Mississippi State starts its 2025 SEC campaign this weekend against No. 15 Tennessee in Starkville. It’s a gut-check game for the program after starting 4-0 for the first time since the 2014 season.
Three comfortable wins over Southern Miss, Alcorn State and Northern Illinois, and a dramatic upset of No. 12 Arizona State make for an impressive early resume for head coach Jeff Lebby’s team, but there is plenty more to learn about the Bulldogs this season, and it starts with the test against the Vols.
What: Mississippi State vs. No. 15 Tennessee
When: 3:15 p.m. Saturday
Where: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville
TV: SEC Network
Betting line: The Vols are 7.5-point favorites in this one, with an over/under set at 63.5 in anticipation of a high-scoring game.
Weather: Sunny with some winds, high in the low 80s, per AccuWeather.
Records/rankings: The Bulldogs are 4-0 and remain unranked despite receiving votes in the latest AP Poll for the third week in a row.
Tennessee is 3-1 and ranked 15th in the AP poll, with their only loss being an overtime game against Georgia.
Series history: Tennessee leads the all-time series 30-16-1, and won the last meeting 33-14 in Knoxville. The last meeting in Starkville was a 41-31 victory for the Bulldogs in 2012, MSU’s only win over Tennessee in the last 30 years.
Mississippi State update: The Bulldogs are mostly healthy apart from the season-ending injuries to Blake Steen and Will Whitson.
Linebacker Derion Gullette is the only other player listed on the injury report, a positive sign after the Bulldogs saw both Jahron Manning and Brylan Lanier take knocks against NIU last week. Both players have been key in the rotating cast at safety, and the defense will need all hands on deck against this Tennessee offense.
Tennessee update: The Vols have five players out, including DB Jermod McCoy, who has yet to play this season. Rickey Gibson III and Daevin Hobbs are both out on the defensive side, while Radarious Jackson and running back Hunter Barnes are out on the offense.
Running back Daune Morris and offensive lineman David Sanders Jr. are both listed as questionable, and defensive lineman Jaxson Moi is listed as probable.
Vols players to watch: QB Joey Aguilar, WR Chris Brazzell II, RB Star Thomas, RB DeSean Bishop, DB Colton Hood, DB Boo Carter, DL Joshua Josephs.
Prediction: This game has shootout potential, and it comes down to which team sets the pace and can stay in the driver’s seat. That is much easier said than done, but for MSU, the path to victory comes with clutching up on defense and getting the kind of stops that they produced against Arizona State and Northern Illinois.
It’s tough to see the Bulldogs making that happen against a prolific team that has proven it can move the ball on anyone, while MSU has had stop-and-start moments. The Vols win a high-scoring one.
Tennessee 38, Mississippi State 34
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