Mississippi State’s Storylines vs. Kentucky

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State is back on the road and a Top-25 matchup awaits in Kentucky.

The No. 16 Bulldogs face the No. 22 Wildcats in Lexington on Saturday. Kickoff time is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at Kroger Field. The contest will be televised by SEC Network with Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) and Cole Cubelic (reporter) on the call.

Fans can listen to live audio of the game by CLICKING HERE.

Mississippi State's Storylines vs. Kentucky

State is off to its best start since going 6-0 on its way to a No. 1 ranking in 2014. The last time the Bulldogs sported a 5-1 record was 1998 when they went on to win eight regular season games, including a 6-2 mark in league contests, on the way to claiming the SEC Western Division title and playing in the SEC Championship game.
A win at Kentucky would push State to 3-1 in league play – MSU's second-best conference start through four league games since also being 3-1 in 2012. The Bulldogs had a 5-0 start to SEC play in 2014. The 2014 campaign was the last time MSU won in Lexington.
At No. 16 in this week's AP Top 25, MSU has its highest ranking since Week 3 of the 2020 season following its upset victory at then-No. 6 and reigning national champion LSU.
The Bulldogs and Wildcats are one of six ranked vs. ranked matchups across the country in Week 7, the most in a regular season week in the last five years. It is also the first time both teams have been ranked in the series (49 meetings).
The Bulldogs are 7-2 against Kentucky in previous meetings when MSU is ranked in the AP Top 25.
Through six games in 2022, MSU is outscoring opponents 66-7 in the first quarter. The Bulldogs are 12-3 when scoring first under Mike Leach.
QB Will Rogers (69) is one passing touchdown shy of Dak Prescott's (2012-15) MSU career record (70).
Last week, Rogers broke Aaron Murray's (Georgia, 2010-13) SEC career completions record. Murray completed 921 passes in 52 career games. Rogers surpassed that mark in just 28 games and finished against Arkansas (Oct. 8) with 947 career completions.
In SEC games this season, RB Dillon Johnson ranks fifth in the conference in rushing yardage (207). He is one of three players to log 200 or more rushing yards and three or more rushing touchdowns in league play.
MSU is leading all Power 5 teams in yards after catch once again (1,233) after leading the nation in 2021.
State has scored on 20-of-21 red zone opportunities (95.2 percent) this season with 19 touchdowns. The Bulldogs have scored on 17 straight red zone trips with 14 straight touchdowns. MSU leads the nation in red zone touchdown percentage (90.48 percent).
RB Jo'quavious Marks has caught a pass in 29 consecutive games, which is the second-longest active streak in the SEC and tied for No. 14 nationally. He has at least one reception in every game of his collegiate career.
Marks set a career high with 11 receptions against Arkansas (Oct. 8), which was tied for eighth in MSU single-game history. He's now second in MSU career history with 166 catches over his three seasons and 23rd among active FBS players.
Rogers has thrown for 300-plus yards and at least three touchdowns in 14 of his 28 career games. The closest active player to him since 2020 is Wake Forest's Sam Hartman at 10 games.
Rogers has tossed a touchdown in 24 of his last 25 games with 68 scores in that span. Since 2020, Rogers has tossed multiple touchdowns in 16 different games, which trails only Tennessee's Hendon Hooker (18) and Alabama's Bryce Young (17) among active SEC quarterbacks.
State is running the ball at the highest clip (104.8 ypg) of a Mike Leach-coached team since the 2016 Washington State team (120.0 ypg). The Bulldogs already have 18 runs of 10-plus yards through six games after posting just 23 in 13 games last year and 20 in 11 games in 2020.
Six Bulldog receivers have caught at least 20 balls. No other SEC school has more than three (Georgia), and only four other FBS teams have four (Georgia Southern, Tusla, Washington State and Western Kentucky).
WR Caleb Ducking has caught a touchdown in five of six games, which is tied for the FBS lead. His seven receiving touchdowns are second in the SEC and tied for fourth nationally this season.
WR Lideatrick Griffin is sixth nationally in yards per kick return (31.1). His career average (33.3) is tops among active FBS players and would exceed the school record by 6.6 yards.
State's kickoff return unit is fourth in the nation and second in the SEC, averaging 30.2 yards per return. Since 2020, MSU leads the nation, averaging 27.9 yards per kickoff return.
MSU has 30 total picks in 30 games under defensive coordinator Zach Arnett. The Bulldogs have nine multi-interception games and are 9-0 in them. Ten active players have collected 26 total interceptions in their careers.
MSU has a takeaway in 24 of 30 games under Arnett including all six games of 2022. State's 12 turnovers forced are tied for the SEC lead and No. 14 in the FBS this season.
CB Emmanuel Forbes is now tied for fourth in MSU career history with 12 interceptions. He has three picks in his last two games and is tied for second in the nation in total passes defended (10). Forbes leads the SEC with four interceptions this year and boasts the No. 8 coverage grade in the conference per PFF.
Forbes is the MSU career record holder and is tied for the FBS active career lead in interceptions returned for a touchdown. He is just the fifth SEC player with four or more career pick-sixes and is one shy of the conference record held by Tennessee's Jackie Walker (5, 1969-71).
Under Mike Leach, the Bulldogs are 12-0 when scoring at least 30 points and 12-3 when scoring first. State has scored 40-plus points in each of its last three games, averaging 42.3 points per game on its most-recent homestand while going 3-0.
According to ESPN's preseason FPI, MSU will play the second-toughest schedule in the nation in 2022. The Bulldogs play all six SEC teams that were ranked in the preseason AP poll.
MSU is one of the most-experienced teams in college football this fall, with a total of 16 starters returning on offense and defense.

Mississippi State’s Storylines vs. Kentucky

Players Mentioned

Caleb Ducking

Emmanuel Forbes

Lideatrick Griffin

Dillon Johnson

Jo'Quavious Marks

Will Rogers

Mississippi State University Athletics

Mississippi State’s Storylines vs. Kentucky

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Players Mentioned

Caleb Ducking

Emmanuel Forbes

Lideatrick Griffin

Dillon Johnson

Jo'Quavious Marks

Will Rogers

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