College Football
Preview
Mississippi State at Texas A&M
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, November 11, 2023
Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas

Two Southeastern Conference teams that desperately need a win will meet Saturday night when Mississippi State visits Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.

The Bulldogs (4-5, 1-5) have lost two straight and five of seven as they prepare for the Aggies (5-4, 3-3).

Teams need at least six wins to be bowl-eligible.

Mississippi State's offensive struggles continued last weekend in a 24-3 loss at Kentucky.

Playing without record-setting quarterback Will Rogers and standout running back Jo'Quavious Marks, coach Zach Arnett's offense scored in single digits for the second time this season. The first time was when the Bulldogs beat Arkansas 7-3 on Oct. 21 in Fayetteville.

Against the Wildcats, quarterback Mike Wright led a Mississippi State offense that produced just 218 yards of total offense -- 145 passing and 73 rushing.

Oddly, the visitors' lone score -- Kyle Ferrie's 25-yard field goal -- culminated a massive 20-play, 88-yard drive that nearly consumed an entire quarter (12:29).

Rogers has been progressing and could be the quarterback for the Bulldogs' game on Saturday, but Arnett also liked what he saw from backup Chris Parson.

"I think he did a nice job coming in and providing a spark," Arnett said of Parson, who was 6 of 14 for 67 yards. "He pushed the ball down the field. His stat line, he had a couple drops, or he would be up there close to 100 yards passing."

Meanwhile, the Aggies suffered more frustration Saturday as Randy Bond's 47-yard field-goal attempt for the tie was partially blocked at the final whistle at No. 10 Ole Miss, sending the Aggies to a 38-35 setback and their third defeat in four games.

"We had opportunities in all three phases," said Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher. "We needed (those areas) to make one more play. It could've put us over the top."

Fisher's team rallied from three two-touchdown deficits behind Max Johnson's 305 yards of passing, though the Aggies' defense allowed 518 yards of offense to the Rebels.

A 19-point underdog by Tuesday after opening at 13, the Bulldogs have won the last two meetings overall against the Aggies as well as two of the last three in College Station.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
Mississippi State 4-5 L2 22.7 25.7 3-3 1-2 3-5 0-0 1-5
Texas A&M 5-4 L1 32.3 21.6 4-1 1-3 4-4 0-0 3-3
Last Meeting
Mississippi State Texas A&M
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
10/1/22 TAM 24 MSST 42 473 144 329 388 136 252
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Mississippi State W. Rogers 68.9 329 3 0
Texas A&M M. Johnson 73.1 203 1 0
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Mississippi State D. Johnson 14 68 4.9 1
Texas A&M D. Achane 16 111 6.9 0
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Mississippi State R. Thomas 5 134 26.8 1
Texas A&M M. Muhammad III 6 119 19.8 1
Touchdowns Player TD
Mississippi State C. Ducking 1
Texas A&M L. Johnson Jr. 1
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Mississippi State W. Rogers 61.4 1275 10 4
Texas A&M M. Johnson 62.1 1452 9 5
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Mississippi State J. Marks 97 500 5.2 4
Texas A&M L. Moss 86 439 5.1 4
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Mississippi State L. Griffin 38 560 14.7 3
Texas A&M A. Smith 39 652 16.7 1
Touchdowns Player TD
Mississippi State J. Marks 5
Texas A&M A. Daniels 4
Quickchart Matchup
Mississippi State Mississippi State Off vs  Texas A&M Texas A&M Def
Mississippi State 335.7 yards
Texas A&M 296.9 yards
Mississippi State 4.4 yards/rush
Texas A&M 3 yards/rush
Mississippi State 6.6 yards/attempt
Texas A&M 7.5 yards/attempt
Texas A&M Texas A&M Off vs  Mississippi State Mississippi State Def
Texas A&M 401.2 yards
Mississippi State 362 yards
Texas A&M 3.9 yards/rush
Mississippi State 3.8 yards/rush
Texas A&M 7.8 yards/attempt
Mississippi State 7.6 yards/attempt