Mississippi State @ Kansas State preview

The Joe Moorhead era at Mississippi State got off to a bang with a convincing win in Week 1, and expectations remain high for the first-year coach and a talented roster. The 18th-ranked Bulldogs will try to continue living up to those expectations when the schedule gets tougher with a trip to Kansas State on Saturday.

Backup quarterback Keytaon Thompson matched an SEC record with seven total touchdowns in Week 1 but will head back to the bench for Week 2 as starter Nick Fitzgerald returns to the lineup following a one-game suspension. "I think Fitzgerald handled it extremely well," Moorhead told reporters. "He was sent down to scout team for the week, so he worked to give our defense a good look. He was mature during the week in meetings and on the field. On game day, he was a vocal presence on the sideline. He was a great resource for Thompson." The Wildcats rotated two quarterbacks during a 27-24 victory over South Dakota in the opener and will continue using both Skylar Thompson and Alex Delton. "Skylar and Alex both had their positive moments, and both had their negative moments," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder told reporters. "I think, again, there wasn't a dramatic separation between the two."

TV: Noon, ET, ESPN. LINE: Mississippi State -9.5

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (1-0): Fitzgerald is a dual threat like Thompson and finished last season with 1,782 yards passing and 15 TDs while rushing for 984 yards and 14 scores. The senior only completed 55.6 percent of his passes last season, and completion percentage is something Moorhead is examining. "We have 65 percent completion as our benchmark," Moorhead told reporters. "Certainly, for us to operate at the level that we need to throughout the season and against the type of schedule we are going to play, the completion percentage and the yards per completion need to improve. That is something we are definitely going to address."

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (1-0): While the Wildcats continue to figure things out on offense, the defense figures to get tested against the Bulldogs. Kansas State held the Coyotes scoreless in the second half last week, giving the offense enough time to pull out the win, but Snyder has some concerns moving forward. "Considering (South Dakota) threw it all night, I thought we defended reasonably well as far as completion percentage is concerned, but it's giving up those deep throws and converting to get first downs with substantial yardage plays, 20-plus yard plays, that was a concern."

EXTRA POINTS

1. Mississippi State is playing its first true road game against a Power 5 non-conference opponent since 2008.

2. Wildcats RB Alex Barnes fumbled three times in Week 1, losing two.

3. Fitzgerald is 462 yards shy of breaking Tim Tebow's SEC record for rushing yards as a quarterback.

PREDICTION: Mississippi State 38, Kansas State 34