Mississippi State vs. Kansas State in Manhatten, KS
What Bill Snyder has done in two separate tenures with the Kansas State Wildcats is as miraculous as anything we’ve seen at the FBS level. This is why SEC West teams continue to travel to Manhattan.
Mississippi State, who takes its 1-0 Bulldogs to Manhattan this Saturday, has a chance to be one of those “light it up” type of teams this year. Given the success Dan Mullen achieved in Starkville, new MSU coach Joe Moorhead has a lot to live up to.
The 2018 Bulldog offense has a real shot to become one of its best ever. Against unsuspecting Stephen F. Austin in Week one, State rang up over 600 yards. They did it without third-year starter Nick Fitzgerald at the helm who was serving a one-game suspension. They face a Wildcats team that eked out a 27-24 victory against South Dakota last weekend.
What Moorhead’s bunch will run into is a KSU defense that is more than competent against the run, but porous in the passing game. The Wildcats surrendered 257 yards against the Coyotes, even though the Bullies return three guys in the secondary.
Last week, they threw for nearly 400 yards and also, ran for 220. While that stat obviously skews towards the passing game, this team knows how to run the ball, whether it’s with the quarterback or their stable of RBs.
State is going to do this all year. Moorhead is one of those offensive savants whose personnel rarely changes from play to play, but has the scheme to keep opposing defenses guessing. Here is a really insightful article about what Moorhead brings to Starkville.
Given the away factor, the Bulldogs will probably struggle a bit against the Wildcats, but depth and talent will win the day.
Game Prediction: Bama Hammer Contributor, Jonathan Waldrop, Mississippi State 31 Kansas State 17
Interesting note: The above-linked article goes into brief detail about the style of offense Moorhead ran as a quarterback at Fordham. That style? Bill Snyder’s.