Photo by: Austin Perryman/MSU Athletics
Notes To Know vs. Tennessee State
November 19, 2021 | Football
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's annual Military Appreciation Game is Saturday at 11 a.m. CT against Tennessee State.
Before the Bulldogs battle their fourth opponent of the year nicknamed the Tigers, take a look at these "Notes to Know".
Before the Bulldogs battle their fourth opponent of the year nicknamed the Tigers, take a look at these "Notes to Know".
NOTES TO KNOW VS. TENNESSEE STATE
- Saturday will be the first meeting between Mississippi State and Tennessee State on the gridiron.
- The Bulldogs have won 15 straight games against FCS opponents.
- Saturday will be the first time MSU has played an FCS opponent since defeating Abilene Christian, 45-7, in Starkville on Nov. 23, 2019.
- Mississippi State has won 14 of its last 16 non-conference games during the regular season and 45 of its last 54 non-conference games overall.
- Mississippi State is 4-0 all-time against current members of the Ohio Valley Conference. The Bulldogs have beaten both UT Martin and Murray State twice by a combined score of 207-39.
- Quarterback Will Rogers has thrown for at least 300 yards in eight consecutive games, which is the longest such streak in the nation. Rogers has averaged 382.3 yards and 24 touchdowns over that span and completed 75.8 percent of his passes.
- Rogers leads the Southeastern Conference and all Power 5 QBs with 3,722 yards.
- Rogers is tied for the MSU single-season record with 29 passing touchdowns and needs one more to pass Dak Prescott's mark from 2015. Rogers also needs just 72 more yards through the air to surpass Prescott's single-season passing record.
- Rogers has the nation's highest completion percentage at 75.7 percent and leads the SEC in passing yards per game (372.2) and total offense (364.8).
- Rogers set a new school record last week with six touchdown passes in a win at Auburn and has thrown a touchdown in 15 of his last 16 games with 37 TD strikes during that span.
- Rogers has completed passes to 14 different receivers this season and thrown touchdown passes to nine of them.
- Rogers currently as a streak of 10 games with 30 or more completions.
- In 15 career starts, Rogers has made 814 passing attempts and only thrown 11 interceptions. Interceptions only account for 1.4 percent of his passes.
- The Bulldogs are one of only six teams in the country with at least three wins over teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.
- Mike Leach has five victories against opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 during his time with the Bulldogs, the fourth-most ever by a head coach at Mississippi State. Leach needed just 21 games at State to accomplish that feat, the fastest by a coach in school history.
- There have been 14 games during State's 122-year history where the Bulldogs have thrown for more than 400 yards. Half of those games have occurred under Leach.
- Leach needs one more win to reach 150 for his career.
- The Bulldogs have had 10 or more receivers catch a pass in a game five times this fall.
- MSU has two of the top three receivers in the SEC. Wide receiver Makai Polk leads the league with 79 catches while running back Jo'quavious Marks ranks third with 71 grabs.
- Polk, Marks and running back Dillon Johnson (51) give the Bulldogs three receivers with 50-plus catches in the same season for the first time in program history.
- Polk needs just nine more catches to tie Fred Ross' single season receiving record set in 2015.
- State is the only school in the country with multiple players exceeding 60 catches this season.
- Mississippi State leads the nation in yards after the catch at 2,022.
- The Bulldogs lead the SEC and are fifth nationally with 143 passes of 10 or more yards.
- Marks has caught a pass in every game of his career (21 games). Polk, Jaden Walley and Austin Williams have hauled in balls in 19 consecutive contests while Jamire Calvin is riding a 15-game catch streak.
- The Bulldogs are the only team in the conference with three players with 25-plus catches for a first down.
- Underclassmen have accounted for 30 of the Bulldogs' 38 touchdowns on the year.
- MSU's defense ranks third in the conference and 11th in the country in run defense. The Bulldogs are only allowing 102.5 yards per game on the ground.
- State's defense has had at least one takeaway in 42 of its last 50 games and created 81 turnovers during that span.
- Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes leads the FBS with three career interception returns for touchdowns. He is also the SEC's active leader with eight career picks.
- Brandon Ruiz has converted 134 consecutive extra points.
- Tennessee State is coached by former Heisman Trophy winner and four-time Pro Bowl running back Eddie George.
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