Hail State! A Mississippi State Story (CFB 25)

[BuckRaven]

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By: Chris Pardew, Recruiting Analyst

(Thank you to ChatGPT for that sick graphic)

Ty Holden has recruited well everywhere he’s been but it will be challenging at Mississippi State. Many top prospects from Mississippi aren’t even considering the Bulldogs. For year 1, Holden wants to bring in a class of 25+ which he believes is on par with the SEC standard. Holden states he wants to lock down Mississippi and use his prior experience in Texas to his advantage. While recruiting should be quality over quantity, Mississippi State doesn’t exactly have the pick of the litter at their current juncture. Below are the top targets

Top Targets:
1. MS WR Athya Ngata (4 Star, #189 prospect): Verbal Commit
Ngata grew up a Bulldog fan and is Coach Holden’s first commit. (I’ve had 2 insta commits my entire CFB 25 career, very fortunate) Ngata is a high end athlete that the Bulldogs lack and will have to work hard to fend off flip possibilities
2. MS QB Frederick Coleman (4 Star, #341 Prospect) Top 3: Ole Miss, MSST, UK
Coleman is Holden’s priority QB target but will be an uphill battle against in state rival Ole Miss. Will be a good litmus test of how Holden’s year 1 recruiting class will be
3. MS OT Quentin Fournette (4 Star, #89 Prospect) Top 3: MSST, Auburn, Ole Miss
Fournette is MSST’s top OL on their board. They are off to an early lead on the in state T but Auburn & Ole Miss will both pose a big challenge
4. LA RB Kyree Bonham (4 Star, #155 Prospect) Top 4: MSST, LSU, Arkansas, Florida State
Bonham is an undersized but talented RB. He’s not on the top of in state LSU’s board which should help MSST. This recruitment will not end soon so Coach Holden is prioritizing relationship building here
5. LA DT Heath Byard (4 Star, #148 Prospect) Top 5: MSST, LSU, Texas, Florida State, Bama
Byard only has a committable offer from LSU but he is clearly not their top DT target. If MSST has a chance, they want to wrap this one up quick
6. TX DE Kemani Flowers (4 Star, #216 Prospect) Top 6: Baylor, MSST, LSU, SMU, OKST, Texas Tech
Flowers has a lot of Big 12 interest, will be interesting to see if Coach Holden/Coach Horn can go into Texas and pluck Flowers
7. LA C Matthew Edmond (4 Star, #54 Prospect) Top 4: MSST, FSU, Vandy, LSU
MSST is going hard after Edmond and has not received as much interest from LSU as expected. There’s a lot of time in this recruitment but MSST has the early edge.
8. AK WR John Butt (4 Star, #292 Prospect): Top 4: MSST, SMU, Houston, Memphis
Butt is flying under the radar of Power 2 programs perhaps due to his size (5’9). Coach Holden really like his talent and will hope to keep him away from a bevy of Air Raid schools
9. AL S Duane Weatherford (4 Star, #316 Prospect) Top 5: MSST, Clemson, Bama, Auburn, UGA
MSST is high on Weatherford, he only has a committable offer from Clemson but he is not a priority target there
10. LA LB Calvin Curran (4 Star, #378 Prospect) Top 3: MSST, LSU, Arkansas
The Shreveport native will likely decide between MSST, LSU & Arkansas. Will be a key battle against LSU

For many of these recruitments, it’s way too early to tell how these are trending. This is just a sample of some of the top targets on Mississippi State’s board. There are a surprising amount of 4 star prospects which is a promising start. We will see you next month for our recruiting update and keep you posted on commits/visits.

[BuckRaven]

Mississippi State overwhelms Eastern Kentucky 51-0
Saturday, August 31 2024 12:00
SEC Network

Although it was against an FCS opponent, Ty Holden couldn’t ask for a better first game as the headman of Mississippi State. The Bulldogs did well on all 3 phases, holding EKU to under 100 total yards (!), scoring 6 touchdowns on Offense and even having a Punt Return TD.
The Bulldogs jumped off to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter where EKU could only muster 1 first down. Davon Booth 29 yard run, Coby McCollum 36 yard catch were the big chunk plays that got MSST down the field.

