Sep 122 min read

Mississippi State Looks to Bounce Back at Home Versus Toledo

Mississippi State | Quarterback Blake Shapen — © Joe Rondone/The Republic/USA TODAY NETWORK

The Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-1) return home this week after falling short in a 30-23 loss at Arizona State (2-0). The Bulldogs will go up against the Toledo Rockets (2-0) from the Mid-American Conference, who are coming off a 38-23 win against UMass (0-2). The game will be played on Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Starkville, Miss.

Importance in This Matchup

The Bulldogs are favorites in this first-time matchup against the Rockets. Mississippi State is looking to gain momentum before beginning its Southeastern Conference schedule under first-year head coach Jeff Lebby. Looking ahead, the Bulldogs will face five conference opponents currently ranked in the AP Top 10: No. 2 Texas (2-0) on Sept. 28, No. 1 Georgia (2-0) on Oct. 12, No. 7 Tennessee (2-0) on Nov. 9, No. 6 Missouri (2-0) on Nov. 23 and No. 5 Ole Miss (2-0) on Nov. 29.

The Rockets are looking to build on their momentum after their win over UMass and hope to start their season 3-0 for the first time since 2017. With last week's win, Toledo head coach Jason Candle is seven wins from becoming the program's all-time winningest coach.

Key Players: Mississippi State

The Bulldogs' offensive attack is led by senior quarterback Blake Shapen, a transfer from Baylor. Shapen has 515 passing yards, 5 touchdown passes and has the fourth-highest passer rating in the SEC with 193.2. Wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr., a transfer from Louisville, is the team's leading receiver. Coleman ranks third in the SEC in receiving yards with 191.

Mississippi State | Safety Isaac Smith — © Joe Rondone/The Republic/USA TODAY NETWORK

Defensively, the Bulldogs are led by sophomore safety Isaac Smith, who has the fourth-most total tackles in the nation with 28. The next leading tackler for Mississippi State is junior linebacker Stone Blanton, who's racked up 13 tackles. Through two games, the Bulldogs' defense has allowed only 238 passing yards, which is the fourth-best in the SEC.

Key Players: Toledo

Rockets quarterback Tucker Gleason has taken over the starting role this season. Gleason has 377 passing yards, and his 6 touchdown passes have him tied for the most in the MAC. Toledo's top two wide receivers, Junior Vandeross III and Jerjuan Newton, have played an important role in the Rockets' offense. Vandeross currently has 152 receiving yards, which is fifth in the MAC, while Newton's 138 yards put him at sixth.

On defense, the Rockets are led by junior safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. On the season, he has recorded 11 solo tackles and his 21 total tackles is the third-highest in the MAC. Toledo's defense has allowed only 33 points through two games, which is third-best in their conference.

Trends to Watch

This game is crucial for Lebby and the Bulldogs if they hope to get into a bowl game this season. Mississippi State will face only four more opponents not currently ranked in the AP Top 25. For Toledo, it will want to try and improve its record against SEC opponents. Toledo is 1-4 all-time with its lone 16-12 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2015.