2019 SEC Season Preview: Mississippi State Bulldogs

Share This Post

Over the course of the next several weeks, the SoBros Network crew will be going team-by-team through the SEC, previewing the upcoming American tackle football season. Up next, the 2019 Mississippi State preview!

2019 Mississippi State Preview 

Let’s just get right into it. Joe Moorhead is gonna need more out of his passing game in 2019. MSU ranked 112th nationally last year in passing yards per game. They were 13th in the SEC! The passing attack showed literal flashes last year at times, but they must be more consistent if they want to have a chance at double digit wins. Keytaon Thompson appears to be the guy as he took over in relief of Nick Fitzgerald last year. Thompson only completed 18 passes total last season but six of those went for touchdowns. He also adds a running layer with his four rushing touchdowns to go along with a 9.4 yard rush average.

Though with a solid offensive line returning, along with both Kylin Hill and Nick Gibson in the backfield, there isn’t much worry when it comes to the Bulldog rushing attack. This crew ranked in the top 20 last year in rushing yards per game so if they can get a more consistent passing game going, this offense could take off. 

The defense lost a lot of top tier talent in the draft over the off season. Even with all the lost talent, there is hope they could fill the holes left and not take too much of a step back. They’ll be led by an underrated linebacking corps that will have to set the tone throughout the season.

On the back end, watch for the MSU cornerbacks to really turn some heads this season. Cameron Dantzler is coming off a solid season but will be asked to really be ‘The Guy’ with Johnathan Abram playing on Sundays now. Much like the secondary, there are a couple of questions on the defensive line. There may not be a big name to point at, but this is a crew that was rotated in last year and are definitely game ready. Will they be as elite as last year’s crew? Probably not, but don’t be surprised if this Bulldog defense turns some heads by midseason. 

2019 Bulldogs Schedule

8/31 vs. Louisiana (in New Orleans)- Should be easy peasy lemon squeezy in the opening week. The Bulldogs will be looking to get the offense in rhythm early and often. 

9/7 vs. Southern Miss- This is a very experienced Southern Miss team, but the Bulldogs talent should shine through at home. 

9/14 vs. Kansas St- New coach and a lot of player turnover for KSU has me thinking this is another feather in the cap for Moorhead. 

9/21 vs. Kentucky- The Bulldog offense couldn’t do much right in this matchup last year in Lexington. The sledding shouldn’t be as tough this season with the primetime losses to the Wildcat roster. Give me MSU by a couple of scores. 

9/28 @ Auburn- This may end up being a game full of feisty defenses with both teams having questions when it comes to passing the ball. I wouldn’t be shocked to see MSU go into Auburn and get a huge win, but I just can’t pull the trigger on picking them. Give me the Tiger defense to make enough plays for the home team. 

10/12 @ Tennessee- Everything in me wants to pick MSU. They’ll be coming off a bye week while UT will be licking their wounds from a matchup with Georgia the week before. I should be typing “Bulldogs win” but I feel like Jeremy Pruitt may just steal this one. 

10/19 vs. LSU- I’m expecting a BIG year out of LSU. This game coming the week after a showdown with Florida makes me a little hopeful that the Bulldogs could catch LSU on the ropes. When I say little, I mean itty bitty. Expect a Tigers win. 

10/26 @ Texas A&M- MSU ends the month with a road trip to Jimbo World which could very well end with another loss. This is the game I’m circling as the “that could be a lot of fun” game. This is dependent upon the Bulldogs getting the passing game going but I have faith they will. All of this said I’m leaning towards the Aggies. 

11/2 @ Arkansas- The Bulldogs should find themselves back in the win column here. Arkansas should be in the SEC cellar again this season even if they do improve on a dreadful 2018. 

11/16 vs. Alabama- It’s ALA-freaking-BAMA. Roll Tide. 

11/23 vs. Abilene Christian- The second ‘lock’ of the season for the Bulldogs. 

11/28 vs. Ole Miss- You never know what’s gonna happen in a rivalry game but I would be surprised to see Ole Miss win the Egg Bowl this year. MSU won by a lot last year and I’d expect the same in 2019. 

Prediction

There were high expectations for Moorhead in year one which ended with eight wins. If the team wants to improve on that number, they’re gonna have to put up points on some really, really good defenses across a schedule that is full of landmines.

If they win the ‘toss up’ games, the penciled in losses to LSU and Alabama won’t be that bad at all. The flip side, though, is if this offense doesn’t take a leap forward and if the defense does take the projected step back (albeit a small step), there could be some growing pains across the board. Still, I’m confident that the Bulldogs are gonna find themselves around that 8-win mark again. 

OTHER 2019 SEC SEASON PREVIEWS

Alabama Crimson Tide
Auburn Tigers
Florida Gators
Georgia Bulldogs
Kentucky Wildcats
LSU Tigers
Missouri Tigers
South Carolina Gamecocks
Texas A&M Aggies

John Mosley is the independent wrestling correspondent of the SoBros Network. He graduated from ETSU with a degree in Radio, TV and Film along with a minor in Film Studies. Since graduating he’s done pretty much nothing but watch, film, edit or commentate for local wrestling promotions and is the current color commentator for Resolute Wrestling. #Preds #Titans #DefendOrVacateConor Follow on Twitter: @SoBroMose.

Check out the SoBros Shop. Subscribe to our Patreon. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get updates and learn from the best

More To Explore