Running backs Davon Booth and Keyvone Lee each punched it in from 2 yards out. MSST was driving the ball again when Blake Shapen threw an ill-advised INT in the red zone. EKU got a few first downs and threw it right back to CB Brice Pollack. Shapen connected with star WR Akharaiyi on a slant over the middle for 28 yards to set up a 7 yard Davon Booth score to make it 21-0 late in the 2Q.

The Bulldogs D forced a quick 3 and out when Creed Whittmore busted a 51 yard punt return for TD to take a 28-0 lead into half. The second half overall was pretty uneventful. Mississippi State drove the ball consistently and capped off their 2 possessions with a Blake Shapen 9 yard scamper and a 3 yard pass from Shapen to McCollum. Backup Freshman QB Chris Parson got some playing time in the 4th quarter and led a TD drive punctuated by a Keyvone Lee 2 yard run.

The defense was dominant this game holding EKU to just 96 total yards and forcing 3 turnovers. EKU was unable to move the ball past the Bulldogs 40 yard line. John Lewis was a game wrecker with 3 first half sacks. Eric Taylor closed the game with a safety to make it 51-0. Mississippi State will travel to Arizona State next Friday to take on the Sun Devils and upstart coach Kenny Dillingham.

Stats

Mississippi State

Blake Shapen 21/25 213 Yards Pass TD, Rush TD, INT
Chris Parson 5/6 57 Yards
Davon Booth 12 Carries 73 Yards 2 TDs 2 Catches 21 Yards
Keyvone Lee 7 Carries 29 Yards 2 TDs Fumble
Kelly Akharaiyi 7 Catches 59 Yards
Coby McCollum 7 Catches 108 Yards TD
John Lewis 8 Tackles 3.0 Sacks
Eric Taylor 1.5 Sacks Safety
Brice Pollack 2 INTs
Chris Keys Jr. INT
Creed Whitemore 5 Punt Returns 110 Yards (22.0 AVG), 51 Yard TD

3 Stars:

3rd Star: Creed Whittemore (Punt Return TD)
2nd Star: CB Brice Pollack (2 INTs)
Game Ball: LB John Lewis (3 Sacks)

Around the NCAA

- Florida State offense races past GT in 48-31 Week 0 win in Ireland, then falls to BC 34-16
- #1 UGA takes down Clemson 27-24
- #8 Notre Dame blows out Texas A&M 52-14
- #12 LSU crushes USC 38-17 in Las Vegas
- Late TD wins game for #22 Miami 38-37 vs. Florida
- #13 Oklahoma survives scare from Temple 17-10

[Deuce2223]

FCS games are a great way to get a look at the team. Great day for Shapen (21/25). Always love breaking those Special team returns for a score.

Good luck with the rebuild. I think the SEC is everyone's dream conference to get to at some point in their Dynasty.. It's a Battle every week to get a "W". I loved my time at Auburn back in NCAA14.

I am hoping to take Coach Miller (FIU) my current Dynasty to the SEC at some point.. Tennessee has been horrible on the field (this year included going 3-9) but has a amazing roster loaded with talent (they currently have another Top-10 class again his year) but for some reason, Coach Miller is not the guy they are looking for to run the team (I keep getting a DC offer though).

[redsox907]

great start against the FCS to get the boys confidence up!

[BuckRaven]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

FCS games are a great way to get a look at the team. Great day for Shapen (21/25). Always love breaking those Special team returns for a score. Good luck with the rebuild. I think the SEC is everyone's dream conference to get to at some point in their Dynasty.. It's a Battle every week to get a "W". I loved my time at Auburn back in NCAA14. I am hoping to take Coach Miller (FIU) my current Dynasty to the SEC at some point.. Tennessee has been horrible on the field (this year included going 3-9) but has a amazing roster loaded with talent (they currently have another Top-10 class again his year) but for some reason, Coach Miller is not the guy they are looking for to run the team (I keep getting a DC offer though).

Yeah as a fan of a Big 10 team, think it's a legit debate between Big 10/SEC now but the SEC has been the class of college football for the last few decades.

Lol the coaching carousel logic is so weird. I feel like the AI ADs take archetype/"culture fit" way too much in account. If you're a national championship winning coach, I don't think schools will be that picky over what your coaching style is.

Quote: Originally Posted by redsox907

great start against the FCS to get the boys confidence up!

Much needed, it will be a challenging season, thanks for the post!

