Scouting Mississippi State: Gators Face Hungry Bulldogs
After a 34-17 Florida loss to Texas A&M last week, Mississippi State comes into The Swamp for the first time since 2010. The Bulldogs started hot with a 4-0 record before losing their two conference matches, falling 41-34 to Tennessee and 31-9 to Texas A&M. Mississippi State received votes to be in the AP Top 25 before last week’s bye.
However, the Bulldogs have not done enough convincing, winless against SEC opponents since Oct. 21, 2023, when they defeated Arkansas 7-3 in Fayetteville. In his first head coaching job, Jeff Lebby is in his second season with Mississippi State and holds a 6-12 overall and 0-10 conference record.
Starting quarterback Blake Shapen, a graduate student, is in his sixth year in college football after beginning his career at Baylor and transferring to Mississippi State ahead of the 2024 season. A shoulder injury in the Bulldogs’ 45-28 loss to Florida last year sidelined him, greatly affecting his team’s success.
Back at the helm for all six games this year, Shapen tallied 1,199 yards on 100 completions of 150 attempts. With four interceptions and nine touchdowns thrown, he is 56th in the NCAA with 12.01 passing yards per completion.
While solid in the passing game, he is not as skilled with his legs. He has just 22 rushing yards this season, recording negative yards on the ground in each of Mississippi State’s SEC matchups. He has been sacked 16 times for 99 yards lost, recording just one touchdown on the ground.
The Bulldogs’ leading receiver is senior Brenen Thompson with 378 yards and four touchdowns on 22 catches. The Oklahoma transfer recorded over 100 receiving yards in just one game this year, when Mississippi State faced Arizona State on Sept. 6. Junior Georgia transfer Anthony Evans III follows close with 364 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Top running back Fluff Bothwell is officially out for this week’s contest after sustaining an injury in the fourth quarter against Texas A&M. In his first year in Starkville, the sophomore transfer from South Alabama put up 465 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Without Bothwell, the Bulldogs’ rush game relies on graduate student Davon Booth, who tallied 265 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
On defense, the Bulldogs are led by senior junior college product Jahron Manning. After an 85-tackle 2024 season at Old Dominion, Manning tallied 40 total and an interception in his first year at Mississippi State, including 13 tackles against the Aggies.
The Bulldogs are also leading the conference with eight interceptions, tying South Carolina, Texas and LSU.
Linebacker Nic Mitchell, a Jacksonville native, is next in tackles with 30. The redshirt senior recovered a fumble in the Bulldogs’ 63-0 win over Alcorn State.
Overall, the Bulldogs have just eight sacks this season. Defensive lineman DJ Reed leads Mississippi State with two sacks this season, tying graduate transfer and fellow defensive lineman Will Whitson in the category. Whitson is out for the season after suffering a knee injury against Arizona State.
Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m. Saturday with live coverage on 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF.
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Football, Gators Football, NCAA, SEC
