Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Mississippi State's Storylines vs. Bowling Green
September 23, 2022 | Football
STARKVILLE – The Bulldogs are back at home.
Mississippi State is set for a battle against Bowling Green at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff time is set for 11 a.m. CT.
The game will be televised by SEC Network with Drew Carter (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst) and Nicole Rigoni (reporter) on the call. Fans can also listen for free online by CLICKING HERE.
Mississippi State's Storylines vs. Bowling Green
- Mississippi State is set to honor its first African-American varsity football players – Frank Dowsing, Jr. and Robert Bell – commemorating the 50th anniversary of when the two last suited up in Maroon and White. Dowsing and Bell arrived at MSU in 1969.
- MSU will don threads paying homage to Dowsing and Bell against Bowling Green. The new uniforms showcase a unique look that hearkens back to the practice jerseys the groundbreaking players wore three years later in 1972.
- State has picked up 25.3 first downs per game, which is third in the SEC. Of the Bulldogs' 76 first downs this year, 48 have come through the air.
- The Bulldogs and Falcons have met just once in a 2013 homecoming matchup. That game, a 21-20 MSU victory, stands out most for a 75-yard touchdown run by Dak Prescott that stood as the longest run of his career.
- Graduate assistant Taveze Calhoun played against Bowling Green in 2013, making a half-tackle for loss.
- There are just 21 players nationally in the FBS with active streaks of 20 or more games with a catch and only three in the SEC. RB Jo'quavious Marks has the second-longest active streak in the SEC at 27 games, and WR Jaden Walley has catches in 25 straight contests.
- Mississippi State is one of six teams in the nation with two wins vs. opponents with a winning record. The other five teams are NC State, Wake Forest, Illinois, Indiana and Wyoming.
- WR Lideatrick Griffin ranks fourth in the FBS, averaging 32.8 yards per kickoff return. He is one of seven players nationally with three or more returns of 30-plus yards.
- Three active Bulldogs have cracked the MSU top 10 for career receptions. RB Jo'quavious Marks (151) is fourth, while WR Austin Williams (122) is eighth. RB Dillon Johnson is the latest to reach the leaderboard as his 118th catch has him tied for 10th.
- Last time out, WR Austin Williams broke the school record, playing in his 53rd career game. He is also tied for sixth in MSU career history with 14 touchdown catches.
- The Bulldogs rank eighth nationally and lead the SEC in time of possession, averaging 35:08.67 on offense through three games. Since Mike Leach arrived in 2020, Mississippi State ranks sixth nationally in time of possession, averaging 33:06 per game.
- Mississippi State has ranked among the top five Power Five teams in the nation in yards after catch in back-to-back seasons under head coach Mike Leach, and State is currently third nationally. The Bulldogs led the nation in yards after catch in 2021, and State ranked second in the SEC and third nationally in 2020.
- QB Will Rogers leads the nation in completions per game (33.7), is fourth in passing touchdowns (10) and sixth in passing yards per game (325.7).
- Six different Bulldogs have caught a touchdown this season, which is tied for eighth in the FBS. Only North Texas (8), Oklahoma State (8), Appalachian State (7), North Carolina (7), NC State (7), SMU (7) and UCLA (7) have had more receivers score.
- WR Caleb Ducking is tied for 19th in the FBS and second in the SEC with three touchdown catches.
- WR Rara Thomas had a career-high-tying five catches in the first two games of 2022. He has seven touchdowns in his last eight games. Thomas is 10th in receiving in the SEC with 70.3 yards per game.
- The Bulldogs turned in their two longest runs of the Mike Leach era at LSU (Sept. 17). RB Jo'quavious Marks' 37-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter was MSU's longest running play under Leach, and RB Dillon Johnson broke free for 35 yards in the second quarter.
- The Bulldogs have 17 pass defenses this year, which is third in the SEC. Only MSU and Vanderbilt have three players with three or more pass defenses in 2022 in the SEC (S Jalen Green, CB Emmanuel Forbes and CB Decamerion Richardson).
- LB Tyrus Wheat ranks fourth in the SEC with a 90.2 run defense grade from PFF, and LB Jett Johnson is tied for sixth with 11 "stops," which are tackles that constitute a failure for the offense. CB Decamerion Richardson and S Collin Duncan are tied for eighth in the league in tackling grade (86.6).
- Since 2020, MSU has allowed fewer than 150 rushing yards in 17 games, which trails only Alabama (29) and Georgia (27) in the SEC during that span. MSU is holding its opponents to just 121.6 rushing yards per game, which ranks third in the SEC during that span.
- Under Mike Leach, the Bulldogs are 9-0 when scoring at least 30 points and 9-3 when scoring first.
- According to ESPN's 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 will be one of the most-experienced teams in college football this fall, with a total of 16 starters returning on offense and defense.
- MSU returns 79.1 percent of its defensive snaps from 2021. Of the 22 players on the defensive side of the two-deep, 17 have been playing for the past two years under defensive coordinator Zach Arnett. Three more have at least played a season in Arnett's system.
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