STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State football team hasn’t been challenged in non-conference play this season.
In three games, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 141-46. The closest game was a 34-16 victory against Southern Mississippi in the season opener in Hattiesburg.
MSU’s toughest test outside of the Southeastern Conference will come at 11 a.m. Saturday (SEC Network) in a Homecoming matchup against Louisiana Tech.
Louisiana Tech (4-2) lost to Kansas State 39-33 in triple overtime on Sept. 19 in Manhattan, Kansas, in its only other game against a team from a Power Five Conference.
MSU (4-2) leads the series 8-3, and owns an 8-2 record in Starkville.
Here are five things to watch:
1. Can MSU’s defense play with same intensity as last week?
Prior to the game against Troy, the MSU coaches challenged the defense to be more of a force.
The Bulldogs responded by making 15 tackles for loss, forcing two turnovers, and allowing 254 yards of offense.
But MSU coaches want to see more consistency and see that play carry over to this week.
“We want that to become an addiction. We want that to be something that now you don’t want to play any other way. You want that to be the idea of how it operates,” MSU defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said.
2. Which quarterback will have the better day?
Even if the numbers don’t show it, many believe Dak Prescott is a better quarterback.
MSU coach Dan Mullen said he is making plays he couldn’t make last year and is showing his maturity. Prescott has thrown for 1,353 yards and eight touchdowns. He hasn’t thrown an interception, and has gone 231 attempts dating back to last season without a interception. He has rushed for 220 yards and three touchdowns.
Veteran Jeff Driskel leads Louisiana Tech. The graduate transfer from Florida has thrown for 1,812 yards and 11 touchdowns. The yardage is the most he has had in his career. He also has rushed for 211 yards and five touchdowns.
This game will come down to the play of the quarterbacks.
3. Will Dontavian Lee get more carries?
The Bulldogs have struggled at running back.
Junior Ashton Shumpert leads that group with 159 yards, while junior Brandon Holloway has 146 yards.
Redshirt freshman Dontavian Lee has only rushed for 107 yards, but he had 44 yards on five carries against Troy.
Many Bulldog fans want Lee to get more carries, but Mullen said he has been watching plays when Lee doesn’t get the ball.
“He had five carries and played 17 plays. The key is studying the 12, not the five,” Mullen said. “The 12 are much more important than the five.
“I can’t have a running back in there when Dak is going to throw the ball, and he has no idea what he is doing, and now we lost our quarterback.”
Lee said he struggled with pass blocking last year, but he feels confident in it now. It’s the little things that have kept him off the field.
4. How will Louisiana Tech running back Kenneth Dixon fare against a Southeastern Conference defense?
Louisiana Tech senior running back Kenneth Dixon is expected to play in the NFL next season.
Even after missing last week’s game, he has rushed for 583 yards and six touchdowns.
Against Kansas State, Dixon rushed for 81 yards and didn’t score.
MSU has allowed a little more than 170 yards per game this season, so Dixon could see some success, but the Bulldogs’ defensive front hardly yielded last week.
5. Which field goal kicker will flinch first?
Both teams have really good kickers.
MSU sophomore Westin Graves is 7 of 7 with a long of 44. He missed the only field goal he attempted last season, but has been a different player this year.
Louisiana Tech sophomore Jonathan Barnes is 13 of 15 on field goals. His long is 50 yards.
After making a 32-yard game-winner last week, Barnes was named Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week.
As a redshirt freshman, Barnes made 12 of 17 field goals. His long was 45 yards.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter
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Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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