The Mississippi State Bulldogs broke into the top 25 rankings after a thrilling win over the LSU Tigers in Week 4 before heading into a bye week. With a ton of rest, they will now be facing next the Texas A&M Aggies, who eked out a 35-28 overtime victory against the Arkansas Razorbacks last Saturday.
Two undefeated teams, each led by fast-rising quarterback stars in the Aggies’ Kenny Hill and the Bulldogs’ Dak Prescott, are set to face in a pivotal SEC matchup this coming Saturday. Which team will bag the win and climb higher in the rankings? Read more about this game below. You can also check out our previews of Week 4 games in the NFL, including Lions vs. Jets and Packers vs. Bears.
[sc:Football ]Texas A&M Aggies vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Predictions, Picks and Betting Preview – October 4, 2014
Where: Davis Wade Stadium, Oktibbeha County
When: Saturday, October 4, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Texas A&M Aggies (+1.5) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (-1.5) – view all NCAA football lines
Betting on the Texas A&M Aggies
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Quarterback Kenny Hill provided just the right amount of fireworks at the right time to lead Texas A&M to a close 35-28 overtime win over the Arkansas Razorbacks Sunday. The Aggies improved their record to 5-0 to start the season, but took another loss against the spread, failing to cover -9.5 against Arkansas. They are now 3-2 ATS thus far this season.
Hill didn’t look sharp in the first three quarters, wherein Arkansas had the Aggies’ backs on the wall, leading Texas A&M at the start of the fourth, 28-14. Fortunately for the Aggies, Hill caught fire and threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns in the last quarter and in OT to bring them back to the game. Hill finished the game with 386 yards and four TDs with one interception.
While that is a great win for Texas A&M, it does, however, show signs that the Aggies’ second-ranked scoring offense (55.3 points per game) in the FBS can be shut down, at least momentarily. It also indicated that Hill can be slowed down. For the first time this season, Hill was held down to below 64% completion rate when the Razorbacks allowed him to complete just 21 of his 41 passing attempts for 51.2%.
Hill, though, remains a huge asset for the Aggies, and his chemistry with his receiving corps – a deep one – remains solid. Against Arkansas, it was wide receiver Edward Pope, who mostly teamed up with Hill to get the Aggies back on track. Pope finished with a game-high 151 receiving yards with two TDs on just four catches. Prior to the game, Pope was only averaging 45.0 receiving yards per game.
One can expect Hill to return to his high-completion rate exploits against Mississippi State on Saturday, as the Bulldogs rank last in the SEC in passing defense, allowing opposing teams to pass for 319.0 yards per game.
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Betting on the Mississippi State Bulldogs
Death Valley has long been the place where the Bulldogs’ dreams go to die, having not won a single game in Baton Rouge in 23 years. But all that changed when Dak Prescott started for them in Week 4. Prescott effectively entered his name in early Heisman Trophy discussions when he passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 105 yards and a TD to spearhead Mississippi State’s 34-29 win over then no. 8 LSU Tigers last September 20th.
On the back of Prescott’s complete annihilation of LSU’s defense, the Bulldogs improved to 4-0 and 3-1 ATS record thus far this season.
At this point of the season, it’s clear that the Bulldogs’ strengths lie on the ground, offensively and defensively. Mississippi State is third in the SEC with 270.75 rushing yards per game, and the team may see further success against Texas A&M’s defense that was lit up by Arkansas for 285 rushing yards and three TDs last time out. On defense, the Bulldogs are second best in the conference with 82.50 yards surrendered on the ground per game.
Mississippi State’s D was merciless in their last game, particularly against the Tigers’ rushing attack, allowing LSU to rush for just 89 yards despite its solid and experienced offensive line. Led by defensive lineman Preston Smith and linebacker Benardrick McKinney, the Bulldogs managed a solid job of putting pressure on Tigers QB Anthony Jennings, too. They’ll have to step it up one notch higher, though, against Kenny Hill and his legion of talented receivers this coming Saturday.
The victory over Les Miles’ team gave the Bulldogs a huge boost going into the second game of a tough three-game stretch, which features meetings with top 25 teams in LSU, Texas A&M, and the Auburn Tigers, respectively.
Writer’s Prediction
Mississippi State sends a strong message across the FBS with a win over the Aggies, 35-28.
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