The Bulldogs Put Up 762 Yards In Week 1
No, thats not a typo. Seven Hundred Sixty Two yards. Now they get their first real test of the season.
There wasn’t much Mississippi State could have done better in its season opener.
The Bulldogs blasted ULM 62-13, setting a school record with 762 yards of total offense. Quarterback Kamario Taylor threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns while adding another score on the ground, and four different Mississippi State running backs recorded at least 50 rushing yards. Freshman JJ Hill already looks like he’s going to be a problem for opposing defenses.
It was about as impressive of an opening statement as Mississippi State fans could have asked for.
But now comes the question that matters:
Can They Do It Against Minnesota?
Huntington Bank StadiumWeek 1 Wasn’t Just About The Score
After all, Mississippi State was supposed to win that game. Nobody was expecting the Bulldogs to need a fourth-quarter miracle against the Warhawks. (Looking at you Michigan).
But the way the Bulldogs won deserves attention.
They didn’t simply grind out a comfortable victory. They were explosive from beginning to end, moved the football consistently and produced a school-record 762 yards.
Taylor looked comfortable running the offense, the running game kept creating opportunities and Mississippi State repeatedly found ways to generate big plays.
That doesn’t guarantee anything against Minnesota.
But it is difficult to watch a team produce 762 yards and conclude that nothing about the performance matters because of the opponent.
The question is how much of it travels.
Minnesota Had Its Own Statement
The Gophers aren’t coming into this game looking for answers, either.
Minnesota opened its season with a 59-7 demolition of Eastern Illinois, putting up 495 yards while limiting the Panthers to just 110.
Quarterback Drake Lindsey completed 19 of 24 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown, while running back Darius Taylor scored three touchdowns in the first half.
And then there was Javon Tracy.
The Minnesota return specialist scored two touchdowns on punt returns, going 87 yards for one and 69 yards for another. He finished with 167 punt-return yards, which is generally considered a pretty good afternoon I think.
So both teams enter Week 2 having dominated their opening opponent.
That’s what makes Saturday so intriguing.
Neither team has been tested yet.
One of them is about to be.
This Is The First Real Measuring Stick
For Mississippi State, this game is less about proving it can beat Minnesota and more about proving Week 1 wasn’t fool’s gold.
Can the offensive line handle a legitimate Power Four defensive front?
Can K1 stay comfortable when the defense isn’t constantly on its heels?
Can the Bulldogs run the football when the opposing defense is faster and more physical?
And perhaps most importantly, can Mississippi State play a clean game on the road?
Those are questions ULM simply couldn’t answer.
Minnesota can.
The Road Environment Matters
This will be Mississippi State’s first trip to Minneapolis, and the Bulldogs will be walking into a completely different environment than the one they enjoyed at Davis Wade Stadium in Week 1.
Minnesota will have its home crowd behind it after its own dominant opener. The Gophers will also have the confidence that comes from spending an entire afternoon making Eastern Illinois regret scheduling the game.
The Bulldogs need to be prepared for the possibility that the game doesn’t start the way the ULM game did.
They may have to play from behind, win a one-score game late or sustain long drives instead of relying on explosive plays.
That’s what good teams do: they find different ways to win.
Watch The Explosive Plays
One of the most encouraging aspects of Mississippi State’s opener was its ability to create explosive plays. Jeff Lebby clearly believes in his score from far motto, opening the ULM game with a deep ball.
That will be worth watching closely Saturday.
If Minnesota prevents those chunk plays, can the Bulldogs patiently put together long drives?
If Minnesota sells out to stop the run, can Taylor punish the Gophers through the air?
And if Minnesota brings pressure, can Mississippi State protect its quarterback?
The answers could determine the game. My bet? Absolutely.
The Bulldogs don’t need to hit a 70-yard touchdown every other drive, but it would certainly make everyone’s afternoon more relaxing.
Special Teams Could Be Huge
Minnesota just showed how quickly special teams can change a football game.
Tracy’s two punt-return touchdowns accounted for 14 points against Eastern Illinois. However; State has its own punt return weapon in Anthony Evans III.
Mississippi State doesn’t need to produce a return touchdown of its own though. It simply needs to avoid giving Minnesota free points, free field position or anything else that makes the Gophers’ job easier.
Field position could become especially important if this turns into the close contest many expect.
A bad punt here, a missed tackle there and suddenly Minnesota is in scoring range before everyone has finished arguing about the previous play.
The Oddsmakers See A Close Game
The betting line has moved toward Mississippi State after the Bulldogs’ dominant opener, with the teams now essentially viewed as even. Last I checked, Mississippi State was a 1.5-point favorite.
That feels about right.
Both teams looked impressive in Week 1, but neither has faced a serious test. This is the part of the season where everyone gets to find out whether the opening-week fireworks were a preview or just two teams having a very productive Saturday.
Why This Game Matters
The timing couldn’t be better.
After Minnesota, Mississippi State travels to South Carolina for its SEC opener.
Saturday is the Bulldogs’ final chance to get a true measuring-stick game before conference play begins.
A win would send Mississippi State into SEC play 2-0, with a road victory over a Big Ten opponent already on the résumé.
A loss wouldn’t erase the 62-13 victory over ULM, but it would show that significant questions remain.
And that’s okay.
This is exactly what Week 2 is supposed to do.
It’s where the schedule stops being polite.
The Bottom Line
Mississippi State doesn’t need to score 62 points again.
It doesn’t need another 762-yard afternoon.
It doesn’t even need to dominate.
It needs to prove that the team we saw in Week 1 is real.
The Bulldogs showed tremendous offensive potential against ULM, while Minnesota showed plenty of potential of its own against Eastern Illinois.
The key matchup will be Mississippi State’s offensive line and rushing attack against Minnesota’s front seven. If the Bulldogs stay ahead of the chains and force the Gophers to respect the run, Taylor should have enough time to punish them with opportunities downfield.
On the other side, Mississippi State must keep Minnesota’s return game from turning field position into instant points.
This feels like a close, physical game rather than another Mississippi State rout. The Bulldogs should generate enough explosive plays to separate late, but Minnesota’s home-field advantage and special-teams threat will keep the margin narrower.
Prediction: Mississippi State 35, Minnesota 24.
That result would send the Bulldogs to 2-0 and provide the kind of road win that validates the Week 1 explosion.
Suddenly, the 62-point opener wouldn’t just be something fun that happened against ULM.
It would become the first piece of evidence that this team might actually be different.
The explosion happened in Starkville last Saturday. Lebby’s machine is in motion.
Now Mississippi State has to prove these dawgs can hunt on the road.
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