[BuckRaven]

Friday Night Lights: Bulldogs best Sun Devils 22-17
Friday September 5 7:30
Fox Sports

Mississippi State traveled to Arizona State on a Friday Night late summer clash. Arizona State started with the ball, got a few first downs but Chris Key Jr. picked off his 2nd pass in as many games to set up the Bulldog offense in plus territory. Blake Shapen would throw a 4 yard TD on a slant to Kelly Akharaiyi to get the Bulldogs on the board. The ensuing possession, Arizona State would drive down the field thanks to a Cam Skatteboo 15 yard run and a 36 yard catch and run by receiver Jake Smith. Quarterback Taylor McDougal would punch it in from 2 yards out to tie it. Mississippi State would put together a drive, Blake Shapen missed a wide open Kelly Akharaiyi deep in what would’ve been a walk in touchdown. They’d have to settle for a Nick Barr-Mira 47 yard FG instead. Special Teams pinned Arizona State deep and they’d sack McDougal on back to back plays including one in the end zone for a safety. Trevion Williams came off the edge and met McDougald as he tried to scramble. Arizona State would drive down the field but settle for 3 inside the red zone with 1:54 left in the first. Blake Shapen would make up for his previous miss with a 86 yard strike to speedster Jordan Mosley who split the Sun Devil safeties on a deep post. Mississippi State would head into the locker room with a 19-10 lead and get the ball first.

On the first possession of the 2nd half, Shapen overthrew a streaking Kevin Coleman and Arizona State forced a 3 and out. However, they roughed the punter giving Mississippi State a new set of downs. They would eat up a huge chunk of the 3rd quarter on a 14 play drive that took them down to the 2. Blake Shapen was sacked on a play action attempt and Nick Barr-Mira would settle for a 22 yard FG. The Sun Devils would feature Cam Skateboo heavy on the next drive and move down the field. Jake Smith would make a spectacular toe tapping catch on an 11 yard TD pass from Taylor McDougald. Despite cutting the lead to 22-17 the Sun Devils also chewed a lot of clock. Mississippi State would get 4 first downs on the next drive thanks to power running from Davon Booth, Keyvone Lee and a nice touch pass to Kelly Akharaiyi. Once again, they’d settle for a field goal inside the 10 but this time Barr-Mira would bang it off the post. Arizona State would have one last chance with 0 timeouts and 1:55 to go. McDougald would throw a deep shot for Skateboo on a wheel that was picked by Corey Ellington that would secure the Bulldogs 2nd win! The offense came out for victory formation and that was all she wrote.

Coach Holden on the win: “I’m proud of how we competed today. We would’ve liked to do a little better in the red zone but i thought the defense stepped up in a huge way. The safety really swung the game. Our offense stayed on schedule and Blake (Shapen) made some big plays on 3rd down for us.” Taylor McDougald got happy feet at times in the pocket and the Bulldog DL recorded 6 sacks. Mississippi State will host Toledo next week.

3 Stars:
3rd Star: Corey Ellington- sealed game on nice INT was consistent all game
2nd Star: Jordan Mosley- Broke game open on 86 yard strike
Game Ball: Trevion Williams- game wrecker who put 2 points on the board

Stats:

MSST
Blake Shapen 15/23 218 Yards 2 TDs
Davon Booth 19 Carries 75 Yards
Kelly Akharaiyi 4 Catches 40 Yards TD
Jordan Mosley 1 Catch 86 Yards TD
Jordan Morant 9 Tackles
Corey Ellington 8 Tackles INT
Chris Keys Jr. 7 Tackles INT
Trevion Williams 2 Sacks, Safety

ASU
Taylor McDougald 11/19 134 Yards TD 2 INTs Rushing TD
Cam Skattebo 21 Carries 93 Yards
Jake Smith 3 Catches 61 Yards TD

Around the NCAA

-#7 Michigan trounces #3 Texas 38-17
- NCST beats Tennessee 35-31 in top 20 clash
Handful of Top 10 teams struggle
-#2 Ohio State beats Western Michigan 24-6
-#4 Oregon hangs on 30-27 against Boise State
-#5 Ole Miss squeaks by Middle Tennessee 24-21
-#9 Mizzou beats Buffalo 26-21

[BuckRaven]

Bulldogs Erase 28 point deficit to survive Toledo upset scare
Saturday September 13 7:30
SEC Network

