Mississippi State Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. UMass

Mississippi State football steps out of SEC play this Saturday for a home game vs. UMass.

For some, it might be seen as a bye week, but with voters constantly watching, the Bulldogs and head coach Dan Mullen know every point matters.

Mississippi State is averaging just under 34 points per game, rushing for 260 yards and passing for another 173 behind quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. Last year, Fitzgerald and the offense exploded for 28 third-quarter points in a 47-35 victory over the Minutemen.

Fitzgerald has rushed for over 100 yards in his last three games, adding five passing touchdowns and over 500 yards through the air. On the season, he is 119 of 209 for 1,320 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. On the ground, though, is where the junior has excelled, rushing for a team-best 666 yards with 10 scores.

Last year, Fitzgerald had 1,375 yards rushing and over 2,400 yards passing.

Mississippi State (6-2, 3-2 SEC) is coming off a 35-14 victory over Texas A&M that helped position them at 16th in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. They also hold a 20-point win over LSU, with both losses coming to Georgia and Auburn.

Overall, the Bulldogs have won three in a row and will take on Alabama next week before closing with Arkansas and Mississippi in the Egg Bowl.

Much like Mississippi State, UMass (2-6) has found itself on a two-game win streak after a 55-20 victory over Georgia Southern and a 30-27 triumph in double-overtime last week vs. Appalachian State. Earlier this year, the Minutemen lost to Hawai’i by three, Temple by eight, Tennessee by four and Ohio in a thriller, 58-50.

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s Mississippi State vs. Massachusetts game:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Starkville, Miss.
Venue: David Wade Stadium
TV: SEC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

How will Mullen prepare his team for UMass with Alabama on the horizon? That is the key.

“We’re a young team and we’ll see our maturity this week coming off a big win,” Mullen said. “We’ll see how we handle success. Last time we didn’t handle it very well.”

Mullen, though, has been forced to answer questions this week regarding his own future after Florida dismissed Jim McElwain. Mullen was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Gators from 2005-08 before taking the head job at Mississippi State.

If Mullen needs to get the attention of his team, all he needs to do is show them the film from a year ago. The Bulldogs needed 28 points in the third quarter to put the Minutemen away and claim a 47-35 victory. That win helped them qualify for a bowl game and finish the year 6-7.

Fitzgerald had 415 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, including 305 yards in the air in that game. As a team, Mississippi State ran for 293 yards.  You can bet Fitzgerald will be looking for another huge game this time around against a UMass defense ranked 63rd in the nation and allowing over 5.5 yards per play.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have shored up their defense, sitting sixth in the nation in yards allowed at 2,254 (282 per game). They will be tasked with containing Andrew Ford and Marquis Young once again this year.

Young has rushed for 233 yards over his last two games, scoring three touchdowns. He has 590 and seven on the year.

Prediction

As long as Mississippi State avoids turnovers and finishes drives, they should be able to put UMass away early and rest players for next Saturday’s battle with Alabama. But if they fail to do either of those, you can bet the Minutemen will push them to the end.

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UMass might not be on the same level as the Bulldogs, but they have talent at the skill positions in Ford, Young and tight end Adam Breneman. And they will definitely be smarting from that game last year that could have been a season-defining victory had they finished the job.

Final score: Mississippi State 54, UMass 20