Mississippi State vs. NC State: Preview and Final Score Prediction
Mississippi State entered last week's matchup as a heavy favorite, but won the game by a single point, topping LA Tech 35-34 thanks to a missed field goal in the final two seconds of the game.
But that one is in the books and a win is a win, no matter how the contest itself shook out. The Bulldogs have put this one behind them and will aim to come out of this week 2-0 as they face the NC State Wolfpack at 6 p.m. CT in Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday.
Mississippi State:
The Bulldogs seemed to perform about as badly as they possibly could have on all three sides of the ball after getting off to a hot start toward the beginning of the game in Week 1. But then all three sides "rose from the ashes" as head coach Mike Leach put it to come back from a 20-point deficit and complete the largest comeback in school history. The Bulldogs showed they had a lot of fixing to do in this outing while also showing their level of resiliency at the same time. Quarterback Will Rogers was a large part of the team picking itself up in the final 15 minutes, finishing out the game with 11 consecutive completions. The rest of the offense seemed to settle in right there with him.
Moving forward, MSU has got to see more consistency across the board, as well as clean up the issues with giving the ball away and they'll also need to keep penalties to a minimum -- something they also struggled with last week with 12 total.
NC State:
One of the biggest things NC State has going for it is the run game. The Wolfpack are coming off a 45-0 win over USF in which they rushed for nearly 300 yards, aided by an offensive line that did its job for the entirety of the game. Running backs Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person Jr. were big factors in the team's success, with Knight racking up 163 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries and Person totaling 105 yards and two touchdowns 16 carries.
Quarterback Devin Leary was sufficient, completing 17-of-26 passes for 232 yards with two touchdowns and one interception on the shutout victory. The defense was solid as well, allowing just 271 total yards snagging three interceptions against USF.
Final score prediction: 34-24, MSU. This is bound to be a close game between an MSU team that's shown just how explosive it can be with its back against the wall and the Wolfpack, who may be one of the best teams in the ACC. The Bulldogs tend to their mistakes in this one though and head into Week 3 with a 2-0 record.
