SEC Kickoff: Everything you need to know about Mississippi State vs. South Alabama

Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s showdown between Mississippi State and South Alabama in Mobile.

When: Saturday
Where: Mobile, Alabama
Game Time: 4 PM ET
TV: ESPNews
Current Line: Mississippi State (-16.5)

Game Buzz: Mississippi State looked far less impressive in last week’s 47-34 win over UAB than it did in a week 1 shutout of Southern Miss. The Bulldogs allowed the Blazers to score three touchdowns of 75 yards or longer last week in addition to missing two extra points of their own. Mississippi State will aim to leave its sloppy play in the past when it travels to Mobile for its first road game of 2014. The Jaguars are 1-0 on the season after registering a 10-point win over Kent State last week, and are anxious to prove they’re capable of an upset on their home field Saturday.

SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH PREVIEWS

• Inside The Numbers: Mississippi State scores touchdowns in bunches in 2014
• Five South Alabama players every Mississippi State fan should know by Saturday
• Ranking Mississippi State’s five greatest impact players through two weeks
• Hot or Cold: Mississippi State’s Preston Smith torching opposing offenses
• Heisman update: Prescott racking up passing touchdowns in early-season tear

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

Players to watch:

• QB Dak Prescott
• RB Josh Robinson
• WR De’Runnya Wilson
• TE Malcolm Johnson
• DE Preston Smith
• DT Chris Jones
• LB Benardrick McKinney
• LB Beniquez Brown

Keys for Mississippi State:

• Turn the offense over to Dak Prescott, and only Dak Prescott. The Bulldogs have proven they are deep at the skill positions, and the offensive line has fared well following the departure of Gabe Jackson and the loss of Damien Robinson for the season with an injury. What sets this offense apart from others in the SEC West is Prescott’s abilities as both a thrower and a runner, and Dan Mullen must give his junior quarterback the keys to the car and finally let him drive. Mississippi State will only go as far as Prescott takes them in a loaded division, which means Mullen must put an end to the early-game rotation with Damian Williams.
• Mix up coverages in the secondary. Geoff Collins and his staff must continue to use different looks in the back-end of the defense to avoid being burned by speedy receivers the way they were last week. Mississippi State should play some man and some zone to keep South Alabama’s offense honest in the passing game. As a heavy favorite, the last thing MSU wants is to give up more big gains and game-changing plays, especially in its first road game of the season. The secondary must keep it fresh, and must keep the USA passing game in front of it to control the game on the defensive side of the ball.

Bulldogs’ glaring weakness to watch: The kicking game. Mississippi State has yet to make a field goal in two games this season, but it has managed to miss two extra points so far in 2014. Mississippi State has two kickers, and neither has looked all that impressive. This weakness shouldn’t play a huge factor in a lopsided matchup, but should this game or another game in the near future come down to the wire, the Bulldogs’ lack of a kicking game could prove to be costly.

Most interesting part of the game: Mississippi State is going on the road for the first time this season, and it is traveling to play a much smaller program at its home, which is usually not the case in early-season, non-conference matchups. The Bulldogs are a veteran team, and this road atmosphere should not phase them. However, it is their first true road game since mid-November of last year, so Saturday’s game could be a wake-up call for MSU as it closes in on SEC play.

Team Buzz: Mississippi State left room for improvement in last week’s 13-point win, but it remains unbeaten at 2-0 and sits just outside the Associated Press and Amway Coaches’ poll rankings. The Bulldogs must take care of business to live up to the lofty expectations it faces this season, and it knows better than to look past a team like the Jaguars. Look for Mississippi State to come out of the tunnel focused and prepared to pounce on USA early in Saturday’s showdown.

SOUTH ALABAMA JAGUARS

Players to watch:

• QB Brandon Bridge
• RB Jay Jones
• WR Shavarez Smith
• DL Jimmie Gipson
• LB Maleki Harris
• LB Davin Hawkins
• S Terrell Brigham

Keys for South Alabama:

• Get the ball to Jay Jones. The Jaguars’ star tailback had 102 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s season-opening win over Kent State, and if he can find a rhythm early in the game, it could allow South Alabama to dictate the pace and style of play when it has the ball. Jones is among South Alabama’s best playmakers, and if he rips a few good runs early, Mississippi State will have to respect him all game, opening up things for the Jag’s passing game, led by Brandon Bridge. Jones’ success on the ground will play a large role in determining USA’s success on offense Saturday.
• Keep Dak Prescott in the pocket. The Jaguars will already have their hands full with Mississippi State’s deep group of big, physical receivers, and they cannot afford to let Prescott beat them with his legs as well. The junior quarterback has made a few mistakes with the football early this season, and if South Alabama forces him to be a one-dimensional football player, it could limit his impact on the Mississippi State offense. The Bulldogs have scored a whopping 14 touchdowns in two games, but keeping Prescott in the pocket could help South Alabama keep up on the scoreboard Saturday.

Jaguars’ glaring weakness to watch: Third down conversions. South Alabama converted only 35 percent of its third downs last week against Kent State, and if it cannot sustain drives against Mississippi State and its potent offense, it will have trouble scoring enough points to keep up. The Jaguars must control time of possession and make the Bulldogs work on their terms, and that cannot happen if the Jags are only converting one-third of their third downs. If South Alabama cannot set up reasonable third downs with modest gains on first and second down, its offense is going to spend a lot of time chucking the ball and praying.

Most interesting part of the game: Mullen and Bridge are familiar with one another from when Bridge used to play for Alcorn State, a SWAC school located in the state of Mississippi. Bridge quarterbacked Alcorn against Mullen’s Bulldogs as a freshman in 2010, completing 13-of-24 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball 10 times for 77 yards and a touchdown in a 33-point loss, and Mullen was impressed by Bridge’s performance and hasn’t forgotten about his dual-threat abilities. Bridge is in a new offense now, but it will be interesting to see how Mullen uses their previous matchup to his advantage in gameplanning for the Jaguars.

Team Buzz: South Alabama is at home and feeling good heading into this matchup. The Jags have played one fewer game than Mississippi State this season, meaning their bodies are just a little bit fresher than the Bulldogs’ at this point. South Alabama doesn’t see itself as a heavy underdog, and that confidence could carry it in this contest. The longer the Jaguars can stay close with the Bulldogs, the greater their home-field advantage becomes. If Mississippi State doesn’t take care of business early in this game, South Alabama could prove to be a very dangerous sleeper team.

Ethan Levine

A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.