Is Mississippi State Football Finally for Real in 2014?
Flash in the pan or staying power?
That will be what's on the line on Saturday afternoon in Starkville, Mississippi, for the No. 12 Mississippi State Bulldogs, who host the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies in one of three enormous Week 6 games in the SEC West.
After a 34-29 upset of LSU two weeks ago, this is the game that can solidify the Bulldogs not only as a competitive team in the nation's toughest division but a contender for the division title.
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They'll prove it on Saturday afternoon against the Aggies.
Cracks emerged last weekend for Texas A&M in the overtime win over Arkansas, particularly in its rush defense, which gave 285 yards on the ground to the potent Hogs rushing attack.
Sure, cornerback Deshazor Everett was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week with 16 tackles, but when a corner plays that much of a factor in the running game, it isn't a good thing. A&M's linebackers were caught out of position often and missed several tackles, which was a problem that plagued the Aggies last season.
While its offense looks much different, Mississippi State can exploit Texas A&M's defense in a similar way that Arkansas did. Even without center Dillon Day—who was suspended this week for stomping on two LSU players last week—the Bulldogs offensive line is fast, physical and is a big reason why Mississippi State's multidimensional rushing attack is so successful.
Running back Josh Robinson is third in the SEC in rushing yards per game (121.3), and quarterback Dak Prescott leads all SEC quarterbacks with 94.5 rushing yards per game.
"You’ve got a completely different attack," Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said in quotes emailed by the university. "Spread attacks get lumped into the same group and that’s not necessarily the case. There’s no doubt these guys like to run the ball from this attack. The quarterback is part of the run game."
Look for the offense to try and replicate the success that Arkansas had last week and force Texas A&M into a shootout.
If it happens, though, Aggies quarterback Kenny Hill might not be able to keep up.
Lighting up South Carolina is nice. Doing the same in a big win over Arkansas is, too. Neither of those defenses come anywhere close to comparing to the one Mississippi State will trot out at Davis-Wade Stadium on Saturday.
The defensive line rotates up to nine or 10 players for a full four quarters, generates relentless pressure and the back end of that defense, while statistically not up to par (it's skewed by one bad performance), is loaded with talented cornerbacks like Jamerson Love and Taveze Calhoun.
| Total Defense | 401.5 YPG | 10 |
| Rushing Defense | 82.5 YPG | 2 |
| Interceptions | 6 | 3 |
| 3rd-Down Conversions | 25.8% | 3 |
| Red-Zone Score Percentage | 44.4% | 1 |
"Jamerson is a real speed player for us," Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said during last week's teleconference. "Where [former Bulldogs] Johnthan [Banks] and [Darius] Slay also had some size. I think he's up there with those guys as that type of player. He's still improving, and there are some things he can get better at, but he certainly has the talent to play at the next level."
Everything is coming together for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have a dynamic, veteran-laden offense combined with a defense that's loaded with depth and big-game experience.
This will not only help the Bulldogs top the Aggies in a game in which Mississippi State has gone from a slight home underdog to a 2.5-point favorite, according to OddsShark.com, but will help them stay in the mix for the SEC West title.
Does that mean the Bulldogs will win it?
It'll still be an uphill battle. A road trip to Alabama in mid-November will be a tall order, and they'll have to stay hot next week when the defending SEC champion Auburn Tigers roll into town.
They already have played a big role in who will win the division with their road win in Death Valley two weeks ago and will repeat the feat with a big win over Texas A&M on Saturday.
The LSU game was no fluke.
Mississippi State has staying power, and the team will prove it Saturday afternoon in Starkville.
Barrett Sallee is the Lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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