 2 defenses already behind it; this was its third defense. Texas went on to defend it 1 more time before Georgia took it on October 19, 2024, 42 days after the reign began.
For Mississippi State this was its 22nd shot at the belt; it had held the belt 3 times before.
It was the 2nd of 2 belt games between the two; going in, Texas led the belt series 1–0; all-time Texas leads 2–0.
Recap
Texas dominated Mississippi State from the opening drive, with Arch Manning leading the Longhorns down the field immediately and punching in a 1-yard touchdown run by Jaydon Blue just 6:06 into the game. The Horns' offense was relentless throughout, with Manning connecting with DeAndre Moore Jr. for a 49-yard touchdown just before halftime to extend the lead to 14-6. Mississippi State couldn't generate consistent offense despite holding the ball for over 34 minutes, managing only two field goals in the first half while Texas added two more Manning touchdown passes in the second half—including a 27-yarder to Moore in the fourth quarter and a 1-yard rushing score at the end of the third. Though the Bulldogs scored a late touchdown and mounted some drives late in the game, Texas's early offensive fireworks and control of the line of scrimmage put the game out of reach long before the final whistle.
- Jaydon Blue's 1-yard TD run at 6:06 of Q1—immediate statement of dominance by the defending belt holder
- DeAndre Moore Jr.'s 49-yard TD reception at end of Q2—extended Texas lead to 14-6 heading into halftime
- Arch Manning's 1-yard rushing TD at 0:00 of Q3—capped a dominant third quarter and put Texas firmly in control
- Arch Manning's 27-yard TD pass to Moore in Q4—essentially sealed the game and the belt retention
Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.
Team stats
CFBD box scoreFull team box score from CFBD’s /games/teams data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have team-level stats that far back.
Key plays
CFBD play-by-play| When | Team | Yards | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 6:28 | Texas | +20 yd | Arch Manning pass complete to DeAndre Moore Jr. for 20 yds to the MSST 1 for a 1ST down |
| Q1 6:06 | Texas | +1 yd | Jaydon Blue run for 1 yd for a TD (Bert Auburn KICK) |
| Q1 4:47 | Texas | +27 yd | Arch Manning pass complete to Isaiah Bond for 27 yds to the MSST 46 for a 1ST down |
| Q1 2:48 | Texas | -1 yd | Jaydon Blue run for a loss of 1 yard to the MSST 21 Jaydon Blue fumbled, recovered by MSST Zakari Tillman Z. Tillman return for 0 yds |
| Q2 12:39 | Texas | +0 yd | punt blocked by Zakari Tillman blocked by Zakari Tillman |
| Q2 9:24 | Mississippi State | +45 yd | Kyle Ferrie 45 yd FG GOOD |
| Q2 6:07 | Mississippi State | +20 yd | Michael Van Buren Jr. pass complete to Kevin Coleman Jr. for 20 yds to the TEX 43 for a 1ST down |
| Q2 1:56 | Mississippi State | +32 yd | Kyle Ferrie 32 yd FG GOOD |
| Q2 0:29 | Texas | +49 yd | Arch Manning pass complete to DeAndre Moore Jr. for 49 yds for a TD (Bert Auburn KICK) |
| Q3 14:59 | Texas | +21 yd | Jaydon Blue run for 21 yds to the TEX 46 Jaydon Blue fumbled, recovered by MSST Stone Blanton S. Blanton return for 0 yds |
| Q3 5:34 | Mississippi State | +20 yd | Nick Barr-Mira punt for 54 yds , Silas Bolden returns for 20 yds to the TEX 25 |
| Q3 4:57 | Texas | +31 yd | Arch Manning pass complete to Johntay Cook II for 31 yds to the MSST 41 for a 1ST down |
| Q3 1:37 | Texas | +26 yd | Arch Manning run for 26 yds to the MSST 1 for a 1ST down |
| Q3 0:00 | Texas | +1 yd | Arch Manning run for 1 yd for a TD (Bert Auburn KICK) |
| Q4 12:10 | Texas | +38 yd | Quintrevion Wisner run for 38 yds to the MSST 40 for a 1ST down |
| Q4 9:30 | Texas | +27 yd | Arch Manning pass complete to DeAndre Moore Jr. for 27 yds for a TD (Bert Auburn KICK) |
| Q4 9:28 | Mississippi State | +46 yd | Michael Van Buren Jr. pass complete to Mario Craver for 46 yds to the TEX 29 for a 1ST down |
| Q4 6:12 | Mississippi State | +12 yd | Michael Van Buren Jr. run for 12 yds for a TD (Kyle Ferrie KICK) |
| Q4 3:03 | Texas | +26 yd | Isaiah Bond run for 26 yds for a TD (Bert Auburn KICK) |
| Q4 1:56 | Mississippi State | -5 yd | Michael Van Buren Jr. sacked for a loss of 5 yards to the MSST 44 Michael Van Buren Jr. fumbled, recovered by MSST Johnnie Daniels , return for 0 yards |
Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).
