Following a 48-7 victory over Southeastern Louisiana to open the season, Mississippi State will remain at Davis Wade Stadium this Saturday to welcome Pac-12 foe Arizona for a 6:30 kickoff on SEC Network.
The Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats 39-17 last season in Tucson in what was the programs’ first-ever head-to-head meeting. Quarterback Will Rogers completed 39 of 48 passes in that game for 313 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. Defensively, linebacker Jett Johnson led the way for MSU with seven tackles and a pass breakup.
Arizona opened its season last week with a 38-3 win over Northern Arizona and is coming off a 5-7 campaign in 2022.
Here is what to know and watch for as MSU looks to improve to 2-0.
What: Arizona at Mississippi State
When: 6:30 p.m., Saturday
Where: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville
TV: SECN
Betting Line: Mississippi State by 9
Weather: Sunny skies with a high of 88 degrees and winds out of the north at 6 miles per hour, per AccuWeather
Records/rankings: Both teams are 1-0 with a victory over a Football Championship Subdivision opponent. Neither team is ranked in either the AP Top 25 or the AFCA Coaches Poll, though the Bulldogs did receive five votes in each poll. The Wildcats received one vote in the coaches poll.
Series history: MSU won the teams’ first meeting last year on the road. Arizona struck first with a touchdown just over two minutes in, but the Bulldogs grabbed the lead by the end of the first quarter and never looked back. A pair of short touchdown passes by Rogers in the fourth helped put the game away.
Mississippi State Update: The Bulldogs are coming off a 9-4 season last fall, capped by a win over Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Zach Arnett’s first game as head coach. MSU rushed for 298 yards last week against Southeastern Louisiana, the program’s single-game high since 2019 — in other words, the year before Mike Leach’s arrival in Starkville.
Jo’quavious “Woody” Marks led the way with 127 rushing yards on 19 carries, finding the end zone twice. He also caught four passes for 59 yards. It was partly a product of the Bulldogs holding a multi-score lead throughout the second half, but MSU ran the ball 39 times compared to 29 pass attempts, an unthinkable ratio in the Leach years.
Linebacker Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson had eight tackles to pace the defense, including 1.5 sacks and a fumble that he both forced and recovered. On special teams, freshman kicker Kyle Ferrie connected on two field goals from beyond 45 yards, and John Lewis blocked a punt that Avery Sledge turned into a touchdown.
Arizona Update: The Wildcats have not reached a bowl game since 2017 but took a big step forward last fall, improving from a 1-11 mark to a 5-7 season that included a road win over a top-10 UCLA team. Arizona also snapped a five-game losing streak to rival Arizona State. Jedd Fisch is now in his third season as head coach.
Jayden de Laura returns as the Wildcats’ starting quarterback, and he has shown the ability to hurt defenses with both his arm and legs. Receivers Jacob Cowing and Tetairoa McMillan give de Laura a pair of experienced pass-catchers, and tackles Jordan Morgan and Jonah Savaiinaea anchor the offensive line.
Linebacker Jacob Manu, a sophomore who made seven starts as a freshman, led the Arizona defense in tackles last week and is a rising star on that side of the ball.
Arizona players to watch: QB Jayden de Laura, WR Jacob Cowing, WR Tetairoa McMillan, LB Jacob Manu, DB Martell Irby.
Of note: Mississippi State will wear white jerseys at home for just the seventh time since 2003 — and are searching for their first win in such a game. The last time the Bulldogs wore white at home was in 2012 for a 38-13 loss to Texas A&M.
Prediction: It’ll be a close one, but the Bulldogs will find enough ways to slow down de Laura and will put up plenty of points. Mississippi State 31, Arizona 27.
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