AUSTIN, Texas – Mississippi State football wasn’t expected to do much good in welcoming Texas to the SEC, but Saturday had plenty of surprises.

First off, everyone in burnt orange had to be shocked to see the Longhorns lead by just eight points at halftime and their offense threw the ball away twice. And with Texas fumbling again on its first play of the second half, those concerns only grew.

However, the Longhorns eventually pulled away, winning 35-13. Still, there are plenty of things that have gone right for Mississippi State. Here are some of those things:

What went well?

Running the ball (with honorable mentions to Michael Van Buren which I will discuss in a future story). Mississippi State’s offense started against Texas with the 97th-ranked rushing attack in FBS (133.3 yards per game). Texas had the No. 26 rushing defense with just 95.8 yards allowed per game. So for the Bulldogs to gain the most rushing yards against the Longhorns this season is a remarkable achievement.

What went well?

Takeaways. Prior to Saturay’s game in Austin, the Bulldogs’ defense had forced just one turnover in four games and that was an interception (returned for a touchdown) against Eastern Kentucky. Mississippi State’s defense showed a lot of improvement from the last three games and the two forced fumbles were a big reason why the Bulldogs were able to keep the score close.

What went well?

Field goals. Kyle Ferrie went 2-for-2 on his field goal attempts (45 and 32 yards) and scored the only points in the first half for Mississippi State. He is now 4-for-5 on field goals this season.

When did Mississippi State’s upset effort against No. 1 Texas end?

Mississippi State falls short in an upset effort against No. 1 Texas

Resilient Mississippi state offense delivers solid performance against No. 1 Texas

Mississippi State’s defense is showing improvement over No. 1 Texas, but familiar issues remain