Following last weekend’s 38-7 loss to Alabama, Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said he is eager to see how his team will respond to its first loss of the season.
“You always define yourself in November. To me, it is a thing of how you are going to close out the season,” Mullen said. “We put ourselves in a great position for the month of November right now. Now, you have to see what separates a good season from a great season to a championship season.”
The Bulldogs seek to bounce back against the Texas A&M Aggies (6-2, 3-2). A&M’s two losses came against Florida in the season opener and LSU two weeks ago.
If the Maroon and White thought it had seen enough offense from the Tide, the Dogs better be prepared for a heavy dose of pass and run from the Aggies, as well.
Texas A&M leads the conference in scoring offense, rushing offense and total offense, and the attack starts with freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel.
The Aggies are one of just three teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision that rank in the top 20 in rushing, passing, total and scoring offense (the others are Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma State).
Manziel is first in the SEC in rushing with 793 yards, which is only 30 yards better than MSU running back LaDarius Perkins. Manziel has totaled 2,216 passing yards for a grand total of 3,009 yards of total offense. Manziel is also best in the conference with 29 touchdowns (16 passing, 13 rushing).
Running back Ben Molina has 525 rushing yards with five touchdowns and provides a good balance in the backfield behind Manziel.
The Aggie receiving game is led by freshman Mike Evans, who has 705 yards receiving, along with Ryan Swope who leads the team with five touchdown receptions. Swope also sits second in career receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns in the Aggies’ record book.
Defensively, Texas A&M sits right in the middle of the conference in scoring and rushing defense and is No.10 in total defense and No. 12 in pass defense. With MSU’s pass offense ranked toward the top of the list, the Dogs have plenty of targets to go against a struggling Aggie secondary unit.
One aspect that may factor into the game is in the special teams department. A&M averages 15 yards per punt return, which is second in the SEC, whereas State only averages eight. The Aggies have only punted 26 times this year, a league best.
The two teams rank side by side in kickoff returns, kickoff coverage and field goals, and with points coming at a premium in conference games, the team who executes better on special teams will be in a better position for a win.
A&M first-year head coach Kevin Sumlin said since his team is new to the SEC, it will have something to prove in Starkville Saturday.
“We’re new guys. We’re the new guys in the league. I don’t see that as derogatory. You’re always going to be skeptical about anything that’s new or that you don’t know about. I don’t see it that way,” Sumlin said. “I do see it as we do have something to prove. I’ve said that from the beginning.”
Although A&M is new to the conference, Mullen and his staff are familiar with Sumlin. Sumlin coached the University of Houston Cougars from 2008 to 2011 and faced MSU twice. Houston bested the Dogs in 2009 31-24, with MSU getting revenge 47-24 in 2010.
Mullen said Sumlin’s offensive philosophy transitioned from his time with the Cougars, and it is evident with the success of the Aggies.
“I don’t think that the offense has changed much, and the philosophy of the offense certainly hasn’t changed,”Mullen said. “I think that their coach has done a good job tweaking around the players. You build around the strengths of your quarterback, and they obviously do that now with his playmaking abilities.”
MSU finishes the season at LSU, at home against Arkansas and a finale in Oxford to play Ole Miss. With a tough slate of SEC Western division foes, the Dogs’ response against the Aggies will be an indication as to the success of the season.