Mississippi State Football Coach Jeff Lebby vs. Texas: A Tale of Two Red River Games

Bulldogs' coach Jeff Lebby prepares to face Texas again, after going 1-1 against the Longhorns as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby hugs quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) after the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Oklahoma won 34-30. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Mississippi State football hasn’t faced Texas on the gridiron in more than 20 years, but its coach has some recent experience against the Longhorns.

First-year Bulldogs’ coach Jeff Lebby spent the last two seasons as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and faced Texas both seasons in the annual Red Rivalry game. And those two games had drastically different outcomes for Lebby and the Sooners.

Here’s how Lebby’s offenses fared against Texas in his two seasons as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator:

2023: Oklahoma 34, Texas 30

In a battle of unbeaten teams, No. 12 Oklahoma put a damper on the “Texas is back” mantra with a last-minute victory against the No. 3 Longhorns, 34-30.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw a 3-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left to secure the Red River Rivalry victory. Gabriel, who previously played for Lebby at UCF, completed 23-of-38 passes for 285 yards and one touchdown. He was also the Sooners’ leading rushing with 115 yards (8.1 yards per carry) and a touchdown.

Arguably the most important stat from Gabriel that Mississippi State freshman Michael Van Buren should hope to duplicate is the zero turnovers Gabriel committed.

However, the first time Lebby faced the Longhorns wasn’t as successful.

2022: Texas 49, Oklahoma 0

Lebby's first game in the Red River Rivalry isn't one he'll put in any highlight reels. Here are some of the key stats for the Sooners' offense that day:

Total yards: 195 (156 rush, 39 pass)
Average yards per play: 3.3
First Downs: 11

Not exactly an ideal offensive performance for Lebby in his first season in Norman, Okla. To his credit, the Sooners’ starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel was injured in the previous game and didn’t play.

Still, the 49-0 loss was the most-lopsided loss an Oklahoma team has suffered against Texas.

The Sooners completed just nine passes for 39 yards and two interceptions. The ground game has more success, but not enough to avoid being shutout against their biggest rival.

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