GAMEDAY: Bulldogs Travel To Lexington For Saturday Night Kickoff

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State looks to improve to 2-0 on the road this week when the Bulldogs travel to Kentucky. Kickoff in Lexington is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network with Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) and sideline reporter Cole Cubelic on the call. Fans can also listen for free on HailState.com/plus or on the TuneIn app.

For complete game day information, visit HailState.com/Gameday.

State's Storylines at Kentucky

Mississippi State is looking to bounce back from a 21-14 loss to Arkansas last week, marking just its second loss to the Razorbacks in the last nine meetings.

The Bulldogs and the Wildcats have one of the most even series in the SEC. MSU currently holds a 24-23 edge in the all-time series. State won six in a row to tie the series in 2014, and the teams have traded victories since with the home team winning each of the last three meetings.

A Bulldog victory would mark the first time the road team has won in the series since 2014 when MSU claimed a 45-31 victory. The home team has won 28 of the 47 previous meetings.

MSU has held consecutive opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards, through two weeks of SEC play. The Bulldogs have not held three straight SEC opponents below the century mark on the ground, since at least 2005. However, in 2009, the Bulldogs did manage to keep four conference teams to fewer than 100 rushing yards, doing so in back-to-back games twice.

K.J. Costello set a school record for completions with 43 against Arkansas. He also completed 36 passes at LSU. That marked the second time in school history that an MSU quarterback completed 30 or more passes in consecutive games. Dak Prescott completed 38 passes at Arkansas (Nov. 21, 2015) and 31 against Ole Miss (Nov. 28, 2015).

The Bulldogs are 64 yards shy of cracking 1,000 passing yards already this season. Should MSU reach the milestone against the Wildcats, it would mark the fewest number of games needed to do so in school history. State's highest passing total on record through its first three games is 964 yards in 2003.

MSU has thrown for 300 or more yards in both games this season. The last time the Bulldogs threw for 300 yards in consecutive games came on Nov. 14, 2015 (304 vs. Alabama) and Nov. 21, 2015 (508 at Arkansas).

State's pair of scoring drives against Arkansas last Saturday were their two longest drives of the season. The first was the longest in terms of plays (15) and time (7:45). The second was the Bulldogs' longest by yardage, covering 76 yards in 14 plays and 7:21.

MSU has attempted 60 passes in each of its first two games. Entering the season, the school record was 54 attempts set on Sept. 12, 2015, against LSU. Since that game, State had attempted more than 40 passes just seven times, all in 2015.

Mike Leach returns to Kentucky for the first time since he was the offensive coordinator in 1997 and 1998. The Kentucky offense set six NCAA records, 41 SEC records and 116 school records in just 22 games under Leach. Of those, 39 offensive school records still stand today (23 individual, 16 team).

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GAMEDAY: Bulldogs Travel To Lexington For Saturday Night Kickoff

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Players Mentioned

K.J. Costello

Mississippi State University Athletics

GAMEDAY: Bulldogs Travel To Lexington For Saturday Night Kickoff

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Players Mentioned

K.J. Costello

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