GAMEDAY: Bulldogs Return Home To Host No. 11/11 Texas A&M

Saturday, October 17

Starkville

3:00 PM

Mississippi State

#11 Texas A&M

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

GAMEDAY: Bulldogs Return Home To Host No. 11/11 Texas A&M

October 16, 2020 | Football

HailState.com/Gameday Watch Live Listen Live Live Stats Game Notes

Saturday’s kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CT on ESPN

By: Brian Ogden, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State returns home on Saturday to host No. 11/11 Texas A&M. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN, with Dave Neal (play-by-play), D.J. Shockley (analyst) and sideline reporter Dawn Davenport on the call. Fans can also listen for free on HailState.com/plus or on the TuneIn app.

Mississippi State has several new protocols in place for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit www.HailState.com/COVID for all COVID-related guidelines & protocols for the 2020 MSU football season.

Premium gates open at 12 p.m. with all remaining gates opening at 12:45 p.m. Fans should check their tickets for their assigned entry gate. Mobile tickets should be downloaded prior to arriving at the stadium. For complete game day information, visit HailState.com/Gameday.

State's Storylines vs. No. 11/11 Texas A&M

Mississippi State will meet a ranked team for the second time this season when it hosts No. 11/11 Texas A&M. The Bulldogs have won four of the last six meetings with the Aggies, including the last three games played in Starkville.

Unranked Bulldog squads upset ranked Aggie teams in three consecutive seasons from 2016-18. The largest of those upsets came in 2016 when State defeated then-No. 4 Texas A&M, 35-28.

Mike Leach holds a 7-3 all-time record against Texas A&M, his second-most wins against any team (Baylor, 10-0). He has played the Aggies when they were ranked twice with both of those games being decided in overtime. In 2002, his Texas Tech team defeated then-No. 23 Texas A&M, 48-47, on the road. In 2004, the then-No. 22 Aggies claimed a 32-25 victory in College Station.

MSU surpassed the 1,000 yards passing milestone in three games, marking the fewest games needed to reach 1,000 yards through the air in school history. The Bulldogs have set school records for passing attempts in each of the first three games (60, 60, 70). MSU's 70 attempts last week at Kentucky were the most in SEC history (69 by LSU, 1998).

In 2020, MSU has held every opponent to fewer than 100 yards on the ground, marking the first time since at least 2005 that State has held three straight opponents under the century mark. MSU has held opponents to 227 total rushing yards this season and allowed just four rushing attempts to go for 12 or more yards.

The Bulldog defense scored a safety for the first time since 2017 at Kentucky last week. State appeared to have registered two safeties, but the first was overturned on video review.

State has recorded a takeaway in 29 of its last 32 games and is currently on a streak of five straight games with either an interception or fumble recovery. In that five-game stretch, MSU has 12 takeaways (5 INT, 7 FR).

MSU leads the SEC with 12.0 total sacks, and the Bulldogs 4.00 sacks per game is seventh in the nation. State finished with 28.0 total sacks in 13 games in 2019. The Bulldogs have posted 24.0 sacks over their last six games dating back to last year.

Kylin Hill caught an MSU school-record 15 passes at Kentucky to equal Eric Moulds' program-standard effort at Tennessee on Sept. 23, 1995. His previous best was eight receptions at LSU on Sept. 26, 2020. The 15 receptions rank tied for No. 6 all-time in SEC history and are the most in the SEC since Vanderbilt's Earl Bennett had 16 versus South Carolina in 2005.

MSU already boasts six receivers with 10 or more catches this season. Last year, only seven players reached that mark by the end of the season.

A total of 19 student-athletes have made their Mississippi State debut this season. Newcomers have accounted for 31 percent of MSU's all-purpose yards this season. Defensively, they have combined for 19 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and one interception.

The Bulldogs lead the SEC in yards after catch with 705, more than 100 yards more than the next closest team. Alabama has recorded 585 yards after catch. State is third among Power Five teams, but both Clemson (827) and Texas Tech (750) have played an additional game. Kylin Hill has 225 yards after catch this season, which leads the league and is third in the FBS.

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