First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Missouri

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's final road game of the 2025 regular season has arrived.

MSU (5-5 overall, 1-5 in Southeastern Conference play) faces Missouri (6-3, 2-3) at 6:45 p.m. CT on Saturday in Columbia. The game will be televised by SEC Network.

Ahead of the contest, let's have a look at 10 items to be aware of as State gets ready to square off against the Tigers:

Saturday stands as just the sixth all-time meeting between MSU and Missouri and it's just the third time the two programs have met in Columbia. The Tigers hold a 3-2 edge in the series entering this weekend, however since Mizzou became a member of the SEC, State has won two of the schools' three matchups, including the last contest played in Missouri. That was a 31-13 Bulldog victory back in 2015.
Mississippi State and Missouri have several connections on both sides. MSU assistant coaches Matt Holecek, Jon Cooper and Cliff Odom were all previously at Missouri. Holecek is actually a 2018 Missouri alum. He then started his coaching career with the Tigers, serving as a graduate assistant, then offensive analyst over the course of the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Cooper was an offensive analyst for the Tigers as well from 2016 through 2017. Odom was a Mizzou graduate assistant in 2016. For Missouri, wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. was the leading pass catcher for the Bulldogs last year. He transferred to his home state for this season and so far has hauled in 52 passes for 559 yards and one touchdown.
While Coleman moved on to Missouri, Mississippi State's receiver room has continued to shine. In fact, MSU boasts one of the best receiving duos in the country with Brenen Thompson and Anthony Evans III. Thompson is tied for the SEC lead in receiving yards with 808. That total stands 12th in the FBS. Evans tops the SEC in receptions with 56. That mark is 16th in the FBS.
Thompson and Evans have given Mississippi State a dangerous air attack this season, but don't dismiss MSU's abilities on the ground. As a team, the Bulldogs have averaged 156.8 yards per game rushing this season. That's State's highest team total since the 2019 season.
State's ground game is spearheaded by Fluff Bothwell and Davon Booth. Bothwell leads the Dawgs with 534 rushing yards and averages 5.1 yards per carry. Booth isn't far behind with his 513 rushing yards.
Speaking of rushing, Missouri is likely to lean heavily on its own running game on Saturday as the Tigers boast one of the country's top backs. Ahmad Hardy enters this weekend third in the nation in rushing yardage with his 1,046 yards. Impressively, according to Pro Football Focus, Hardy has gotten 791 of those yards after contact. That's the second-most in the country and accounts for over 75 percent of Hardy's total rushing yards.
However, Missouri's biggest strength might be its defense. The Tigers enter play Saturday second in the SEC and 10th in the FBS in total defense, surrendering only 270 yards per game. The Tigers have allowed the fewest passing yards in the SEC and are also in the top five in the league in rushing defense, scoring defense and sacks.
Mississippi State's defense bears watching, too, as the group has shown this year it is a much-improved unit from a season ago. As compared to last year's final averages, MSU is allowing nearly 70 yards less and nearly eight points less per game. A key piece of State's improvement has been the Dawgs' ability to create turnovers. MSU is fourth in the SEC in turnover margin, and the Bulldogs lead the SEC and are tied for 14th nationally in interceptions gained with 11 of them.
Two of those State interceptions have come from standout cornerback Kelley Jones, who continues to make a name for himself as one of the best defensive backs in all the land. Jones leads MSU with 11 pass breakups – a total that also leads the entire SEC and is tied for fourth nationally. Another impressive fact about Jones: among all defenders who have played at least half of their team's snaps, Jones has allowed a reception just 22.9 percent of the time when he is targeted (eight receptions on 35 targets). That's the best mark in the FBS.
A victory on Saturday would be huge for Mississippi State in more ways than one. Not only would it add to the program momentum that has been building all season long, but it would also make MSU bowl eligible. The last time State was bowl eligible was in 2022, the final season in the head coaching career of the late, great Mike Leach.

Mississippi State University Athletics

First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Missouri

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Players Mentioned

Davon Booth

Fluff Bothwell

Kevin Coleman Jr.

Anthony Evans III

Kelley Jones

Brenen Thompson

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