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Texas A&M Football: Aggies continue road trip against Mississippi State

By Shelbie Warr

COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 13: Trayveon Williams #5 of the Texas A&M Aggies runs with the ball against the South Carolina Gamecocks during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 13: Trayveon Williams #5 of the Texas A&M Aggies runs with the ball against the South Carolina Gamecocks during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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Texas A&M football is coming off bye week looking to finish the season strong. Can the Aggies knock off Mississippi State on the road in Week 9?

Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies have had quite the season to date as they look for another strong win to add to their resume. After nearly knocking off Clemson and hanging around- to an extent- with Alabama, this team feels pretty proud of themselves. Can they add a big time road win to their resume?

The Aggies have had strong moments and moments of question, but overall we have seen vast improvement from a year ago. On the other side, you have a Mississippi State team that sadly can’t say the same. Nick Fitzgerald seems to be regressing in a big way after a gruesome leg injury knocked him out last Thankgiving. The defense has played well, but it hasn’t been enough to cover up a truly disappointing offense.

Which team really shows up on Saturday night in Stark Vegas? Here is how you can watch the matchup.

Date: Saturday, October 27
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Starkville, Mississippi
Venue: Davis Wade Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of OddsShark

Line: Mississippi State -1.5
Over/Under: 44

Keys to Victory

For Texas A&M, the biggest key will be to shut down Nick Fitzgerald and the run game of Mississippi State. If you know anything about Mississippi State, the Bulldogs rely heavily on the legs of Nick Fitzgerald to keep drives alive and to win games. The Aggies need to quickly shut down that run game and force the passing game to carry the Bulldogs- something that last week’s matchup against LSU showed us isn’t all that great.

For Mississippi State, they will need to find a way to gash the vaunted Aggie defense. Nick Fitzgerald has to be the quarterback that so many believe he is. He has to be the leader this team needs. The Bulldog defense will also need to shut down Kellen Mond and company, a unit that has been up and down all season long.

Prediction

This is an extremely important game for both teams. The Aggies are making a push for a possible New Years Six berth as their two losses come to the top two teams in the nation- Alabama and Clemson. Mississippi State, on the other hand, is trying desperately to hang on to a record that is above .500. Losses to Kentucky, Florida and LSU aren’t too bad as each are fighting for the top of their respective divisions.

Next. How to binge watch Week 9. dark

This one will come down to the end and will likely be a low scoring game. If Texas A&M is able to shut down Nick Fitzgerald, which I believe they can, this is the Aggies game to lose.

Final Score: Texas A&M 21 Mississippi State 17