Texas freshmen step up in Mississippi State rout

Texas leaned on several freshmen while beating Mississippi State 31-3 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, with cornerback Smoke Matthews taking on an expanded role after injuries in the secondary. The Longhorns held the Bulldogs to three points, and quarterback Arch Manning threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

Matthews recorded two solo tackles while playing a career-high 39 defensive snaps. He stopped receiver Marquis Johnson after an eight-yard completion in the second quarter, then tackled quarterback Parker Puckett following a 12-yard run in the third.

His workload increased after injuries to sophomore cornerback Kade Phillips and sophomore nickel back Graceson Littleton. Matthews added 12 special-teams snaps to his defensive workload.

Freshman wide receiver Jermaine Bishop Jr. caught three passes for 17 yards and played a career-high 30 offensive snaps. His receptions came in the first, second and fourth quarters, including an eight-yard catch on third-and-12 during a drive that ended with Gianni Spetic's 45-yard field goal. Bishop also logged 14 special-teams snaps.

Running back Derrek Cooper carried once for five yards during a fourth-quarter touchdown drive and played two snaps. Michael Terry III appeared to have moved ahead of Cooper in the backfield rotation, though Cooper previously had 11 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown against UTSA.

The lopsided score also created opportunities for other freshmen. Linebacker Kosi Okpala played nine defensive snaps and recorded one assisted tackle with one missed tackle. Also appearing on defense were John Meredith III, Tyler Atkinson, Rocky Cummins, Toray Davis and Jamarion Carlton.

Wide receiver Chris Stewart received his first playing time, logging three offensive snaps and six on kick coverage. Davis added six special-teams snaps as Texas distributed work across its young depth in a second straight win following the victory over Ole Miss.

Why it matters

Matthews and Bishop each handled career-high snap totals while Texas worked around injuries. The 31-3 margin also allowed the Longhorns to give several other freshmen limited game experience.