Mississippi State Bulldogs at Minnesota Golden Gophers

Mississippi State squares off against Minnesota in Week 2

Mississippi State (1-0) at Minnesota (1-0), Sept. 12 at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

Opening Line: Mississippi State by 1. Against the spread: Mississippi State 1-0, Minnesota 1-0.

How to watch: CBS

Key stats

Mississippi State Offense

Overall: 762 yards per game (1st in FBS)

Passing: 417 yards per game (7th)

Rushing: 345 yards per game (8th)

Scoring: 62 points per game (11th)

Mississippi State Defense

Overall: 278 yards per game (57th in FBS)

Passing: 140 yards per game (47th)

Rushing: 138 yards per game (84th)

Scoring: 13 points per game (48th)

Minnesota Offense

Overall: 495 yards per game (45th in FBS)

Passing: 348 yards per game (20th)

Rushing: 147 yards per game (84th)

Scoring: 59 points per game (13th)

Minnesota Defense

Overall: 110 yards per game (6th in FBS)

Passing: 59 yards per game (7th)

Rushing: 51 yards per game (23rd)

Scoring: 7 points per game (25th)

Mississippi State is 19th in FBS in defensive third down percentage, allowing opponents to convert on 18.8% of third downs.

Mississippi State is 114th in the FBS averaging 78 penalty yards per game, compared to Minnesota's 2nd-ranked 10 per-game average.

Both teams have strong red zone offenses, each scoring on 100% of trips to lead the FBS.

Mississippi State is 100th in the FBS with an average time of possession of 28:13, compared to Minnesota's 18th-ranked average of 36:21.

Team leaders

Mississippi State

Passing: Kamario Taylor, 354 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 64.7 completion percentage

Rushing: J.J. Hill, 118 yards on 7 carries, 2 TDs

Receiving: Anthony Evans III, 118 yards on 7 catches, 1 TD

Minnesota

Passing: Drake Lindsey, 264 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 79.2 completion percentage

Rushing: Darius Taylor, 56 yards on 14 carries, 3 TDs

Receiving: Javon Tracy, 98 yards on 5 catches, 0 TDs

Last game

Mississippi State defeated UL Monroe 62-13 on Sept. 5. Kamario Taylor threw for 354 yards on 22-of-34 attempts (64.7%) with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also carried the ball six times for 59 yards and one rushing touchdown. Hill carried the ball seven times for 118 yards and scored two touchdowns. Evans had seven receptions for 118 yards and one touchdown.

Minnesota beat Eastern Illinois 59-7 on Sept. 3. Lindsey threw for 264 yards on 19-of-24 attempts (79.2%) with one touchdown and no interceptions. Darius Taylor had 56 rushing yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns, adding three receptions for 31 yards. Tracy had five receptions for 98 yards.

Next game

Mississippi State plays at South Carolina on Sept. 19. Minnesota hosts Akron on Sept. 19.

Matchup Prediction