Mississippi State looks to build off last seasons 5-7 record under second year coach Dan Mullen.  Mississippi must replace a large chunk of their offensive production, should face little problems with Memphis.  This is a great first game for MSU, providing they win, as they play a C-USA opponent who went 2-10 last year.

1: Run State, Run: One thing that MSU did well last year was run the football.  Everyone in the SEC, and country, talked about the dominate run game of Alabama.  However, Miss St actually outperformed the Crimson Tide averaging 227 yards per game, good for 9th in the country.  Mississippi St will have to replace Anthony Dixon, and the weak rush defense of the Tigers should allow for a leader to emerge.

2: Memphis will try and expose MSU secondary: The Bulldogs pass defense leaves much to be desired after finishing 11th in the SEC a year ago.  Memphis returns quarterback Will Hudgens, a strong armed senior who led Memphis in passing last year.  Hudgens will look to test the MSU secondary, and will need to succeed to keep Memphis in the game.

3: Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway vs. DeAngelo Williams: This is a toss-up for most famous Memphis alumni.  Both were amazing talents in college, and had even better sidekicks in the pro’s (Shaq for Penny and Steve Smith for Williams).  They each boasted pretty sweet “mini-mi’s” as well.  Penny had Lil Penny, while DeAngelo has Jonathan Stewart.  I am going to go with Lil Penny, because he had the eye to spot talent (Discovered Tyra Banks).

4: MSU Needs to Win this game: Take a look at the Bulldogs schedule, and ask yourself “Do they not want Dan Mullen to succeed?”  Miss St plays @Auburn, @LSU, @Georgia, @Florida, @Alabama, and @Arkansas.  Their six toughest opponents this year will all be played on the road.  While this schedule hardly rivals that of Boise St, it is extremely difficult for any SEC team.  Let alone MSU.

5: Dan Mullen: Childhood stars almost always end up in some rehab clinic by 23 and dead by 32.  Not Dan Mullen, his desire to succeed is unparalleled.  He certainly has come a long way since playing “Flounder” in Animal House.  Good for you Coach Mullen, good that child actors have a role model outside of Kirk Cameron to look up to.