The well coached Toledo Rockets came to Starkville with an aim to shock the Bulldogs. They jumped on Mississippi State early and often. They went 3 and out and the Bulldogs squandered a Creed Whittmore return that put them at the Toledo 37. Toledo went 3 and out again, Mississippi State drove the ball a little then threw a 62 yard pick 6 to Penn State transfer Lance Dixon. The Bulldogs punted again and a 52 yard catch and run by star WR Jerjuan Newton set up a 5 yard strike from Tucker Gleason to Larry Stephens. Next possession, Blake Shapen made 2 great 3rd and long throws: a 26 yard dig to Kelly Akharaiyi and a 40 yard TD pass to Kevin Coleman. On the ensuing drive, Toledo would drive the ball again and Gleason would connect with Anthony Torres on a 10 yard TD. A quick 3 and out from MSST and Jarquez Stuart would break a 55 yard TD run to put the Rockets up 28-7 early in the 2nd. The next 2 offensive plays would be touchdowns. Coby McCollum would break 2 tackles on an RPO screen and take it 77 yards. Then, Jerjuan Newton would cook the Bulldogs secondary on a 75 yard post route. The game settled for a few minutes before Shapen would throw another pick 6 to give Toledo a 42-14 lead with 1:32 left. Mississippi State would put together a 90 sec drive and punch it in with Keyvone Lee from 1 yard out. Regardless, the Rockets embarrassed the Mississippi State defense in the first half.

Mississippi State started with the ball in the second half and went 11 plays 75 yards capped off with a 4 yard RPO pass to Kelly Akharaiyi. The defense forced a 3 and out and Mississippi State went 58 yards thanks to some good power running by Keyvone Lee to cut the deficit to 42-35. Toledo would convert on 2 3rd and mediums to chew some clock. Facing 3rd and 9, Gleason would throw a deep pass that was picked off by Brice Pollack. Blake Shapen would hit Coby McCollum on a 58 yard corner route to tie the game early in the 4th. Toledo would stay ahead of schedule the next drive and look to their star WR Newton twice on 3rd down to extend the drive. The Bulldog rush D would stay stout and Luke Pawlak will squeak in a 34 yard FG from the right hash to give Toledo a 45-42 lead with 3:26 to go. Mississippi State would move the ball a little but the Toledo pass rush would affect Shapen twice in a row and the Bulldogs would punt it from their own 40 with 2:45 to go. They would stuff the Rockets twice on the run and John Lewis would get a big sack back at Toledo’s own 2 to give the Bulldogs one last chance. Starting at the 40, Shapen would complete a few short passes to McCollum and Akharaiyi and Keyvone Lee would rumble ahead to the Toledo 12. Shapen would hit Coleman on a 10 yard out to move the Bulldogs to the 2. Lee would punch it in to give Mississippi State a 49-45 lead with 0:58 left. Toledo would throw a few check downs and advance the ball to the 38. But Javae Gilmore would step in front of a corner route to seal the game for the Bulldogs.

While being down 42-14 to a MAC school is not an ideal situation, Coach Holden was proud of the Bulldogs fight. “We obviously played pretty poorly in the first half. Spotted Toledo 14 points on Pick 6s and gave up big plays. But credit to the guys for fighting back in the second half. We looked like a completely different team in the second half. I thought our Defense adjusted well, we eliminated the mistakes which allowed us to come back. We have a long way to go but we’re 3-0.” Indeed, the defense will face a lot better opponents than Toledo coming soon. The Pass D in particular looked suspect and will need to improve drastically to give Mississippi State any chance to win games in the SEC. For now, we shall enjoy Mississippi State's undefeated record. 1-2 Florida will come to town next weekend.

Mississippi State
Blake Shapen 26-43 406 Yards 5 TDs 2 INTs
Keyvone Lee 13 Carries 75 Yards 2 TDs
Coby McCollum 8 Catches 195 Yards 2 TDs
Kelly Akharaiyi 8 Catches 67 Yards TD
Kevin Coleman 6 Catches 110 Yards 2 TDs
John Lewis 11 Tackles 3 TFL 1.5 Sacks
Javae Gilmore 5 Tackles INT
DeMonte Russell 5 Tackles 3 TFLs 1.5 Sacks

Toledo
Tucker Gleason 24-34 318 Yards 3 TDs 2 INTs
Jacquez Stuart 16 Carries 79 Yards TD
Jerjuan Newton 6 Catches 197 Yards TD
Emmanuel McNeil Warren 10 Tackles 1 TFL
Lance Dixon 9 Tackles INT, TD

