AUSTIN — The SEC era in Austin has officially begun, though it certainly could have gone more smoothly.

The No. 1 Texas Longhorns opened at home against Mississippi State on Saturday, but did so without their starting quarterback. With Quinn Ewers sidelined for the second straight game, Arch Manning got the start and led Texas to a 14-6 halftime lead over the Bulldogs. He went 15 of 19 passing for 202 yards and one touchdown in the first half.

Mississippi State dominated the time of possession from 8:34 to 8:57 in the first half as head coach Jeff Lebby’s plan was clearly to keep the ball out of Manning’s hands.

The Bulldogs put together a steady opening drive with a good dose of runs, with both Van Buren and backup quarterback Chris Parson using their legs.

And on Texas’ first possession, Manning found Matthew Golden for a 22-yard gain on a comeback route that had 15 yards added because of a facemask penalty. On the next play, he connected with Isaiah Bond for a 16-yard pickup. The Longhorns were just outside the red zone after just two plays.

Sophomore receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. appeared to have a touchdown two plays later, but his 20-yard gain was ruled too short of the end zone at the one-yard line. Blue hit the ball on the next play for this fifth total touchdown in the last five quarters.

After a quick three-and-out from the Bulldogs, the Longhorns found themselves in top position again after plays of 27 and 17 yards against Bond. However, Blue made his first major mistake of the season with a fumble at the 20-yard line that Mississippi State recovered.

The Bulldogs couldn’t capitalize on the takeaway and punted after seven plays. Texas was unable to do anything good on the ensuing possession after a holding penalty on Cam Williams forced the drive to end in a three-and-out.

A partially blocked punt by the Bulldogs put Van Buren and the offense at the Texas 37-yard line. After gaining just 10 yards in seven plays, Mississippi State got on the board with a 45-yard field goal by Kyle Ferrie to make it a 7-3 game.

To respond, the Longhorns started the next drive with a 12-yard catch-and-run from running back Quintrevion Wisner, which powered through several defenders. Manning then took a Depp shot to Wisner’s great-nephew Johntay Cook II two plays later on third down, but the would-be 62-yard touchdown fell through his hands. Texas punted for the second straight drive.

The Bulldogs added their second field goal on a 10-play, 64 drive to make it a 7-6 after the two-minute timeout.

Texas had one last chance to make the most of the first half, which Manning did after beating Moore Jr. had found for a high 49-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline with 29 seconds to play.

The Longhorns get the ball to start the second half.