Notes To Know vs. NC State

Photo by: Austin Perryman/MSU Athletics

September 10, 2021 | Football

By: Logan Lowery, Assistant Coordinator/Communications

Mississippi State is riding a three-game winning streak heading into Saturday's game against NC State.

Here are a few notes to know before the Bulldogs take on the Wolfpack at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

Left tackle Charles Cross led MSU with a pass blocking grade of 85.6 when in a true pass set and did not allow a pressure last week per Pro Football Focus (PFF). Cross' grade led the Southeastern Conference in that scenario and ranked 10^th nationally.

The Bulldogs are tied for the SEC lead with five red zone touchdowns this year and currently have a 100 percent success rate inside the 20-yard line.

Quarterback Will Rogers has thrown a touchdown in seven straight games and has 13 TD passes over that stretch. Rogers' 39 completions were the fourth-most in a single game in school history, all of which have come in Mike Leach's tenure. Rogers' completions per game leads all FBS signal callers.

Rogers is Mississippi State's career leader in completion percentage (70.7 percent). His 83 percent completion rate in the season opener last week ranks fourth nationally and second in the SEC.

Rogers tied the school's single-game record with 12 straight completions last week. He was also 10 of 10 passing for 128 yards and a touchdown during the fourth quarter.

Wide receiver Makai Polk tops the league and ranks fifth in the country with 10 catches.

MSU passed for more than 15 yards a dozen times against Louisiana Tech last week. Wide receiver Jaden Walley made five catches in that contest, all of which went for 15 yards or more.

A total of 12 players made their Bulldog debuts last week. Those players were Polk, WR Jamire Calvin, WR Rara Thomas, DE Randy Charlton, LS Colby Cox, S Jalen Green, LS Hayes Hammond, WR Rufus Harvey, RB J.J. Jernighan, DE Izuchukwu King Ani, LB DeShawn Page and RB Simeon Price.

Lideatrick Griffin has had back-to-back games where he has exceeded 100 yards on kickoff return yardage. Griffin had 138 kickoff return yards in the Armed Forces Bowl (in which he was selected MVP) and added a career-high 144 yards last week, including a career-long 70 yarder in the fourth quarter.

Mississippi State has had a takeaway in 35 of its last 41 games and created 70 takeaways over that span. The Bulldogs forced two turnovers last week – an interception by linebacker Tyrus Wheat and a fumble recovery by defensive end Aaron Odom.

Jaden Crumedy blocked a potential game-winning field goal against Louisiana Tech on the game's final play. It was the first kick blocked by a Mississippi State player since Jeffery Simmons also did so at Louisiana Tech in 2017. Nelson Adams was the last Bulldog to block a field goal, which was also a game-winner in the 2016 St. Petersburg Bowl.

The last three field goals Mississippi State has blocked have all been game-winners (Crumedy vs. Louisiana Tech, 2021; Adams vs. Miami [Ohio], 2016; Beniquez Brown vs. Arkansas, 2015).

Kicker Brandon Ruiz has converted 120 consecutive extra points dating back to his days at Arizona State.

The series between Mississippi State and NC State is tied 3-3. The Bulldogs have won three of the last four meetings including a 51-28 victory in their last meeting in the 2015 Belk Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina. That was Dak Prescott's final game at MSU.

The last three times Mississippi State and NC State have met has been in postseason play (1963 Liberty Bowl, 1995 Peach Bowl, 2015 Belk Bowl).

The last time the Bulldogs and Wolfpack played one another on their respective campuses was on Oct. 26, 1940. MSU won that game 26-10 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

NC State won the only game in the series ever played in Starkville 6-0 on Nov. 7, 1931.

Saturday will be NC State's first game in the state of Mississippi since it lost 37-17 at Southern Miss in 2006. The Wolfpack have not won in the Magnolia State since 1963 when they defeated USM, 14-0.

NC State assistants Brian Mitchell (cornerbacks) and Ruffin McNeill (special assistant to the head coach) both coached under Leach at Texas Tech. Mitchell was a cornerbacks Mitchell coached corners for Leach from 2006-09 while McNeill was the linebackers coach from 2000-02, special teams coordinator from 2003-06, defensive line coach in 2007 and defensive coordinator from 2008-09. He also held the title of assistant head coach from 2003-09.

Last week's 45-0 shutout win at South Florida marked NC State's first shutout victory against an FBS opponent since 2011.

NC State has not played on the road against a Southeastern Conference opponent since 2008 when they traveled to South Carolina in what was Russell Wilson's first career start. The Wolfpack's last road win against an SEC opponent came in 1991 at South Carolina, a 38-21 victory in the Gamecocks' initial year in the league.

NC State has lost eight of its last nine games against SEC opponents with its lone win coming against Vanderbilt (41-17) in the 2016 Independence Bowl.