STARKVILLE — The Bulldogs are back in action.
Following a bye week, Mississippi State (3-2, 1-1 SEC) will head to Knoxville to take on a reeling Tennessee (1-4, 0-2 SEC) squad in the wake of plenty of on and off the field issues.
While MSU is looking to right the ship after a dismal display at Auburn two weeks ago, Tennessee will look to get things rolling for the first time all year.
That said, here are three matchups to watch on Rocky Top this weekend:
MSU secondary vs. Brian Maurer/Jarrett Guarantano
To say Tennessee’s offense has been bad this season is putting it lightly. The Volunteers currently rank No. 86 nationally in passing yards per game, while their rushing attack has been even worse at No. 90 in the country.
Much of those issues have been credited to junior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. Guarantano has thrown for a middling 750 yards and seven touchdowns this year and has eclipsed 180 yards passing in a game just once this year — doing so in an eight-point season opening loss to Georgia State.
Facing No. 3 Georgia last week, coach Jeremy Pruitt turned to freshman signal caller Brian Maurer. Facing a stiff Bulldogs defense he completed 14 of 28 passes for 259 yards — 205 of which came in the first half — and two touchdowns in his first career start.
“The game he played is the game you have to study more often — look at it more than one time — and just see the things he’s capable of doing, the things he’s not capable of doing,” junior cornerback Cameron Dantzler said of game planning for Maurer.
Maurer will also be aided by standout wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Marquez Calloway — who have combined for 654 of Tennessee’s 1,048 receiving yards and eight of its nine touchdown receptions.
Defensively, MSU’s secondary has been rather mediocre this season. The Bulldogs are allowing 243.4 passing yards per game — good for No. 83 in the country. And while teams have racked up yards, the MSU defense has been solid against big plays — having allowed just six passing touchdowns this year.
With a week away from football, no Bulldog defensive backs were mentioned as being injured in Moorhead’s weekly presser Monday. Thus with Dantzler and sophomore cornerback Tyler Williams healthy, the MSU secondary should be at full strength against a less-than-prolific Tennessee passing attack.
MSU defensive line vs. Ty Chandler and Eric Gray
Sticking on the MSU side of things, the Bulldog defensive line has been porous against the rush this season.
Entering this week, the MSU defense ranks No. 70 nationally against the run and has allowed at least 146 yards in four of its five games this season.
With Lee Autry’s status remaining up in the air week-to-week due to suspension, the Bulldogs have relied heavily on freshmen Fabian Lovett and Jaden Crumedy to mixed success.
While not the most dynamic run game MSU will face this year, for what Tennessee lacks through the air they make up for on the ground.
Running backs Ty Chandler and Eric Gray have combined for 511 yards on 102 carries this year — though Chandler has amassed the majority of the load with 332 yards this year.
It’s also worth noting MSU’s bunch will face off against Tennessee left guard Trey Smith — a likely first round pick come NFL Draft time.
“He’s a decent player,” senior defensive end Chauncey Rivers antagonistically said of Smith. “He’s physical. He’s a big guy and he wants to play hard. So we’re going to go out there and try and get after him.”
MSU quarterbacks vs. Tennessee defense
While Tennessee’s quarterback conundrum was spawned out of ineptitude, injuries have suddenly made the MSU signal caller situation more clouded.
With starter Tommy Stevens having been forced from three games this season, freshman Garrett Shrader has been wildly impressive in his place.
Shrader has completed 40 of 68 passes for 511 yards and two touchdowns this year, while Stevens is 37-of-58 for 448 yards and five touchdowns.
Speaking with the media Monday, Moorhead said he has a starter in mind but expects both quarterbacks to see action.
Whoever does line up under center will take on a Tennessee defense that hasn’t been much better than MSU’s this year.
The Volunteers are currently allowing 377 yards per game despite playing just two teams (Florida and Georgia) in the SP+ top-80. Further, they allowed 38 points to Georgia State (No. 115 in the SP+ rankings) and only FCS Chattanooga scored less than 29 points against them.
“I think it’s a good football team need to prepare for as such,” Stevens said Tuesday. “It gives us a unique opportunity to go in, play on the road and, like I said, they’re going to be a good team with a lot of good players and we’re excited for the challenge.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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