No. 11 Texas A&M (2-1, 2-1 SEC) at Mississippi State (1-2, 1-2), Saturday at 4 p.m. ET (ESPN).
Line: Aggies by 5 1/2.
Series: Mississippi State leads 7-6.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
The Aggies aim to follow up an impressive 41-38 home upset of No. 4 Florida that vaulted them 10 spots in the rankings. They visit a Bulldogs squad reeling from consecutive losses, including last week’s 24-2 loss at Kentucky featuring six interceptions and a season-low 275 yards from the Air Raid offense.
KEY MATCHUP
Texas A&M’s offense vs. Mississippi State’s defense. The Aggies’ offense gained 543 yards against Florida and enter ranked 19th in the Bowl Subdivision at 455 per game. They face a Bulldogs defense ranked 12th (285.7) after holding Kentucky to just 157 yards in a loss. Rushing against MSU could be particularly hard as they allow just under 76 yards per contest.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Texas A&M: QB Kellen Mond. The senior is coming off a 338-yard, three-TD passing performance that upset the Gators. It marked his seventh 300-yard game and established him as the Aggies’ career passing yardage leader (8,224). He also holds school records for completions (680) and attempts (1,168).
Mississippi State: RB Kylin Hill. The senior has gotten a lot of touches in the pass-heavy scheme as a receiver. His 15 receptions at Kentucky tied a school single-game record and 225 of his 237 yards receiving have come after the catch, leading the SEC. Hill’s receiving success has temporarily overshadowed his impressive rushing skills the Bulldogs hope to eventually use after he totaled 1,350 yards last season.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Aggies seek their first win in Starkville since joining the SEC in 2012. … A&M beat a top-five team for the first time since 2014 against No. 3 Auburn. … The Aggies have allowed just one sack and are tied for third nationally at 0.33. … Mississippi State leads the SEC with yards after the catch with 705. … Bulldogs QB K.J. Costello looks to regroup after throwing four interceptions at Kentucky and seven the past two games. … First-year MSU coach Mike Leach is 7-3 against Texas A&M, building that record with Texas Tech.
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