First Glance: Mississippi State Bulldogs

What You Need to Know:

• Mississippi State is 4-3 on the season, but is only 1-3 in SEC play. Mississippi State has wins over Kansas State and Auburn. The Bulldogs dropped a wet and rainy game in Death Valley on Saturday, as the LSU defense held State to only 3 points.
• Mississippi State’s remaining schedule includes LaTech, at Alabama, Arkansas, and closes out the regular season against Ole Miss in Oxford for the Egg Bowl.
• Mississippi State sits at 20th in over-all S&P rankings. Offensively the Bulldogs are sitting at 77th in the S&P; while 6th defensively in the S&P.
• The Aggies are currently 18th in the S&P. The Aggie Offense sits at 29th, while the Defense sits at 25th.
• Association of Former Student Events: Midnight Yell will be on Mississippi State Campus at the Northeast corner of Stone Blvd. and Bully Blvd. The All-Aggie Tailgate will be held at the Intramural fields on southeast corner of Stone Blvd. and Bully Blvd.
• Go check out For Whom the Cowbells Toll for the latest on Mississippi State.

Betting Lines:

• Mississippi State opened as a -4 point favorite, but the line quickly moved to -3.
• Texas A&M is 6-1 against the spread on the season while Mississippi State is 4-3 ATS (3-1 ATS at home).

Historical Notes:

• Mississippi State holds the edge in the all-time record 6-5 against A&M. A&M and Mississippi State are 3-3 since A&M joined the SEC. State has won the previous two meetings against the Aggies.
• Memorable moments in the series include the infamous Snow Bowl in the 2000 Independence Bowl where a Jackie Sherrill led Bulldog team upset the Aggies on a snowy New Year’s Eve; and Johnny Manziel’s last home game at Kyle Field.
• Mississippi State was originally known as Mississippi A&M, and Mississippi State students were originally called Aggies, then Maroons, and officially became the Bulldogs in 1961
• Mississippi State uses a live English Bulldog, named Bully, as a mascot. The first Bully joined the team in 1935. The current Bully is Bully XXI. A&M is currently 2-0 against teams with live mascots.
• Famous Bulldogs include author John Grisham, Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott, MLB Manager Buck Showalter, Founder of Viking Range Corp Fred Carl Jr., and Rafael Palmeiro. Leave others in the comments section.

Bulldogs to Watch:

Nick Fitzgerald - QB

Fitzgerald is 2-0 against the Aggies. If the Aggies hope to come out of Starkville with a win, the defense will need to take away his passing game while containing his running ability. This season, Fitzgerals has thrown for 768 yards with 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He is also the team’s leading rusher with 644 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Montez Sweat - DE

Life in the SEC means facing talented defensive lines week in and week out. Mississippi State is no different. The Bulldogs are led by Montez Sweat, who has 6 sacks on the season. Sweat has proven to be a disruptive edge rusher for the Bulldogs for two seasons. He is getting first round grades and should be taking his talents to the NFL next season.

Media Blitz:

• Venue: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS
• Game Time: 6:00 pm CT
• Channel: ESPN

Newsreel:

• Texas A&M’s Jace Sternberger earns Mackey Award honorable mention.

Weather:

• There is a a 30 percent chance of showers on Saturday evening. Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.