Before the season kicked off, most fans and media alike saw this up as a ramp up in competition, but ultimately a win heading into the Florida game the ensuing week. Throw that out of the window and forget about it. Mississippi State is the talk of the town, led by a Heisman candidate in Kamario Taylor.

Taylor is lighting opposing defenses on fire, as through three games he’s posted 832 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one interception. The good thing for the Bulldogs is that he has quite the supporting cast. Running back Fluff Bothwell has been solid, averaging roughly 93 yards per game and six yards per carry. Taylor has a handful of weapons, with his leading target being Anthony Evans lll, who is just shy of 300 yards this season. Lingering behind is WR2, Zion Ragins, as well as a familiar face in Marquis Johnson, who has been outspoken about this being a “revenge” game.

The State defense hasn’t been spectacular, but certainly improved under defensive coordinator Zach Arnett. Arnett loves to get after the quarterback and plays LOTS of man-to-man, which could be advantageous for the Tigers receiving core.

Davis-Wade Stadium will be sold out and loud, as the State fans will be attempting a world record for most cowbells ringing at the same time. How do you even test that?

With Mississippi State coming off a big road win in the other Columbia against SC, this game looks quite daunting for Mizzou. The biggest strength for state, coincides with Missouri’s biggest weakness. The secondary. So despite this matchup being a tough one, their are still three things that the Tigers can do, that if they do them, I believe they can get the win.

1. Control the time of possession:

I think that the Mississippi State offense is good enough to “get theirs” on any team in the country, including Mizzou. So how do you alleviate that just a tad? By simply keeping them off the field.

We saw Troy do this against Missouri last game and as you could see, it was quite effective. Troy held the ball for a grand total of 37 minutes, dominating the time of possession and never allowing the Missouri offense to get into any kind of rhythm. Any chance that you can get to disrupt Kamario Taylor, you have to take it.

The promising thing for Mizzou is that against Troy, the run blocking seemed to find it’s way. Jamal Roberts averaged 5.8 yards per carry with a long of just 20. The Mississippi State defense is certainly a solid unit, but it’s nothing to write home about. If the Tigers can stay on the field for an extended period of time and control the clock, I think it gives them the best chance to win.

2. Fix the blown coverage issues:

After the Kansas win, my friend and I looked at each other and said the exact same thing. “If Isaiah Marshall could throw a ball in the ocean, this game would’ve been different.” Look, I’m not here to take anything away from that win. Austin Simmons looked fantastic and Missouri fans had every right to be excited.

However, when you go through a rewatch, you should just go count the amount of throws that Marshall missed. I promise, you won’t be able to count them on one hand.

The problem continued against Troy, with both of the Trojan’s touchdowns coming off of explosive pass plays. Drink mentioned in his postgame presser that the safeties took bad angles on both plays, so that needs fixing quick.

Kamario Taylor is an absolute baller. He will tear your defense to shreds if you make the slightest miscue.

3. Austin Simmons finds his rhythm early:

Against Troy, Austin Simmons was brought back down to earth after going scorched earth in Lawrence. Simmons didn’t play a bad game, but just looked off ever to the slightest. Miscommunications with receivers and missing throws by just an inch or two. I think it was uncharacteristic.

The key is to get Simmons comfortable early. To beat this State team, Mizzou needs Austin Simmons to have anywhere from a B+ to an A performance. The best way to do that is to settle him in early, get him used to the raucous crowd and hopefully, that catapults the gunslinger to an impressive performance.

Overall, I think this is a really tough matchup for Mizzou. This is the most amped that State fans have been since Dak Prescott and rightfully so. That’s why I have State winning 41-27. BUT, I think Missouri is very capable of winning this game and I think it holds upon point 1 and 2. Either way, expect a great football game.