Texas A&M’s season kicks back into high gear following the bye week, as the Aggies host this Auburn Tigers this Saturday. We wanted to find out how the Tiger faithful are feeling heading into Saturday and for that, we reached out to Robbie Faulk, Mississippi State beat writer for On3 Sports and Starkville Daily News , to answer a few questions.
Good Bull Hunting: Even after a tough loss last week, it seems like Mississippi State is playing well above preseason expectations. Is the fanbase riding pretty high right now?
Robbie Faulk: I don’t think everyone is satisfied with where things are but they’re certainly optimistic about the present and the future. Most of the fans are rightly disappointed with how things finished in the Tennessee game but understand that the Bulldogs appear to be significantly better than they were a season ago.
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GBH: On paper, it appears that the MSU offense is very run-heavy. Do you think that has been by design, or more a result of game scripts and what opposing defenses have given them?
RF: Jeff Lebby’s offense, at its core, is built around the run but explosives are there in the passing game thanks in large part to that threat. The RPO principles of it add a different element and it often will boil down to both the quarterback’s decision making and what the defense is giving them. State’s strongest room is also the running backs so they’re leaning into that.
GBH: Which do you think is the superior maroon? Make sure to be very descriptive in your answer.
RF: It’s hard for me to tell a huge difference between the two. I’ll be a homer and say State’s for the interest of some light discord.
GBH: hat seems to be the biggest strength and weariness for the Bulldogs on each side of the ball?
RF: On offense, State’s strength is their running back room. Davon Booth is back for his sixth season of college eligibility and has a ton of experience at this point. Alongside with him is South Alabama transfer Fluff Bothwell who was one of the top freshman running backs in the country a season ago and he’s emerged as the Bulldogs’ lead back. Both are strong and physical runners that can finish inside the redzone and in short yardage. There’s also a sophomore running back in Xavier Gayten that has moved into the number three spot and he’s probably the most explosive player of the three. A weakness on offense is the offensive line.
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The Bulldogs are still working to figure out its offensive line and injuries have been an issue. Starting right tackle Blake Steen left the first game of the year with an injury and encountered a season-ending injury. Veteran Albert Reese has been the Bulldogs’ best blocker at that same spot and he went down with an injury last week against UT and his status is still unknown. Redshirt freshman left tackle Jimothy Lewis has struggled at times and was attacked last week by the UT pass rush as Blake Shapen was sacked five times.
Defensively, the Bulldogs have gotten much more deep this year and are more talented than they were a season ago. The coaching is noticeably better as well with Coleman Hutzler entering year two as a defensive coordinator and former college DC’s Mike Macintyre and Paul Rhodes on the staff as analysts. The pass rush hasn’t been great, although better, and the linebacker and safety play has been up and down.
GBH: I think most fans are pretty familiar with QB Blake Shapen, but outside of him, who would you say are the three biggest impact players for MSU?
RF: Fluff Bothwell, Brenen Thompson and Anthony Evans. There are some players on defense that have made plays so far this season as well, but I’ll stick with offensive playmakers on this. We talked about Fluff already, but Thompson and Evans are two transfer wide receivers that have cemented themselves as the Bulldogs 1A and 1B at wide receiver.
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As of this interview, Thompson’s status was unknown as he left the game on Saturday with some sort of injury. Sources haven’t expressed any concern for him, but he’s a big piece of the game plan. The Texas and Oklahoma transfer is a native of the Lone Star State and is considered one of the fastest players in college football. He gave the Bulldogs the game-winning touchdown catch against Arizona State and already has more catches, yards and touchdowns through five games as he had in his previous three seasons of college football.
Evans transferred in from Georgia and has also found some new life with State. After having 13 catches for 123 yards and a score through his first two seasons in Athens, Evans has 26 catches, 323 yards and two scores this season.
GBH: Davis Wade is more of the more unique home field advantages in college football, and all due respect to Southern Miss, this Saturday shapes up to be MSU’s first big road test of the season. How do you think they’ll adapt to that change of scenery?
RF: I think it’ll certainly be a challenge going on the road in the SEC after four-straight weeks at home and I’m honestly not 100% sure what to expect from this team. I’ll just say that last season, Lebby’s teams went on the road to Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and Ole Miss and competed, even though they were totally outmatched. They left every ball game covering the spread and it never really felt like a blowout. I think they’ll be well prepared.
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GBH: A&M enters as surprisingly big favorites, despite y’all’s strong start. How do you think this game plays out?
RF: In my mind I can’t shake the feeling that State is going to be a little dejected still from the loss against UT and that could play a factor early in the game. Outside of the Toledo game last season, I have never gotten the sense from Lebby’s team that they weren’t ready to play or that they weren’t giving max effort. It would be a little surprising if that’s the case here so I think they’ll have a shot to cover the spread, but I’m going to take the Aggies this week.
