Mississippi State hosts No. 17 Texas A&M at 3 p.m. Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.
When the Bulldogs (3-1, 0-1 SEC) meet the Aggies (3-1, 1-0 SEC), who has the edge at each position?
Quarterback
Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers comes off a great game against Bowling Green, topping 400 yards and tossing six touchdown passes against zero interceptions. Rogers has 1,386 passing yards this season with 16 touchdowns and three picks. Max Johnson overtook Haynes King at QB for A&M and has been solid but unspectacular. Johnson had just 291 passing yards combined in his past two games — wins over Miami and Arkansas. He has thrown just two touchdown passes but has not been intercepted. Johnson beat MSU last year when he was with LSU.
Edge: Mississippi State
Running back
Devon Achane has been electric so far for A&M, running for 355 yards and three touchdowns through four games. Achane averages 5.5 yards per carry and is more than capable of breaking big runs when needed. Mississippi State was without Jo’quavious Marks (139 yards, four touchdowns) on Saturday against Bowling Green but could return him this week. Dillon Johnson has yet to score for the Bulldogs but has run for 234 yards on 6.5 yards per carry, the fourth-best average among Southeastern Conference running backs.
Edge: Texas A&M
Wide receiver/tight end
Caleb Ducking is in the midst of a breakout season for Mississippi State, leading the Bulldogs with 258 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Rara Thomas, Rufus Harvey and Lideatrick Griffin all have more than 175 receiving yards as well. For A&M, leading receiver Ainias Smith (291 yards) is out for the season, and Evan Stewart has just 141 yards.
Edge: Mississippi State
Offensive line
Texas A&M has allowed eight sacks through four games, and the Aggies are running for 4.4 yards per attempt. Rogers has been sacked nine times, and Mississippi State’s O-line looked rough against LSU and suspect at times against Bowling Green. MSU runs for 3.5 yards per attempt, and an injury to left tackle Kwatrivous Johnson last week could hurt the Bulldogs further
Edge: Texas A&M
Defensive line
Mississippi State’s defensive line has gotten some pressure but not as many sacks as the Bulldogs are capable of, totaling just eight through the first four games. MSU is still without defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy. Texas A&M has implemented a three-man front under D.J. Durkin, also using Fadil Diggs as an edge rusher. The Aggies have already totaled 10 sacks so far and have held opponents to 4.2 yards per carry.
Edge: Even
Linebacker
Mississippi State linebackers Jett Johnson and Nathaniel Watson have combined for 65 tackles, with Tyrus Wheat sitting at 16 while playing his do-everything role. For A&M, middle linebacker Chris Russell Jr. has 29 tackles and a team-high 1.5 sacks, while Edgerrin Cooper has 23 tackles. Tackles certainly aren’t a great measure of play, but MSU has the stronger linebacking corps.
Edge: Mississippi State
Secondary
Backup safety Shawn Preston Jr. picked off a pass against Bowling Green, joining safety Jalen Green and cornerback Emmanuel Forbes (as well as Watson) with an interception for Mississippi State. Collin Duncan had a strong game against the Falcons, and the Bulldogs have been performing well overall. But A&M limits opponents to just 153.25 passing yards per game to MSU’s 205.75 mark.
Edge: Texas A&M
Special teams
Mississippi State had what coach Mike Leach called its best special teams performance in a while, playing a clean game against Bowling Green. Kicker Ben Raybon was perfect on PATs and made a 53-yard field goal, while MSU’s kick and punt return game stayed sharp. For A&M, Nik Constantinou has punted 19 times without a single touchback, but the Aggies are just 3 of 6 on field goals. Between Caden Davis and Randy Bond, A&M is just 1 of 4 on kicks 40 yards or longer.
Edge: Mississippi State
Starters
Texas A&M
Offense
QB 14 Max Johnson Jr.
RB 6 Devon Achane Jr.
WR 1 Evan Stewart Fr.
WR 2 Chase Lane Gr.
WR 8 Yulkeith Brown So.
TE 42 Max Wright Gr.
LT 60 Trey Zuhn III Fr.
LG 74 Aki Ogunbiyi So.
C 61 Bryce Foster So.
RG 64 Layden Robinson Jr.
RT 76 Reuben Fatheree II So.
Defense
DE 4 Shemar Stewart Fr.
NT 35 McKinnley Jackson Jr.
DT 5 Shemar Turner So.
EDGE 10 Fadil Diggs So.
MLB 24 Chris Russell Jr., Sr.
WLB 45 Edgerrin Cooper So.
CB 7 Tyreek Chappell So.
S 20 Jardin Gilbert So.
S 26 Demani Richardson Sr.
CB 0 Myles Jones Gr.
NB 27 Antonio Johnson Jr.
Special teams
K 47 Randy Bond So.
P 95 Nik Constantinou Gr.
Mississippi State
Offense
QB 2 Will Rogers Jr.
RB 7 Jo’quavious Marks Jr.
-or 23 Dillon Johnson Jr.
-or 22 Simeon Price Fr.
WR 0 Rara Thomas So.
WR 85 Austin Williams Gr.
WR 82 Rufus Harvey So.
WR 4 Caleb Ducking Sr.
LT 69 Kwatrivous Johnson Sr.
LG 66 Nick Jones Jr.
C 63 LaQuinston Sharp Gr.
RG 57 Cole Smith Sr.
RT 58 Kameron Jones Jr.
-or 76 Albert Reese IV Fr.
Defense
DE 6 Jordan Davis Gr.
NT 93 Cameron Young Sr.
DT 5 Randy Charlton Sr.
SLB 2 Tyrus Wheat Sr.
MLB 14 Nathaniel Watson Sr.
WLB 44 Jett Johnson Gr.
CB 13 Emmanuel Forbes Jr.
S 8 Jackie Matthews Gr.
S 19 Collin Duncan Sr.
S 0 Jalen Green Sr.
CB 3 Decamerion Richardson Jr.
Special teams
K 29 Massimo Biscardi Gr.
P 56 Archer Trafford Sr.
-or 88 George Georgopoulos Gr.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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