3 Stars:
3rd Star: Blake Shapen- Despite 2 pick 6s, Shapen orchestrated 28 point comeback and was sharp in second half
2nd Star: John Lewis- Lewis was all over the field and made a ton of stops in the second half (including 3rd down sack to give MSST ball back)
1st Star: Coby McCollum- Made 2 long TD catches and was reliable target all game

Around the NCAA:
#9 Mizzou falls to Boston College 30-24
South Carolina upsets #11 LSU 42-28
Utah State upsets rival #10 Utah 35-34
#6 Bama stomps Wisconsin 45-20

Top 10:
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Oregon
5. Ole Miss
6. Bama
7. Penn State
8. Notre Dame
9. Oklahoma
10. Texas

[BuckRaven]

Florida pummels Mississippi State 48-13
Saturday, September 21 3:30
SEC Network

It was a rainy day in Starkville for the Bulldogs SEC opener. The game started off similar to the Toledo game, Mississippi State got a few first downs and threw a pick 6 to Derek Wingo who took it back 55 yards. Shapen threw another pick on the ensuing drive setting up Florida at the 35. Treyaun Webb would take a touch pass from Montrell Johnson in the wildcat formation from a yard out. Mississippi State’s offense would struggle the next few possessions while the defense would hold strong forcing 2 Trey Smack field goals from 26 and 48 yards. On the first play of the second quarter. Trevion Williams would hit Graham Mertz and John Lewis land on the ball in the end zone to make it 20-7. After another stop, Mississippi State would drive down the field thanks to a 38 yard catch and run by Kelly Akharaiyi and 18 yard Shapen run on a read option. Nick Barr-Mira would tuck a 48 yard field goal in. The defense held strong again and Blake Shapen would lead a 2 minute drive with a nice pass to Seydou Traore for 25 yards. The drive would stall but Nick Barr-Mira would connect from 42 to make it 20-13 at halftime.

The second half began with a bang as Eugene Wilson III would cook the Bulldog secondary on a deep post for a 65 yard score. Mississippi State would punt the ball back and Florida would go down the field in 3 plays and score again. Aidan Mizell would moss Brice Pollack on a 59 yard bomb and Mertz connected with Chimere Dike on an out for a 20 yard score. Jordan Mosley would have a step on Jason Marshall but Shapen underthrew the pass where All SEC CB Jason Marshall would pick it off. Mertz hit Wilson III on a 37 yard streak to make it 41-13. Holden would pull Shapen and put in Chris Parson after his 3rd pick. Davon Booth would fumble on the next drive Florida would add a 5 yard strike from backup QB DJ Lagway to Marcus Burke early in the 4th. Not much else happened, Mississippi State struggled to move the ball in the 2nd half and Florida chewed clock to ice a 48-13 victory for themselves. Mississippi State played well for a stretch in the second quarter but Florida dominated the rest of the game. One silver lining is that the Bulldog run defense was stout, the 2 Florida RBs had a combined 28 carries for 66 yards. However, the Pass Defense got exposed on several plays. Coach Holden on the game: “you can’t turn the ball over 4 times in any game. Coming out of halftime down 7, we showed that we could play with them but let the game get away from us.” The Bulldogs will have a bye week before heading out to Austin to take on the #8 Texas Longhorns.


Mississippi State
Blake Shapen 12-27 157 Yards 3 INTs
Davon Booth 10 Carries 52 Yards Fumble
Keyvone Lee 9 Carries 41 Yards
Kelly Akharaiyi 4 Catches 79 Yards
Javae Gilmore 12 Tackles
Trevion Williams 1.5 Sacks Forced Fumble
De”Monte Russell 6 Tackles 1.5 Sacks

Florida
Graham Mertz 16-23 355 Yards 3 TDs
Montrell Johnson 18 Carries 33 Yards Passing TD
Treyaun Webb 10 Carries 33 Yards Receiving TD
Eugene Wilson III 6 Catches 193 Yards 2 TDs
Derek Wingo 2 INTs

Around the NCAA
#3 Michigan blanks USC 34-0
#8 Oklahoma makes statement win against #17 Tennessee 48-23
4-0 Oklahoma State beats Utah 45-43
Northwestern upsets #15 Washington 38-24