Despite numerous mistakes, the Texas Longhorns win the SEC opener against Mississippi State

AUSTIN – A win is a win, especially in your SEC opener.

The No. 1 Texas Longhorns didn't play their best football on Saturday. Not even close.

Still, the Longhorns managed to secure a 35-13 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs and move to 1-0 in SEC play.

The Longhorns started the game brightly, marching all over the field for an easy touchdown and taking an early 7-0 lead.

However, the problems began after that, as the Horns as a team committed a total of eight penalties for 65 yards and turned the ball over twice on fumbles by Jaydon Blue. Add to that a strange decision on fourth down, and it stayed close for far too long in a game where the Horns could have easily covered the spread.

The Texas defense was also uncharacteristically leaky in the run game, allowing the Bulldogs to stay alive offensively.

Nevertheless, despite the self-inflicted problems, there were a lot of positive things to take away from the afternoon.

First on that list was the play of freshman quarterback Arch Manning, who lit up the Bulldogs by completing 26 of 31 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 33 yards and another score.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of Manning's outstanding day was slot receiver DeAndre Moore, who led the team with 103 yards on four catches and two touchdowns.

As a team, the Horns totaled 522 yards on offense, including 198 on the ground. However, on the other hand, they allowed the Bulldogs to score 150 shots of their own and gain 19 first downs.

Next up for Texas is a much-needed bye week before traveling to Dallas to take on the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry.

Kickoff between the Sooners and Longhorns is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on either ABC or ESPN.