STARKVILLE — After two-straight weeks on the road, the Mississippi State football team is happy to be back home.
MSU (3-2) went 1-1 against Auburn and Texas A&M the past two weekends. At 3 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network), it will look to get back on the winning side when it steps out of the Southeastern Conference to play host to Troy (1-3) at Davis Wade Stadium.
In Dan Mullen’s seven years as the Bulldogs’ coach, his team has only lost five non-conference games, and two of those came in bowl games. The last regular-season loss to a non-conference foe came in the 2013 season opener, when MSU fell 21-3 to Oklahoma State in Houston, Texas.
Mullen is 2-0 against the Trojans. MSU won 62-7 in the last meeting between the teams in 2013 in Starkville.
The Bulldogs are big favorites, but here are five things to watch:
1. Can MSU force turnovers?
The Bulldogs have only forced three turnovers, all interceptions.
The Bulldogs haven’t won the turnover margin in five games — they’ve only lost twice — and are minus-4 in the turnover margin.
MSU first-year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz helped Louisiana Tech lead the country in forced turnovers last season with 42. This week, the focus of the defense in practice was forcing turnovers. Junior linebacker Beniquez Brown said the angles the defenders are taking to plays haven’t led to turnovers.
“(You want to go) straight downhill and not run sidelines,” Brown said. “We’re in a habit in running to the sideline instead of to the ball. We worked on getting straight downhill to the man.”
The Bulldogs have forced five fumbles, but they haven’t been able to fall on them and change possession. Senior cornerback Will Redmond has two interceptions, while junior linebacker Richie Brown has the other.
The defense has given up 181.8 rushing yards and 200.6 passing yards per game, but it has 13 sacks.
“You have to stop the run and you have to harass the quarterback,” Diaz said when asked what helps causing turnovers. “Until our run defense gets to the point where we really feel like it should be, team’s are able to kind of keep the ball out of harm’s way.”
2. How will the secondary fare without Kendrick Market?
The news of senior safety Kendrick Market’s season-ending injury hit the Bulldogs hard.
Everybody on the team loved Market, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee against Texas A&M last week, and the coaches described him as one of the team’s best players.
But the defense and secondary must move on. Redshirt freshman Brandon Bryant more than likely will replace Market at strong safety. Freshmen Jamal Peters and Mark McLaurin will get more chances, and juniors Kivon Coman and Deontay Evans will be looked to more as leaders moving forward.
Many expected Peters and McLaurin to play this season and not be redshirted, but it was a last-minute decision. They have played special teams and seen limited action at safety.
“The great thing is they both have great attitudes, they’re both willing learners, and when they do know where they’re going, they’re athletic ability flashes,” Diaz said.
Games against Troy and Louisiana Tech will give the MSU coaches a chance to mix and match in the secondary to find the right formula.
3. Can MSU find a running game?
The Bulldogs are averaging 5.3 yards per carry, but they only have 775 yards rushing.
MSU has rushed for more than 196 yards three times and for less than 60 yards twice.
The Bulldogs tried to get back to the running game last week, as senior quarterback Dak Prescott (18 carries, 96 yards) tried to get the rushing offense going. Prescott leads the Bulldogs 217 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Junior running backs Ashton Shumpert and Brandon Holloway have rushed for 145 and 139 yards, respectively.
“I like to be over 200 every game,” Mullen said. “I want to be balanced, but there are years we run more than we throw. Sometimes that is situation-oriented.”
Freshman Malik Dear scored a 52-yard touchdown last week. Many have speculated he could become a bigger part of the rushing offense. The wide receiver is versatile, and the Bulldogs are better off using him as playmaker in the passing and rushing attack.
Troy is allowing 218.2 yards per game.
4. Can Troy hang around?
In four games against the Trojans, the Bulldogs have been anything but dominant.
Aside from MSU’s 62-7 victory in 2013, the series has been close. The Trojans won the first meeting (21-9) in 2001 in Starkville. The next year, MSU won 11-8. The Bulldogs also won 30-24 in the only game played in Troy in 2012.
This season, Troy’s only win is against Charleston Southern. Against Power Five teams, Troy is 0-2. It lost to North Carolina State 49-21 in the season opener and 28-3 to Wisconsin. Troy is coming off a 24-18 loss to Sun Belt Conference foe South Alabama.
“I think they will be the most physical team we’ve played so far this year,” Troy first-year coach Neal Brown said of MSU.
The Trojans are a nearly 30-point underdog.
Sophomore quarterback Brandon Silvers leads the Trojans. He has thrown for 721 yards and four touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Teddy Ruben has 17 catches for 197 yards and two touchdowns, while senior running back Brandon Burks has rushed for 319 yards and three touchdowns.
5. Can Fred Ross find the end zone?
Fred Ross has been the Bulldogs’ best wide receiver, but he has yet to find the end zone.
Ross leads the team with 33 catches for 322 yards. He had 11 catches last week against Texas A&M, the most by a Bulldog since Eric Moulds’ school-record 15 catches against Tennessee in 1995.
Teams have been double teaming junior De’Runnya Wilson, which has opened the door for Ross, but Wilson has two touchdowns.
“Hopefully that changes soon,” Ross said.
The Tyler, Texas native had five touchdowns last season.
With Joe Morrow and Gabe Myles questionable with injuries, the Bulldogs might be thin at wide receiver, so Ross might get a few more chances to score his first touchdown.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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