In the midst of the SEC schedule, Mississippi State gets a reprieve this week when they take on Tennessee-Martin. The FCS Skyhawks come to town as the sacrificial lamb of State’s homecoming celebration. Let’s take a look at some of the interesting numbers of Mississippi State’s season so far.

THE GOOD

  • 13. Even with a sub-standard performance last week, Mississippi State still ranks 13th in the country in scoring at 39.1 points per game. Both Alabama and Mississippi have stout defenses that will test that offense, but Mississippi State has shown they have the firepower to battle anyone.
  • 6. Josh Robinson has been a revelation on the ground, and he’ll most likely go over 1,000 yards for the season on Saturday. Against Arkansas, he set career-highs with 6 receptions for 110 yards. Robinson showed off some impressive hands and hops on a couple of his catches, and we’ll see if using him as a receiving threat is something the Bulldogs go to down the stretch.
  • 83. Mississippi State is home this weekend, but their two big games remaining are both on the road, at Alabama and Ole Miss. The Rebels can’t run the ball, but Alabama sure can. Luckily, the Bulldogs are only giving up 83 yards per game on the road this season, compared to 148 at home.

THE BAD

  • 3.7. Dak Prescott may have had a career day through the air last week against Arkansas, but the Bulldogs struggled to move the ball on the ground. The 3.7 yards per carry they averaged was a new low for the season, as were the 128 rushing yards. They shouldn’t have any trouble getting the run game going against UT-Martin, but Alabama looms large next week.
  • 5. Despite his 331 yards against Arkansas, Prescott’s turnover problems continued. He’s throw 5 INT over MSU’s last three games after just 2 INT in the first five games of the year. Dan Mullen has said the picks don’t concern him, but it would do the Bulldogs well to clean that up so they don’t gift teams like Alabama and Ole Miss extra possessions.
  • 33. Mississippi State still sits at the bottom of the conference in long passing plays allowed, with 33 plays of 20-or-more yards and 15 30-plus yard passes. While defensive backs like Will Redmond and Jamerson Love have shown a knack for knocking down and intercepting some deep balls, they get burned more often than they’re able to stop it.