Mississippi State Football: Three Players to Watch as the Bulldogs Face Kentucky

These three student-athletes could play a pivotal role as the Bulldogs and Wildcats compete this weekend.

No. 16 Mississippi State will head north to face No. 22 Kentucky in a crucial matchup on Saturday evening.

The Bulldogs are on a two-game conference win streak, with double-digit victories coming against Texas A&M and Arkansas over the last two weeks. On the other hand, Kentucky has lost its last few conference games. The team was taken down by Ole Miss on Oct. 1 and fell to South Carolina last weekend in its first contest without star quarterback Will Levis. 

Here are three MSU student-athletes to watch as the Bulldogs and Wildcats battle in Lexington. 

1. QB Will Rogers

Rogers has cemented himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation already, and his ability to make plays downfield will be vital against a tough Kentucky defense. The signal-caller went 31-of-48 passing for 395 yards and three touchdowns against Arkansas and broke the SEC's record for most career completions with 922. Rogers also looks to break another school record against the Wildcats: his 69 career touchdown passes are just shy of former Mississippi State star Dak Prescott's record of 70.

2. LB Nathaniel Watson

Watson has played a huge role on defense for the Bulldogs to start the season -- even while missing a significant number of snaps due to an ejection after a targeting penalty. He currently leads the team with three sacks on the year and has amassed 41 total tackles and 4.5 tackles-for-loss. With Kentucky quarterback Levis potentially returning from injury on Saturday, Watson's ability to put pressure on the star signal-caller early and often could rattle Levis as he looks to get back in rhythm. 

3. S Jalen Green

Mississippi State's secondary gave up quite a few long passing plays against the Razorbacks, but the team was far enough ahead that it didn't matter too much. The Bulldogs can't continue to struggle with downfield plays and expect to beat a ranked Kentucky squad. Green is a standout safety on the team with 21 total tackles on the year, including seven in each of his last two games. The fifth-year student-athlete must continue to show leadership and serve as an anchor to the defensive backs that surround him.