Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M: Three Bold Predictions
Mississippi State (2-2) takes the road this weekend to face Texas A&M (3-1). Both programs did not see the outcome they wanted last weekend as the Bulldogs fell to LSU 28-25 and the Aggies fell to Arkansas in an underwhelming performance, 20-10.
What should we expect from the Bulldogs this weekend? With a team as talented yet inconsistent as MSU has been through four games, it’s tough to truly know. Saturday’s game could be a monumental uplifting win for this Bulldogs team -- if they play the kind of game we think they're capable of.
Here's a look into three predictions ahead of the game:
1. MSU’s secondary gets an early defensive touchdown.
The Aggies have started off slow offensively over the first four weeks of the season. And I expect that trend to continue in this game – especially given how poorly the Aggies played in last weekend’s loss to Arkansas.
MSU’s front seven have done a nice job of putting consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks early on. And given how inconsistent the Aggies offensive line has looked this season – it might bode well for early defensive plays for MSU.
If the Bulldogs want to surprise a lot of people and pull off the upset, they’ll need a superb performance from the defense. And a touchdown, or two, would definitely help.
2. QB Will Rogers scores two touchdowns on the ground.
MSU sits at 2-2 entering week five, but we’ve certainly seen some progress and nice moments in Mike Leach’s second year leading the program.
The Bulldogs offensive line has been good at times, and iffy to flat-out bad at times. The talent is there on this o-line with Charles Cross leading the way in that department.
If Rogers continues to struggle reading the field quickly enough, he may want to consider taking off with the ball earlier. Particularly in the red zone, where the Aggies may look to defend Leach’s scheme a lot tighter than they have against other offenses this season.
Given the way Texas A&M likes to mix things up on defense, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rogers sneak in a rushing touchdown or two in this one.
It would be a surprise, but if MSU wants to win this one – it will certainly need a surprise or two.
3. The game comes down to the final possession.
There are multiple ways in which MSU can pull out a win on Saturday. As stated above, the defense absolutely needs to make plays to keep its offense in the game. If both things stay true, and Rogers puts the offense in continuous scoring drives; the game could come down to whichever team has the final possession.
If the Bulldogs can give the Aggies offense trouble early – and the game remains close in the first half – MSU has a good shot of winning a close gritty game.
Mississippi State will face off with Texas A&M this Saturday at 6 p.m. CT.
