When Keith Mixon, a junior wide receiver from Birmingham, Alabama, puts on his maroon and white jersey and runs out of the tunnel into Davis Wade Stadium, it will be the end of a long journey recovering from a foot injury. With the end of one journey, it will also be the start of a new journey running its course from September to potentially January.
“This is going to be a year to remember for me, because I remember where I was with this injury,” Mixon said. “Just me getting back on the field, I might shed a couple tears because I knew how hard I had to work to get here.”
Ranked No. 18 in the preseason AP Polls, Mississippi State University plays Stephen F Austin University at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. This will be head coach Joe Moorhead’s first game for MSU, and with the hype surrounding the team, Mixon said they need to stay focused in their season opener.
“It is exciting, but we have to control our mindset,” Mixon said. “Because when you see the fans, you have got to be ready to play. The first game of the season, and everyone is hyping you up, you just gotta stay focused, and go out there and do your job.”
Mixon spent much of the spring watching from the sidelines as he recovered from his injury sustained in the last half of the 2017 season. He said he is feeling 95 percent healthy, but of course, this could change by the game Saturday.
The competition at the wide receiver position is higher this year, and a part of this is thanks to several newcomers. Jesse Jackson, a five-year senior wide receiver from Petal, said the receiving corps compares to the 2014 season’s.
“The competition is really high, about as high as it has ever been,” Jackson said. “The gameplay is definitely elevated, you got Osirus (Mitchel) who is six foot plus, you got (Jamal) Couch who is also six foot plus, you got guys like Mixon and (Stephen) Guidry. So there is a lot of down field threats and it makes the competition a lot tougher.”
With fall camp coming to a close, Luke Getsy, the wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator, mentioned guys like Guidry, Mitchell and Jackson all had solid camps, and he was excited to see them play. Getsy is also looking forward to their opener against SFAU, as they will discover new challenges against opponents.
“I think it will be a really good test, I think the style of defense that we play here is a lot different,” Getsy said. “So it is going to be a really good test, especially mentally they are going to throw a lot of different things at us. So I’m excited to see how these guys can operate in a different environment, and a different defense coming at them.”
The game will also provide an opportunity for Jackson, who has yet to catch a touchdown for MSU. “I have been waiting on that since I have left high school, it has been a while,” Jackson said. “If I do make it into the end zone, there will definitely be a celebration. It is going to be something.”
Kickoff for the game is set for 6:30 p.m. at Davis Wade Stadium, and ESPNU will broadcast the game.
