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5 impact players to watch: Mississippi State vs. Missouri
By Pat Donohue
Published:
The Week 10 matchup between Mississippi State and Missouri features two teams heading in opposite directions.
The Bulldogs are riding a three-game winning streak into Columbia, and the Tigers have lost their last three outings. However, Mississippi State won all three of those games in Starkville, and Missouri will be playing at home for the first time in over a month.
Both teams are coming off of their bye weeks and have had nearly two weeks to prepare for this Thursday night game.
Between the Bulldogs and the Tigers, here are five players to watch in this cross-division SEC matchup. These are not necessarily the best five players from these teams. They are simply five guys that could have an impact in this game.
1. Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott – Prescott is coming off of a game against Kentucky where he accounted for 465 total yards and 6 touchdowns. He’s one of the Bulldogs’ impact players each and every week, but he will face a stout Missouri defense this Thursday. The Tigers defense is predicated on getting after the quarterback, but Prescott’s mobility gives him the opportunity to be more effective than most signal-callers against a defense that’s ranked 6th in the nation in total defense. Prescott also continues to climb his way up the SEC record books and needs just 65 yards of total offense to become the 10th player in conference history with 10,000 yards.
2. Missouri LB Kentrell Brothers – Brothers will be one of the keys on Missouri’s defense to slowing down Prescott. Brothers leads the nation in total tackles and tackles per game (103, 12.9). The next-closest players nationally have 91 tackles. He can cause havoc in the backfield, which is proven by his 7 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks through eight games, but he can also drop back into coverage and make plays like he has with his 2 interceptions this season.
3. Mississippi State CB Taveze Calhoun – With senior cornerback Will Redmond out for the season with a torn ACL, Calhoun must shoulder an even larger role and continue to make plays for Mississippi State’s secondary like he did last weekend against Kentucky. Calhoun had been in an interception drought so far this season but snagged 2 against the Wildcats in Week 9. He is now the defensive back with the most playmaking abilities for the Bulldogs, and he will have an opportunity to make even more of an impact against Missouri quarterback Drew Lock, who has struggled for the Tigers since replacing the suspended Maty Mauk.
4. Missouri QB Drew Lock – Speaking of Lock. Since taking over as the full-time starter in Week 5, Lock has struggled to move the ball for the Tigers and hasn’t thrown a touchdown in Missouri’s last three games. Mississippi State’s defense will be one of the best that Lock has seen so far this season, so the scores won’t come easy this week either. But if Missouri has any chance of pulling off the upset in front of its home crowd, it will need something special out of Lock. At the very least, the Tigers need to hope that Lock can protect the football and let the Missouri defense try to grind one out.
5. Mississippi State RB Brandon Holloway – Holloway had his best game of the season last week against Kentucky, finishing with 134 total yards and a receiving touchdown. He is Mississippi State’s scatback and is used primarily in passing situations, but he could prove to be a valuable asset in the Bulldogs’ matchup with Missouri. Because the Tigers bring such a heavy pass rush, the Bulldogs could use Holloway effectively in the screen game and as a check down option for Prescott when he comes under fire in Week 10.
Pat Donohue is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @SportsDownPat.
