Where: Davis-Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi

When: Saturday, Oct. 1, 3 p.m. central time

TV: SEC Network

Weather: Clear and pleasant with a high around 80

QB: #14 Max Johnson; Jr.-TR.; 6-5, 220 (ProFootballFocus score of 55.1)

#13, Haynes King; RS-So.; 6-3, 205 (56.1)

RB: #6, Devon Achane; Jr.; 5-9, 185 (71.2)

#4, Amari Daniels; So.; 5-8, 200 (55)

FB: #24, Earnest Crownover; RS-Jr.-TR.; 6-3, 230 (57.8)

TE: #18, Donovan Green; Fr.; 6-4, 235 (61)

#42, Max Wright; RS-Sr.; 6-4, 255 (52.3)

WR: #1, Evan Stewart; Fr.; 5-11, 170 (64.5)

#3, Devin Price; Jr.; 6-3, 200 (53.3)

SLOT: #8, Yulkeith Brown; So.; 5-10, 175 (64.4)

#7, Moose Muhammad; RS-So.; 6-1, 195 (44.6)

WR: #2, Chase Lane; RS-Jr.; 6, 195 (53.6)

#10, Chris Marshall; Fr.; 6-3, 205 (56.6)

LT: #60, Trey Zuhn; RS-Fr.; 6-6, 320 (65.9)

#78, Dametrious Crownover; RS-Fr.; 6-6, 300 (54)

LG: #74, Aki Ogunbiyi; RS-So.; 6-4, 320 (62.6) OR #66, Jordan Spasojevic-Moko; RS-So.-TR.; 6-5, 320 (56.5)

C: #61, Bryce Foster; So.; 6-5, 325 (60.1)

#77 Matthew Wykoff; RS-Fr.; 6-6, 330 (73.7)

RG: #64, Layden Robinson; RS-Jr.; 6-4, 330 (49.6)

#70, Josh Bankhead; RS-So.; 6-5, 305 (70.3)

RT: #76, Deuce Fatheree; So.; 6-8, 325 (67)

#59, PJ Williams; Fr.; 6-4, 285 (67.9)

DE: #6, Jordan Davis; RS-Sr.; 6-4, 270 (68.3)

#9, De’Monte Russell; RS-Jr.; 6-4, 265 (62.4)

NG: #93, Cameron Young; RS-Sr.; 6-3, 310 (59.3)

#22, Nathan Pickering; Sr.; 6-4, 285 (67.2)

DT: #94, Jaden Crumedy; Gr.; 6-5, 310 (DNP)

#5, Randy Charlton; RS-Sr.; 6-3, 265 (56.8)

SAM: #2, Tyrus Wheat; Sr.; 6-2, 265 (73.5)

#34, Sherman Timbs; Gr.; 6-2, 260 (58.5)

MIKE: #14, Nathaniel Watson; RS-Sr.; 6-2, 240 (59.6)

#26, J.P. Purvis; RS-Jr.; 6-2, 225 (42)

WILL: #44, Jett Johnson; RS-Jr.; 6-2, 235 (65.8)

#16, DeShawn Page; RS-Jr.; 6-1, 230 (67.2)

CB: #13, Emmanuel Forbes; Jr.; 6, 180 (66.4)

#27, Esaias Fudge; Gr.; 6, 185 (59.5)

S: #8, Jackie Matthews; Gr.; 6, 195 (64.9)

#24, Dylan Lawrence; RS-Jr.; 6-4, 205 (50.2)

S: #19, Collin Duncan; Sr.; 6, 205 (75.7)

#12, Shawn Preston Jr.; RS-Sr.; 6, 205 (59.5)

S: #0, Jalen Green; RS-Sr.; 6-1, 200; (71.7)

#10, Corey Ellington; So.; 6-3, 205 (58.9)

CB: #3, Decamerion Richardson; Jr.; 6-2, 190 (72.9)

#1, Marcus Banks; Sr.; 6, 185 (80.2)

Texas A&M: WR Ainias Smith (broken leg) is out for the year. TE Max Wright (torn MCL) is probable. TE Jake Johnson (quad) is "day-to-day".

Mississippi State: No reported injuries

Rushing: Achane, 65 carries, 355 yards (5.5 YPC), 3 TD

Johnson, 21 carries, 73 yards (3.5 YPC)

Passing: King, 33-51 (64.7%), 461 yards, 3 TD, 2 Int

Johnson, 24-45 (53.3%), 314 yards, 2 TD

Receiving: Smith, 15 catches, 291 yards (19.4 YPC), 2 TD

Stewart, 13 catches, 141 yards (10.8 YPC), 1 TD

Brown, 5 catches, 97 yards (19.4 YPC), 1 TD

Tackles: Johnson, 36

Watson, 29

Richardson, 21

Tackles for loss: Watson, 3.5

Johnson and Duncan, 2

Sacks: Watson, Duncan and Pickering, 2

Interceptions: 4 players with 1

Forced fumbles: Davis, 1

Fumble recoveries: Wheat and Preston, 1

Hold onto the football, grind things out and lean on the Mississippi State defense. The Bulldogs largely run a 3-3-5 set and blitz constantly, even though they've had meh results with it so far. So if State wants to play a numbers game, A&M should accommodate. If they have six men in the box or less, give the ball to Achane. If they have more than six, throw.

LSU is the only decent team Mississippi State has played so far and the Tigers had some success, picking up more than 400 yards of total offense and running for 207. And how'd they do it? In large part, using their size and the aggression of the Bulldogs defense against them. They ran a lot of dive plays and draws, and Jayden Daniels made plays with his feet when gaps opened against the 3-man rush or blitzes that were heavy to the other side. In the passing game, they had a lot of quick passes that allowed the receivers to make plays.

When A&M has had success against State, this has been very close to the formula they've used. Pound on the undersized front and go north-south; don't do too much trying to get to the edge, because their speed will work against that. When they blitz, get the ball out quickly to players like Stewart, Brown and Achane so they can make plays in space. This is one game where I think we could see quite a bit of 6 in the slot.

The Aggies need to pick up where they left off running the ball last week and Max Johnson has to be smart. If they blitz, find the hot receiver and let them work. If the gaps open, which they will, take off.

Everyone wants A&M to be more aggressive and take deep shots. That's all well and good, but sometimes you need to take what's there, pound things out and consume clock. And this is one of those games.

They know A&M is having trouble on offense and the pass blocking hasn't been good, so odds are they'll keep to their 3-3-5 base and blitz heavily off of it. Players like Wheat are essentially a fourth lineman, but they stand up and rush the passer. Their leaders in sacks are a pair of linebackers, so that gives you a clue on how they like to get after the passer.

State is undersized upfront, but they rely on playing proper assignments, using their speed and setting up the linebackers when they blitz. They won't blitz every time; they'll act like they are, then drop off of into zones and see if they can disrupt the passing game that way.

The Bulldogs can get extremely aggressive, including using 0 coverage (bringing the safeties on a blitz, leaving the middle open). Those plays have to be diagnosed and taken advantage of. With players like Forbes at corner, Mississippi State can play man and feel fine about it.

The Bulldogs haven't gotten a ton of sacks, but they get pressure. They don't get a lot of tackles for loss, but don't give up big plays. They rally to the ball quickly and try to prevent big gainers down the field. They've been extremely good at limiting opponents on third downs, something they'll hope to continue this weekend.