Mississippi State @ Texas A&M preview
Kyle Field
Last Meeting ( Nov 3, 2012 ) Texas A&M 38, Mississippi State 13
Texas A&M has enjoyed watching Johnny Manziel make plays with his arms and his legs the past two seasons, but the 13th-ranked Aggies might have their hands full with a similar quarterback when they host Mississippi State on Saturday. Manziel and Mississippi State's Dak Prescott are the only signal-callers in the SEC who lead their teams in rushing and passing. But the Bulldogs are unsure whether Prescott will play after losing his mother, Peggy, this week following a long bout with colon cancer.
The Aggies have topped 500 total yards in eight consecutive games and have put up 40 or more points in 12 straight, and coach Kevin Sumlin feels his team's defense is starting to fall in line with the explosive offense. "We've played pretty well defensively the last few weeks," Sumlin told reporters. "We're gaining some confidence. We're going to find out Saturday how much we've improved." The defensive focus for the Aggies will change depending on who starts at quarterback; while Prescott is a dangerous runner, senior backup Tyler Russell holds the school record with 39 career touchdown passes.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Texas A&M -19.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (4-4, 1-3 SEC): The Bulldogs are on pace to break a 31-year-old school-record for total offense, averaging 447.1 yards, and Prescott is the catalyst. He has rushed for 100 yards or more three times and has accounted for 17 touchdowns. The Bulldogs' secondary was shredded against LSU and Auburn but has allowed only 312 passing yards over the past two games and will need to continue that solid play to have a chance against Manziel and the Aggies.
ABOUT TEXAS A&M (7-2, 3-2 SEC): Manziel has put on quite an encore after his Heisman Trophy campaign as a redshirt freshman, and he ranks fifth in the nation with 2,867 passing yards to go along with 564 rushing yards and accounting for 34 touchdowns. He has one of the nation's top receivers in Mike Evans, who needs 61 receiving yards to surpass Ryan Swope's school record of 1,207 in 2011. Despite Sumlin's optimistic feelings about his defense, the Aggies allow 443.1 yards per game, 97th in the nation.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Texas A&M is seeking to become the 17th school in FBS history with 700 wins.
2. Manziel is on the cusp of several milestones - he needs four touchdown passes to match Jerrod Johnson's school record of 30 in 2009, 26 rushing yards to become the second A&M quarterback with 2,000 in his career, and 133 passing yards to become the first Aggie to reach the 3,000-yard mark twice.
3. Texas A&M has 19 players with at least one reception and Mississippi State has 18 players with at least one catch.
PREDICTION: Texas A&M 41, Mississippi State 27