The No. 23 Mississippi State Bulldogs face the Wildcats of Kentucky this Saturday on Halloween Eve. The Cats are relieved of the worst nightmare, former MSU running back Anthony Dixon, who gashed UK for 252 rushing yards last season, has moved on to the NFL and cannot haunt the porous Kentucky defense Saturday night.
MSU is coming off of a disappointingly close win in a grind-it-out trap game against the UAB Blazers, which, although lackluster, vaulted MSU up to a No. 21 BCS ranking and extended the winning streak to five games. According to MSU media relations, this is the longest such streak since 1999 and only the 12th time the Bulldogs have enjoyed five straight victories.
The key offensively to the winning streak for the Bulldogs has been managing time of possession with a successful thunder-and-lightning rushing attack. The Bulldogs lead the SEC in time of possession, averaging 31 minutes and 17 seconds of possession a game, and are second in rushing yards, averaging 219.3 yards per game.
According to senior center J.C. Brignone, the Bulldogs’ focus for this game will not change.
“We played most of them last year, so it is going to be a good game, just like it was last year,”  Brignone said. “But as I always say, we’re going to rush for 400 or 500 yards, or that’s what the offensive line hopes to do.”
Brignone’s hopes are certainly not unrealistic, as the Bulldogs have gained over 200 yards rushing in each of its last four games, one of which was a 409 yard outing against Houston and another blistering 305 yards against UAB’s defense.
Kentucky’s defense has also been very vulnerable against the run this season as the Cats are currently ranked No. 89 nationally against the run and have given up an astounding 22 rushing touchdowns. This bodes well for the Bulldogs who will need to get the ground game working first to try and open up the inconsistent passing game.
The flip side to managing time of possession is making sure the other team does not control it. The Bulldog defense has certainly held its own in that aspect. The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 14 in the nation in scoring defense, only giving up 17 a game, and No. 23 in tackles for loss-stopping the opposing team in the backfield 7.13 times per game.
According to defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, MSU needs an improved showing out of its defense against Kentucky.
“We were playing with a dull blade [against UAB]. We lacked a cutting edge. Our tackling was poor, I didn’t think we covered very well or played the run very well,” Diaz said. “Our goal is always the same to me. I think the correct statement is: they may get yards, but they cannot get points. Because they’ve moved the ball on everyone they’ve played this year, and to expect that they won’t move it is probably unrealistic … We can never just concede a team is going to score a certain number of points.”
Kentucky does present some matchup problems for MSU in Randall Cobb, the ‘wildcat’ quarterback. The Bulldogs have been trying to simulate Cobb’s skills this week, which is tough to do.
Chris White said Diaz has stressed Cobb’s importance all week.
“Cobb is their wildcat quarterback, and Coach Diaz says our number one thing is to stop the wildcat, and we’ll go from there.”
Diaz believes Cobb is more than just a utility player.
“In a way, he presents a more dynamic element than Newton even, because he can be lined up anywhere. Cam Newton, tough to deal with, but they snap it to him every play, for the most part and Cobb, there’s no telling,” Diaz said. “He’s a unique challenge, I’ll say that, and not like ones we’ve had.”
Another key to the MSU game plan is ball protection. The Bulldogs currently have a plus-four turnover margin and haven’t turned the ball over since the Alcorn State game. A huge indicator to the winner of this game will be who wins the turnover battle.
Kentucky’s turnover problem cost it against Ole Miss and has been a problem in several other games as well. It has really been the only achilles heel to an otherwise electric offense.
Mullen recognizes the potency of the Kentucky offense and believes it is hard to keep out of the game.
“They are very, very talented; might be the most explosive offense we’ve played this year. Just the talent that they have at running back is another weapon when he comes back,” Mullen said. “They can score in a hurry. With all their great athletes, they can put points up on the board, so they’re never really out of a game. They’ve battled back, they’ve won some tough games. Their kids have some confidence.”
Mullen believes this one will be a fight to the end and knows how important each SEC game is.
“There’s a little bit of a rivalry there, because they’re our every-year crossover game. I think that adds to it, the team from the east that you get to play every single year, with the part of the rivalry,” Mullen said. “Also, two teams that are fighting to take steps and stay up in the top part of the SEC for bowl selections.”
With bowl implications, a winning streak and a climbing national ranking on the line, the Bulldogs must remain focused against a scrappy but less talented, streaky UK team. A win puts MSU in a position fans could not have imagined for this season, but as always, there are no “gimmes” in the SEC, and games like this often prove why.