First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Texas A&M

STARKVILLE – Home, sweet home.

After nearly a month, Mississippi State will finally be back inside Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday. There'll be a lot of maroon in the building, too, as MSU takes on No. 14 Texas A&M at 3:15 p.m. That much you know, but there are some things you might not.

So, let's have a look at 10 items to be aware of headed into State's showdown against the Aggies:

It's another week and another Top-15 opponent for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State is playing its third-straight Top-15 foe on Saturday after traveling to No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Georgia the last two times out. Through the first eight weeks of the season, MSU has had the nation's toughest schedule per ESPN's FPI.
Saturday will be the 18th time Mississippi State and Texas A&M have met on the gridiron. The Bulldogs currently lead the all-time series 9-8. MSU has been especially strong against the Aggies in Starkville, winning four of the six games that have been played at Davis Wade Stadium.
Michael Van Buren Jr. is set to make the first home start of his career. The State true freshman quarterback is coming off a performance that earned him SEC Freshman of the Week honors as he threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns last week at Georgia.
Van Buren's success in Athens helped put Mississippi State in rarified air. MSU put up 31 points against Georgia to become one of only five teams to score at least 30 points against UGA since 2020. Perhaps even more impressive, State became the first team since Tennessee in 2016 to score at least 30 points against Georgia on their home field.
Speaking of offense, MSU has held its own offensively since the start of SEC play and in fact, statistically, the Bulldogs are right there with some of the conference's top teams recently. Mississippi State's 24 points-per-game average in league contests is better than No. 18 Ole Miss (23.3 ppg), No. 11 Tennessee (20.7 ppg) and No. 19 Missouri (20 ppg).
MSU receivers Kevin Coleman Jr., Kelly Akharaiyi and Mario Craver have been big pieces of State's offensive success and look to carry last week's momentum into Saturday's game against the Aggies. All three had big moments at Georgia with Coleman earning his third career game of 100 or more yards receiving, Akharaiyi catching a pair of touchdown passes and Craver hauling in a 72-yard catch that was the second-longest play from scrimmage for MSU this season.
Flipping sides of the football, safety Isaac Smith continues to be a standout for the State defense. He enters play on Saturday with 56 tackles this season. That total ranks second in the SEC and 12th nationally. Smith's 11.2 tackles-per-game average is the best mark in the SEC and fifth-best mark in the FBS.
A key for Mississippi State on Saturday could be slowing down Texas A&M's strong running game. The Aggies enter play this weekend with the country's ninth-best rushing offense, averaging 232.3 yards per game. A&M's 5.6 yards per carry ranks at the top of the heap in the SEC and is good for 15th in the nation.
On the defensive side for A&M, the Aggies have had a knack for disrupting opposing passing attacks. They've tallied seven interceptions this year which stands tied for second in the SEC and is 19th in the country.
For as difficult as MSU's schedule has already been, it doesn't lighten up much after Saturday's affair. The Bulldogs host Arkansas next week to begin the regular season's final five-game stretch in which MSU's remaining slate ranks 11th-toughest nationally.

Mississippi State University Athletics

First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Texas A&M

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Players Mentioned

Kelly Akharaiyi

Kevin Coleman Jr.

Mario Craver

Isaac Smith

Michael Van Buren Jr.

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