Texas A&M Aggies Week 7 Way-Too-Early Opponent Preview: Mississippi State Bulldogs

The Texas A&M Aggies will hit the road for their second SEC road game on Oct. 19 vs. the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Matt Galatzan | Oct 14, 2024

Nov 11, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Seth Davis (23) is tackled by Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Sam Mathews (12) during the fourth quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

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Texas A&M Aggies

The Texas A&M Aggies are set to hit the road in Week 7 vs. the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, in what will be their second SEC road game of the 2024 season.

The No. 14 Aggies are fresh off of a bye week, while the Bulldogs were able to hang with No. 5 Georgia last week, coming up just short 41-31.

While Texas A&M currently leads the SEC with a 3-0 conference record, Mississippi State is still searching for their first victory against SEC opposition this season.

And just like the Aggies, the Bulldogs entered the year with a fresh start.

After firing head coach Zach Arnett after a 4-6 start in his second season with the program, the Bulldogs finished 1-7 in conference play and 5-7 overall, making them a bottom-three team in the SEC in 2023.

But the Bulldogs rebuilt in the offseason. They called on Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to become the school's 34th head coach in school history and added former Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen to lead the school into a new era of SEC football.

This offense will be brand new, with a projected eight starters on offense coming from the transfer portal. Lebby has worked quickly to build an offense he wants, and it could be sneaky strong throughout 2024.

The two maroon and white squads are set to kick off this Saturday, October 14, at 3:15 p.m. CST on the SEC Network.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

2023 Record: 5-7, 1-7 in SEC

Head Coach: Jeff Lebby

Offensive Leaders

Passing: QB Blake Shapen

2024 stats: 74 completions on 108 pass attempts, eight touchdowns, one interception.

Rushing: RB Johnnie Daniels

2024 stats: 56 carries for 262 yards and two touchdowns.

Receiving: WR Kevin Coleman Jr.

2024 stats: 36 receptions for 447 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensive Leaders:

Tackles: Safety Isaac Smith

2024 stats: 24 solo, 32 assisted, 56 total

Interceptions: CB Brice Pollock, CB Elijah Cannon

2024 stats: one interception each

Sacks: LB Branden Jennings

2024 stats: 1.5 sacks

Published Jul 15, 2024|Modified Oct 14, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.