Player stats
CFBD player statsPassing
Texas
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arch Manning | 26/31 | 324 | 10.5 | 2 | 0 | 79.5 |
Mississippi State
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Van Buren Jr. | 12/23 | 144 | 6.3 | 0 | 0 | 47.5 |
Rushing
Texas
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tre Wisner | 13 | 88 | 6.8 | 0 | 38 |
| Jaydon Blue | 6 | 36 | 6.0 | 1 | 21 |
| Arch Manning | 6 | 33 | 5.5 | 1 | 26 |
| Isaiah Bond | 1 | 26 | 26.0 | 1 | 26 |
| Jerrick Gibson | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | 0 | 6 |
| Team | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | 0 |
Mississippi State
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnnie Daniels | 15 | 75 | 5.0 | 0 | 17 |
| Davon Booth | 18 | 59 | 3.3 | 0 | 8 |
| Chris Parson | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | 0 | 10 |
| Mario Craver | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 0 | 10 |
| Michael Van Buren Jr. | 12 | -14 | -1.2 | 1 | 12 |
Receiving
Texas
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeAndre Moore Jr. | 4 | 103 | 25.8 | 2 | 49 |
| Isaiah Bond | 5 | 74 | 14.8 | 0 | 27 |
| Matthew Golden | 5 | 52 | 10.4 | 0 | 22 |
| Johntay Cook II | 1 | 31 | 31.0 | 0 | 31 |
| Gunnar Helm | 5 | 23 | 4.6 | 0 | 9 |
| Tre Wisner | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 |
| Jaydon Blue | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 0 | 10 |
| Jerrick Gibson | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 |
| Ryan Wingo | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 0 | 10 |
| Silas Bolden | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
Mississippi State
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Coleman Jr. | 6 | 57 | 9.5 | 0 | 20 |
| Mario Craver | 1 | 46 | 46.0 | 0 | 46 |
| Kelly Akharaiyi | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 0 | 18 |
| Seydou Traore | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | 14 |
| Justin Ball | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Johnnie Daniels | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
Show more stats (5 more categories)
Defense
Texas
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HUR | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Gbenda | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylon Guilbeau | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colin Simmons | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jahdae Barron | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Hill Jr. | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vernon Broughton | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Mukuba | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Alfred Collins | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Taaffe | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Malik Muhammad | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jermayne Lole | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bill Norton | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barryn Sorrell | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gavin Holmes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Morice Blackwell Jr. | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jelani McDonald | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey Moore | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colton Vasek | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Liona Lefau | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ethan Burke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Mississippi State
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HUR | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Blanton | 10 | 4 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nic Mitchell | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brylan Lanier | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brice Pollock | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Corey Ellington | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hunter Washington | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Branden Jennings | 5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevion Williams | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ashun Shepphard | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kai McClendon | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ty Cooper | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zakari Tillman | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Javae Gilmore | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| De'Monte Russell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J.P. Purvis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deonte Anderson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joseph Head Jr. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fumbles
Texas
| Player | FUM | LOST | REC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaydon Blue | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Vernon Broughton | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Mississippi State
| Player | FUM | LOST | REC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Van Buren Jr. | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Stone Blanton | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Zakari Tillman | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
Texas
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bert Auburn | 0/0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5/5 | 5 |
Mississippi State
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Ferrie | 2/2 | 100.0 | 45 | 1/1 | 7 |
Punt Returns
Texas
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silas Bolden | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 20 | 0 |
Mississippi State
No recorded stats in this category.
Punting
Texas
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Kern | 1 | 40 | 40.0 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
Mississippi State
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Barr-Mira | 4 | 194 | 48.5 | 0 | 1 | 60 |
Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data, split out by team. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back. Linked player names go to that player’s stat line in every other belt game they’ve appeared in.
Sources Box score at ESPN · Game record: College Football Data (id 401628378) · This game in the downloadable dataset