STARKVILLE — This was supposed to be a redshirt year for Michael Van Buren. The true freshman quarterback was expected to ride the pine, soak up knowledge from veteran Blake Shapen and compete for the starting role at Mississippi State in 2025.

Halfway through the season, Van Buren has started in two of the toughest environments in college football, and after completing 20 of 37 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns with one interception at No. 5 Georgia on Saturday, he was named Southeastern Conference Co-Freshman of the Week.

“Proud of how he answered the bell and answered to the challenges that happened inside the game,” Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby said. “He did some great things. He played with toughness. He found ways to get himself out of some bad positions after having a really bad start, to then put together some drives to give us a chance to get back in the game.”

Van Buren was 5-for-15 passing in the first half but 15-for-22 in the second half, completing all eight of his passes in the third quarter. He completed four passes for at least 20 yards, including two touchdown tosses to Kelly Akharaiyi.

The play Lebby said most boosted his confidence gave MSU (1-5, 0-3 SEC) its initial first down of the game after four drives without one to start the game — a deep ball to Mario Craver for 72 yards that set up Akharaiyi’s first touchdown.

“That big completion was one that got him going, gave him some confidence,” Lebby said. “That’s exactly what you want to see as a coach. Proud of him for that, (but) he has to play cleaner, has to play better to give us a chance to win.”

Lebby said he has talked with safety Brylan Lanier regarding his missed tackle early in the third quarter, when he released his grip on Georgia receiver Arian Smith, allowing him to complete a 42-yard touchdown reception. Lanier did not play the rest of the game and posted on social media that it was due to a concussion, but Lebby did not provide specifics on the conversation.

“We’ve addressed it. We’ve talked about it. For him, it’s making sure that he doesn’t allow the noise to seep into who he is,” Lebby said. “The expectation is to go out and make the next play. He’s made a lot of plays for us, he’ll continue to be a huge factor for us. I have a ton of confidence in (Lanier) to be able to bounce back.”

2014 Bulldogs to be honored Saturday

It has been 10 years since MSU tied a program record with a 10-win 2014 season, winning double-digit games for just the third time in school history. Those Bulldogs won their first nine games and reached No. 1 in the polls, becoming the first team to earn the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings. Members of that team will be honored at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday when MSU hosts Texas A&M.

The ending to that season was bittersweet — the Bulldogs fell to Alabama in mid-November, missing out on an SEC West title, then were upset by Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl and lost to Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Quarterback Dak Prescott finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting and recently became the highest-paid player in NFL history, signing a four-year, $240 million extension with the Dallas Cowboys.

Lebby may be in his first season in Starkville, but he and the team watch a highlight reel of former Bulldogs in the NFL every Thursday to help players stay in touch with the program’s history.

“We talk a ton about the guys who came before us,” Lebby said. “I’m a keeper of the seat right now, and we want to fight like heck to leave it better than how we found it. That’s important to us. The guys who came before us, they sat in these chairs and they did it in a way that makes Mississippi State incredibly proud.”

Scouting Texas A&M

The No. 14 Aggies (5-1, 3-0) took a loss to Notre Dame in Week 1 but have been on fire since then, and prior to their bye last weekend, they defeated then-No. 9 Missouri 41-10 to knock the Tigers from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Quarterback Conner Weigman made his return from an injury in that game after missing the previous three contests, and he completed 18 of 22 passes for 276 yards. Backup Marcel Reed performed well in his playing time, with eight total touchdowns and no interceptions. But Texas A&M’s offense flows through running back Le’Veon Moss, who is averaging 6.9 yards per carry and more than 100 yards per game.

First-year head coach Mike Elko was the Aggies’ defensive coordinator from 2018-2021, and Texas A&M has been strong on that side of the ball as well, particularly up front. Purdue transfer Nic Scourton is among the national leaders with 10 tackles for loss and also has 4.5 sacks.

“They’re playing complementary football,” Lebby said. “Inside the core, but specifically at the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball, they’re as good as anybody we’ve played. Offensively, (Weigman) comes back and plays the best game he’s played all year long before the bye week. He did a really good job distributing the ball, was really accurate, and they’ve got a really good running game to go with it.”