Mississippi State Football: 3 overreactions to loss vs. Kansas State

Mississippi State football was upset by Kansas State in Starkville in Week 3. Let’s completely overreact to the upset by the Wildcats.

I’m not sure anyone expected Kansas State to come into Starkville and steal a win over Mississippi State, but that’s exactly what first-year coach Chris Klieman and the Wildcats did.

Now it’s time to completely overreact to the loss.

3. Offense will take a step back without Tommy Stevens

Tommy Stevens is an important part to Mississippi State’s offense, not only in the passing game, but the ability to move the chains with his legs as well.

On Saturday, it was obvious that Stevens’ shoulder injury from the previous week was affecting him as he missed on a few throws that he would normally make. True freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader got put in the game for at the end of the first half.

Shrader did some good things for a true freshman, one of them being his ability to make plays with his legs. He had 82 yards on the ground on 10 carries and was able to add a rushing touchdown. However, he struggled throwing the ball and was 4-for-12 through the air with 51 yards. He didn’t turn the ball over though and did enough to keep the Bulldogs in the game.

Shrader got in the game the previous week against Southern Miss when Stevens went down and was 7-for-11 passing with 71 yards in close to three quarter of action. He has what Joe Moorhead is looking for in a quarterback and despite the non-impressive passing numbers in his limited action, the experience will pay off for him.

While I think Stevens is the better option if healthy, Mississippi State’s offense overall shouldn’t take a step back if Shrader has to play due to his injury.