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

STARKVILLE – On the heels of four straight home games, Mississippi State is back on the road for the first time in more than a month.

MSU (4-1 overall, 0-1 in Southeastern Conference play) faces No. 6 Texas A&M (4-0, 1-0) at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday in College Station. The game will be televised by SEC Network.

Ahead of the contest, let's have a look at 10 items to be aware of as State gets set to square off against the Aggies:

Mississippi State heads to Texas A&M looking for a 5-1 start to the year. If the Bulldogs can grab the victory, it'd match MSU's best start to a season since 2022 when the team also started 5-1. A win would mark only the third time State has begun a season 5-1 or better since 2000.
State and A&M are meeting for the 19th time overall. The two schools are playing for the 14th consecutive season since the Aggies joined the SEC ahead of the 2012 campaign. Entering Saturday, the all-time series is knotted at nine wins apiece. While Texas A&M has won the last two matchups, State has claimed victory in six of the last 11 contests.
Several participants in Saturday's game have worn maroon for both the Aggies and Bulldogs. MSU senior linebacker Malick Sylla spent the previous three seasons at Texas A&M. Aggies sophomore wide receiver Mario Craver began his college football career at Mississippi State last year. On the coaching side, MSU defensive line coach David Turner was A&M's run defense coordinator and defensive tackles coach in 2016 and 2017.
Texas A&M will be Mississippi State's third Associated Press top-15 opponent this season and second consecutive. As the rankings currently stand, MSU will play three additional top-15 foes this season, plus another that's currently inside the top 20.
State quarterback Blake Shapen will look to extend an incredible streak down in College Station. Shapen now holds the nation's longest active streak for consecutive games played with a touchdown pass. Shapen has thrown for at least one score in each of his last 20 contests.
MSU junior kicker Kyle Ferrie could keep climbing up the MSU career scoring list this weekend. Ferrie cracked the top 10 in program history last Saturday. Now standing at 10th, Ferrie is only one point behind Bulldog legend Jackie Parker for ninth place and two points behind MSU great Vick Ballard for eighth.
In his first year in Maroon and White, Bulldog sophomore running back Fluff Bothwell has quickly established himself as one of the SEC's best backs. Bothwell enters the weekend ranked fourth in the conference in both rushing yardage (405) and rushing touchdowns (six).
The MSU defense continues to show its growth after its struggles of a year ago. Through five games, the unit is allowing 132.4 yards per game less than at the same point in 2024. It also bears noting that after creating only 12 turnovers all of last season, MSU has already created 10 this season. That's the best total in the SEC and is fourth-best nationally.
Both State and A&M have big-play reputations this season. State leads the SEC in completed passing plays over 40 yards and over 50 yards. MSU has completed 10 passing plays of more than 40 yards and five that are over 50. Meanwhile, the Aggies rank among the country's best at run and pass plays of more than 20 yards. A&M has produced 28 plays of 20 or more yards through its four games this season. That's an average of seven such plays per contest.
Saturday's game precedes MSU's first open week of this season. Following this weekend, the Bulldogs won't play again until a road game at Florida on Oct. 18. State will also enjoy an open week in November, just prior to the annual Battle for the Golden Egg against Ole Miss.

Mississippi State University Athletics

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

Players Mentioned

Fluff Bothwell

Mario Craver

Kyle Ferrie

Blake Shapen

Malick Sylla

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