GAMEDAY: State Heads To No. 17 Auburn Saturday

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State is on the road for the second consecutive week. The Bulldogs face Auburn on Saturday in an 11 a.m. CT game, set to be televised by ESPN. Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) and Kris Budden (reporter) will be on the call for the broadcast.

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Mississippi State's Storylines vs. Auburn

With a win on Saturday, Mike Leach will tie the school record set by Emory Bellard (4) for the most wins over AP-ranked opponents in road or neutral site games.
A win would also be Leach's fifth over an AP-ranked team at MSU, making him the fastest to reach that mark (21 games) and moving him into sole possession of fourth on State's leaderboard of career AP wins.
With a victory in Auburn, MSU will have defeated three AP-ranked opponents in the same season for the second time in school history, joining the 2014 team. That year, State won three ranked games in a row, culminating with a 38-23 victory over No. 2 Auburn that propelled the Bulldogs to their first No. 1 ranking in school history.
Mississippi State and Texas A&M are among five teams in the nation, and the only teams in the SEC, with two wins against teams in the current AP Top 25.
State is one of 10 teams in the nation with at least two wins against the current CFP Top 25.
Three of the top four receivers in the nation in percentage of targets caught are Bulldogs (WR Austin Williams, RB Jo'quavious Marks and RB Dillon Johnson).
WR Austin Williams boasts the No. 6 hands grade (90.6) in the FBS per PFF. He has caught 37 of his 41 targets (90.2 percent), which ranks second in the nation among players with at least 35 targets.
In the second year of the Air Raid, MSU has posted a 26.29-point increase in its passer rating from 2020 while increasing its completion percentage by eight points and throwing for nearly 80 additional yards per game.
QB Will Rogers has thrown for at least 300 yards in seven straight games while averaging 377.8 yards in that span with 18 touchdowns while completing 75.2 percent of his passes (291-of-387).
Rogers is the NCAA active career leader in completions per game (33.4) and completion percentage (72.6), and he ranks fifth among active players in total offense per game for his career (287.5).
MSU enters the Auburn game needing just six completions to break the single-season record. State has completed 368 passes this fall, trailing only last year's 373.
WR Makai Polk (71) and RB Jo'quavious Marks (64) have cracked MSU's top five for single-season receptions. The duo gives State two 50-catch players in the same year for just the fourth time in program history.
Marks leads all FBS running backs in receptions this year and is tied for 11th overall. He has 124 career receptions, which is seventh in MSU history and holds the MSU career record for receptions by a running back.
WR Austin Williams posted a career-high 72 receiving yards at Arkansas (Nov. 6) while all four receptions went for first downs. He has recorded a career-high 400 receiving yards this season.
WR Rara Thomas turned in his first career multi-touchdown game against the Razorbacks with a career-high 63 yards and a career-long 37-yard reception. He has now caught a touchdown pass in three straight contests.
Mississippi State is the only school in the nation with multiple players who have made 60-plus receptions this season and one of five with multiple 50-catch receivers. MSU is one of four teams (Maryland, Troy, Tulane) with 10 players with 10-plus catches.
Freshmen and sophomores have scored 27 of State's 32 touchdowns. When including QB Will Rogers' passing scores, underclassmen have been responsible for 50 touchdowns.
The Bulldogs lead the nation in yards after catch in 2021 (1,834) and have the highest YAC/game total (203.8).
MSU leads the SEC and is tied for fifth in the nation in total plays against, allowing opponents just 526 snaps this season. State has allowed just 136 first downs this year, which is second in the SEC and sixth in the nation.
State is the only team with four players in the SEC's top 25 in reception percentage allowed among safeties and corners with at least 200 coverage snaps. The Bulldogs' 10 interceptions rank fourth in the SEC and 23rd nationally.
CB Emmanuel Forbes is the SEC's active career leader in interceptions (8) and is tied for the FBS lead since the start of the 2020 season. Forbes is fourth in the FBS in career interception return yards (216) and the SEC's active leader in defensive touchdowns (3), which ranks second nationally.

GAMEDAY: State Heads To No. 17 Auburn Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Emmanuel Forbes

Dillon Johnson

Jo'Quavious Marks

Makai Polk

Will Rogers

Rara Thomas

Austin Williams

Mississippi State University Athletics

GAMEDAY: State Heads To No. 17 Auburn Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Emmanuel Forbes

Dillon Johnson

Jo'Quavious Marks

Makai Polk

Will Rogers

Rara Thomas

Austin Williams

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