First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Toledo

STARKVILLE – The Dawgs are back at Davis Wade.

Mississippi State is all set for its second home game of the season on Saturday as MSU hosts Toledo at 6:30 p.m.

That much you know. However, there are several things you might not.

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

Make it three in a row – three-straight first-time opponents that is. Mississippi State has started the 2024 season by staring down three fresh foes, the latest of which is Toledo as the two programs have never met on the gridiron. This was also the case in the campaign's first two weeks as the Bulldogs had the chance to play against Eastern Kentucky and Arizona State for the initial time.
Against Toledo, MSU will look to keep up what has been one of the nation's best passing attacks. Through two weeks, State has a passing grade of 92.1 per Pro Football Focus. It's the second-best grade in all of college football and the top mark in the Southeastern Conference.
A common theme of State's offensive success through two weeks has been the group's quick-strike ability. Of the Dawgs' nine touchdowns this season, they have scored five touchdowns in under two minutes, three touchdowns in under 32 seconds and two touchdowns in under 15 seconds. MSU's average time of possession per drive this season has been 1:53.
Quarterback Blake Shapen has been the driving force behind the Bulldog offensive attack. His Pro Football Focus passing grade of 91.7 is sixth best in the nation among Power Four signal callers. It's the third best mark in the SEC.
Dating back to his time at Baylor prior to arriving at State this season, Shapen has now thrown a touchdown pass in 13 straight games and has thrown for at least two scores in seven of those contests. Shapen has also been great at protecting the football. He hasn't thrown an interception in his last 99 pass attempts.
Among several other MSU offensive standouts has been receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. The Louisville transfer's electric 80-yard touchdown reception last week against Arizona State was just the latest addition to Coleman's early-season highlight reel. Coleman is one of only 10 FBS players with a play of 80 or more yards this season. He is one of only three SEC players averaging 90 or more receiving yards a game with multiple receiving touchdowns. Among players with at least seven receptions this season, Coleman leads the SEC in yards per reception at 21.2.
On the defensive side of the football, safety Isaac Smith has been fantastic for State in the early going this year. He's led the team in tackles in each of the first two games, setting new single-game career highs for tackles in each game. Smith enters this week leading the SEC and ranking fourth nationally in total tackles with 28.
The Bulldogs have done a really good job at not hurting themselves this season. Mississippi State enters play Saturday as the least penalized team in the SEC in terms of both total penalties and penalty yardage. MSU has been flagged only seven times this season for a total of 50 yards.
Toledo comes to town as a perennially successful football program. The Rockets haven't had a losing season since 2009. That's the fifth-longest streak in the FBS behind Boise State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State and Alabama.
While the Rockets have had tremendous success through the years, including going toe-to-toe with Power Four competition, they have only one all-time win against the Southeastern Conference. Toledo is 1-4 all time against the SEC with the lone win being a 16-12 win at Arkansas in 2015.

Mississippi State University Athletics

First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Toledo

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Kevin Coleman Jr.

Blake Shapen

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