Texas Longhorns rolling into long-awaited SEC debut against Mississippi State

Texas Longhorns rolling into long-awaited SEC debut against Mississippi State
The Longhorns are heavy favorites. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1 SEC) at No. 1 Texas (4-0, 0-0), Saturday, 4:15 pm ET (SEC Network)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Texas by 38 1/2.

Series record: 2-2.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

Texas makes its long-awaited SEC debut against a Bulldogs team that is beaten up and struggling under first-year coach Jeff Lebby. The Longhorns will be looking to make a statement worthy of No. 1 in its first SEC game. Coach Steve Sarkisian must decide if injured quarterback Quinn Ewers is healthy enough to play or start Arch Manning for a second consecutive game.

KEY MATCHUP

Mississippi State's defensive line vs Texas running back Jaydon Blue. The Bulldogs surrendered a whopping 262 yards rushing to Arizona State's Cam Skattebo, and 226 yards last week against Florida. Blue had a career game for Texas against Louisiana-Monroe last week with 124 yards rushing four total touchdowns.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Mississippi State: Freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren will start in front of a road crowd of more than 100,000 against a Texas defense that has given up just two touchdowns and 22 total points this season. Van Buren is 7-of-13 passing for 100 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in two appearances. Regular starter Blake Shapen was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.

Texas: Linebackers Anthony Hill Jr. and Liona Lefau have become the Longhorns' all-around playmakers on defense Hill is Texas' leading tackler and has two sacks and an interception. Lefau also has two sacks and recorded a safety last week. Look for Texas to unleash both as blitz pass rushers on Van Buren.

FACTS & FIGURES

Texas ranks No. 1 nationally in scoring defense and No. 5 in overall defense ... The Longhorns have seven interceptions this season, best in the SEC ... Mississippi State has scored in 48 consecutive games dating to Oct. 21, 2020.

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Yusei Kikuchi has been lights out for the Astros. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

When the Astros traded for Yusei Kikuchi at the trade deadline, most analysts believed Houston was adding to their overall starting pitching depth. Not trading for a difference-maker in the rotation.

Fortunately for the Astros, they saw something that nobody else did. Not only has a change of scenery helped Kikuchi elevate his game, but also the changes he's made to his pitch mix.

You can see in the graphic below that Kikuchi was asked by the Astros to throw less curveballs and fastballs, and throw significantly more sliders. And it's made all the difference in the world.

Photo via: MLB Network/YouTube screenshot.

The Astros certainly deserve credit for knowing how to get the most out of pitchers. And you have to wonder what Blue Jays fans are thinking when they see one of their players leave Toronto and start pitching like a Cy Young candidate over his next ten starts.

Be sure to watch the below below as MLB Network's Chris Young, along with Harold Reynolds and Greg Amsinger, analyzes the adjustments Yusei Kikuchi has made to his pitch usage since joining the Astros, which has resulted in remarkable production.

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