NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Postseason football is upon us.
After a 32-day layoff and an eventful — for better or worse — month of practices, Mississippi State (6-6, 3-5 SEC) will take on Louisville (7-5, 5-3 ACC) in the Music City Bowl at 3 p.m. Monday.
With that, here are three matchups to watch when the Bulldogs and Cardinals meet at Nissan Stadium:
Tommy Stevens vs. himself
This wasn’t exactly the season coach Joe Moorhead or Tommy Stevens envisioned. After succumbing to a litany of injuries and inconsistent play, Stevens was prepared to back up freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader on Monday after the latter was named the Music City Bowl starter Dec. 20.
But after a mid-practice dustup with junior linebacker Willie Gay Jr. has left Shrader unable to play, Stevens is set to start his final collegiate game with junior Keytaon Thompson as the backup.
Throughout his eight appearances, Stevens has been a staggering mix of brilliance and ineptitude. For every 236-yard, two-touchdown effort against Louisiana, there have been 6-for-11, two-interception games against Tennessee in which he was benched at halftime.
That said, Moorhead is confident in his now finally healthy former Penn State signal caller.
“He’ll go in and make plays with his arm and his feet, and I know the guys have a ton of confidence in him,” he said. “(For) a graduate transfer, senior quarterback to have an opportunity to lead his team to win in a bowl game, we’re very excited about that.”
Facing a Louisville defense that has been downright dismal this season (I’ll get to this in a minute), MSU can score in bunches if Stevens backs up what should be a massive day for junior running back Kylin Hill and the Bulldog rushing attack.
Kylin Hill vs. Louisville’s rush defense
To say Louisville’s defense has been bad this year almost doesn’t do its inability to stop anyone justice. In 12 games this season, the Cardinals rank No. 107 nationally in total defense and an even worse No. 115 against the run — the fourth-worst mark among Power Five football teams.
Conversely, MSU running back Kylin Hill enters Monday’s contest as the Southeastern Conference’s leading rusher with 1,347 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. His 112.5 yards per game average ranks second in the conference.
For context, when Hill faced a comparable defense at Arkansas — the country’s 111th-best unit — he raced for a season-high 234 yards and three touchdowns. The Columbus native is also riding a hot streak of sorts, having hit the 130-yard mark in four of MSU’s previous five games.
Sitting 44 yards short of Anthony ‘Boobie’ Dixon’s single-season program rushing record, Hill will have to to eclipse the mark and carry the Bulldog offense should MSU have a chance at victory in Nashville.
“Oh yeah, I need that,” Hill quipped of reaching Dixon’s record. “For any player, that’s a big milestone. Especially with all the big backs that came through the university. If I get that, it would be a big blessing.”
MSU pass rush vs. Louisville offensive line
While MSU’s pass rush has been sporadic at best this season, defensive coordinator Bob Shoop has been able to find new ways to attack opposing quarterbacks in recent weeks.
Adjusting his scheme to include more linebacker blitzes and stunts up front, MSU earned nine sacks over its final three games against Alabama, Abilene Christian and Ole Miss.
Monday the Bulldog defensive front will square off with a Cardinal offensive line that allows an average of three sacks per game — the 116th-best mark in the FBS this season. Louisville opponents also reached the quarterback on 12.7 percent of passing-down plays — good for 111th nationally, according to Football Outsiders.
Further tantalizing for Shoop’s bunch, potential first- or second-round NFL draft pick and starting offensive tackle Mekhi Becton has decided to sit out the bowl game — leaving a Cardinal offensive line that already allows an FBS-worst 9.67 tackles for a loss per game shorthanded against a Bulldog pass rush coming off two of its best performances of the year.
“Bowls are funny because it’s a month since the last game,” Shoop said. “Our guys have continued to practice hard, prepare hard. Half the battle in a bowl game is desire to be there. I think our guys have expressed and shown a desire to be here. Really excited about this opportunity to play together one more time.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
