The Mississippi State University Bulldogs will take the field Saturday against Brigham Young University in the final game of the season. The Cougars will come into Starkville sporting an 11-0 record and a No. 7 national ranking. “They are hungry. They think they deserve a BCS bowl game,” senior captain Dicenzo Miller said. “We are also hungry and have a lot to prove. This is our last home game, and we want to remember that we won our last home game. We want this game to be a stepping stone for next year’s team.”
Saturday will mark the last home game for MSU’s senior class.
“They have won a lot of football games for us. They have probably won more games at Mississippi State than any class in many, many years,” MSU head coach Jackie Sherrill said. “They have done a great job. They have brought a lot of joy and excitement to Mississippi State.”
MSU comes off a win over in-state rival Ole Miss on Thanksgiving and looks to continue their new-found success against BYU.
Against the Rebels, MSU posted a season-high 463 yards of total offense. Kevin Fant led the Bulldogs by chipping in a career-high 263 yards through the air.
“He did a great job of putting us in the right checks. We gave him a lot of checks at the line of scrimmage,” Sherrill said. “He throws catchable balls. He was very steady from beginning to end.”
The Bulldogs also found the running game that led the SEC during the 2000 season. Miller led the MSU rushing attack posting 121, and junior running back Dontae Walker helped with 79 yards and three scores.
While the Bulldogs are hitting their stride during the latter part of the season, the Cougars have had no problem with offense for the course of the season. BYU leads the country with 47.5 points per contest.
The Cougars are led on offense by senior quarterback Brandon Doman and senior running back Luke Staley. Doman is second in the country in total offense per game with 537.8 yards and is fifth in the country in passing efficiency at 162.6 yards. The All-American Staley leads the nation in scoring with 17 points per game and is second nationally in yards per rush (8.4) and yards per game (143.3).
“Their quarterback (Dorman) has been very efficient. That is probably the biggest difference in their football team compared to last year,” Sherrill said. “He has done a tremendous job running the option and throwing the football.”
Sherrill also praised Staley.
“He is a very talented player. He can catch, and he can do the things that you are looking for in a running back. They have done a very good job of getting the ball to him outside on the option game.”
MSU will come into the second straight game with a long list of injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive backs Walter Burdett, Milas Randle and Eugene Liger will not play, nor will defensive end Robert Spivey. The Bulldogs will have one addition when they take on one of the highest rated offenses in the country, senior defensive tackle Dorsett Davis will be able to play.
The season finale for the Bulldogs will air on ESPN 2, where MSU has a 5-8 record. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Davis-Wade Stadium at Scott Field.