Troy @ Mississippi State preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 21, 2013 ) Troy 7, Mississippi State 62

Mississippi State, coming off a two-game road trip in the SEC, returns home for a non-conference matchup against Troy on Saturday. The Bulldogs suffered a 30-17 defeat against No. 11 Texas A&M last week, and coach Dan Mullen said he thinks the loss will serve as motivation for his team to do better this week.

"I think the biggest thing for us is I think we're really disappointed we didn't play well last week," Mullen told reporters during Wednesday's teleconference. "I think when that happens, I think the guys are anxious to get back on the field to redeem their performance. It doesn't matter who we're playing." Mississippi State has posted three consecutive victories against Troy, outscoring it 103-39 in the process. First-year coach Neal Brown, disappointed in the Trojans' 24-18 loss against South Alabama last week, is only concerned with his team doing the little things and not this week's opponent, he told reporters Tuesday. "We're going to concentrate a lot on ourselves this week. That's no disrespect to Mississippi State, but at this point - coming off that performance on Saturday night - I want to fix the things that we're not doing well."

TV: 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network. LINE: Mississippi State -30.5

ABOUT TROY (1-3): Brown, who served as Kentucky's offensive coordinator from 2013-14, should already have some insight on the Bulldogs, having coached against them a couple times in the SEC. The Trojans have the worst-ranked offense in the Sun Belt conference at 299.8 yards and 21.5 points per game, which is why Brown is stressing offense this week in practice. "Against Mississippi State or whoever, I'm not necessarily concerned who we're playing. I'm concerned with us playing offense the way it should be played,” Brown told the media Tuesday. “I'm concerned with us doing the little things - whether it's throwing, catching, running."

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (3-2): The Bulldogs will have to go the rest of the season without senior safety Kendrick Market, who tore his ACL during a non-contact play last week. "In the short term, the next guy will step up," Mullen told reporters Monday. "Kendrick might be the best football player on our team in what he does. He might not be the most talented player out there but what he brings to the defense, that's a huge loss for us right there." Redshirt freshman Brandon Bryant, who has 18 tackles and two pass breakups on the season, is expected to replace Market in the secondary.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott has thrown 225 straight passes without an interception - the longest active streak in the nation.

2. With a victory Saturday, Mullen will become the third coach in school history to claim 50 wins, joining Allyn McKeen and Jackie Sherrill.

3. Troy owns two victories against the SEC, one of which came against Mississippi State in 2001 - a 21-9 decision in its first season at the FBS level.

PREDICTION: Mississippi State 47, Troy 20