The Missouri Tigers (6-3, 2-3 SEC) get set for Senior Night at Faurot Field as they host the Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-5, 1-5 SEC) on Saturday.
Mizzou is looking to end a two-game losing skid and Mississippi
State is playing for bowl eligibility in year two under head coach Jeff Lebby.
Kick-off on Saturday night in COMO is set for 6:45 p.m. CST on the SEC Network with MizzouMade’s Tom Hart (pxp), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) and Cole Cubelic (sideline reporter) on the call.
To preview the Tigers and Bulldogs, we talked it over with Andrew Miller — who covers Mississippi State for Maroon and White Nation.
Here’s the Q&A to get you ready:
Sammy Stava: At 5-5, Mississippi State is one win away from bowl eligibility after a 2-10 record last season. How impressive of a bounce back year is this for the Bulldogs and what were the preseason expectations in year two under Jeff Lebby?
Andrew Miller: It’s interesting because right now Mississippi State fans are battling with balancing preseason expectations against how the season and individual games have played out. If you told fans before the year they’d have five wins with two games to play, I think nearly everyone would’ve taken that because many questioned if five wins would happen at all. But then they see the close losses that could’ve gone the other way, specifically blowing games against Florida and Texas, and there’s quite a bit of frustration about where this team could actually be right now. Those two losses in particular are ones where Lebby’s game management and the discipline of his team have come into question. There’s no denying the program as a whole took a major leap forward from year one to year two under Lebby, and fans are pleased with the trajectory. But there have been enough frustrating moments that the fanbase is not totally sold on Lebby long term
SS: Senior quarterback Blake Shapen exited the Georgia game with an injury. If he can’t go against Missouri on Saturday, what can we expect out of the freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor?
AM: There’s never been excitement around a Bulldog like there is for Kamario Taylor. He’s the highest-rated QB signee in school history, and every time he has taken the field going back to the spring game, his talent and athleticism has stood out. His rushing ability is his biggest strength at the moment. At 6-4, 230, he’s incredibly difficult to get to the ground, but he’s also got the speed and elusiveness to make defenders miss and win in the open field. The arm strength is elite, as he can launch the ball downfield flat-footed on a dot. He’s still very raw when it comes to accuracy in the short to intermediate part of the field and has forced a few passes he shouldn’t have (as you’d expect from a freshman), but his play-making is real. He’s led four TD drives in seven possessions over the last two weeks. How he performs on the road against a strong defense if he ultimately gets the start is hard to project, but everything he’s shown so far suggests he can develop into a special player.
(Update: Shapen has been listed as probable against Mizzou on the latest injury report)
SS: Besides the quarterback position, who are some names to watch on the Mississippi State offense? Who on the defensive side has made an impact this season?
AM: State’s skill talent offensively is strong. WR Brenen Thompson is tied for the SEC lead in receiving yards at 808 and leads the conference with eight catches of 40+ yards. His counterpart in slot Anthony Evans III has also been an explosive and reliable target with 5.6 receptions per game. RBs Fluff Bothwell and Davon Booth give MSU a “Thunder and Lightning” duo in the backfield. Defensively, CB Kelley Jones is playing himself into the conversation of being a 1st Round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. He leads the SEC in passes defended and is the nation’s 2nd-highest graded CB according to PFSN. Jack LB Malick Sylla has been their best pass-rusher and leads with 6.0 TFLs. Safety Jahron Manning has been all over the field with a team-leading 70 tackles, three TFLs, four passes broken up, and an interception.
SS: What are the strengths to this Mississippi State team? What are the Bulldogs’ weaknesses?
AM: Deep passing has been the strength offensively, as Thompson and Evans III are both capable of winning downfield consistently. Defensively, the secondary has performed well, and they lead the SEC in interceptions. As for weaknesses, the offensive line has been poor, especially in pass protection where they’ve allowed 32 sacks on the season. Defensively, they’re allowing 176.2 rush yards per game, and that’s something that’s steadily gotten worse over the course of the season.
SS: Missouri comes in as a 7.5-point favorite. How do you see this game playing out on Saturday? Have a final score prediction?
AM: This just seems like a terrible matchup for Mississippi State. Mizzou’s pass rush will undoubtedly cause problems for State, and even if State sells out to stop the run on defense, I think Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts are in for big days. State might make enough plays to keep it somewhat interesting, but ultimately Mizzou prevails. Tigers 31-20.
Thank you to Andrew for taking the time in answering our questions. Follow him on Twitter for all things Mississippi State coverage leading up to Saturday night’s game.
