1-4 Mississippi State Host Undefeated Vandy  

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Saturday, October 11th, 2:30 p.m. (et)

By Pat Taggart, Associate College Football Editor

GAME NOTES: The Vanderbilt Commodores are listed 13th in this week's AP poll, marking their highest ranking since 1956, and they will attempt to remain undefeated as they take on SEC foe Mississippi State in Starkville.

Bobby Johnson has led his Commodores to a 5-0 record for the first time since 1943, and they need just one more victory to become bowl eligible. Last weekend, Vanderbilt thrilled the home crowd with a 14-13 victory over Auburn. That victory halted a 13-game skid against the Tigers. The Commodores are 3-0 in SEC play for only the third time ever, having also beaten the likes of South Carolina and Ole Miss.

Mississippi State has lost its last three games to fall to 1-4, including 0-2 against SEC competition. The Bulldogs, who are fresh off an open date, are two weeks removed from a 34-24 setback against LSU in Baton Rouge, but they were certainly more competitive in that tilt than many expected. Three of the next four games will take place at home for MSU, including this week's clash, giving the team a chance to turn things around.

Mississippi State owns a 10-7-2 lead in the all-time series with Vanderbilt, although the last meeting was won by the Commodores in 2004.

Versatile quarterback Chris Nickson has been solid for Vanderbilt this season, and when he aggravated a shoulder injury and was forced to leave the game against Auburn, it was realistic to think that the Commodores were in serious trouble. Enter Mackenzi Adams, the team's backup, who threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns to lead the 'Dores to victory. "I've been prepared to start the entire time and am ready to go," said Adams after the win. "We split reps throughout practice this week and he (Nickson) looked good. It's a good feeling to help the team and get the win." Vandy only finished with 263 total yards in the clash, but the offense did just enough to win the game.

Overall this season, the Commodores are averaging 26.6 ppg while gaining only 278.8 total ypg. Vandy is passing for less than 100 yards per contest, but the ground attack is racking up 182.8 ypg. Jared Hawkins leads the team with 322 yards, while Nickson, who is listed as questionable for this week's clash, is close behind.

"People can think what they want to think," said an excited Commodore linebacker, Chris Marve, after the win over Auburn last weekend. "We just want to show the country we're a different Vanderbilt." The Commodores were tremendous on defense, limiting the Tigers to 208 total yard, including 98 passing yards on 10-of-22 efficiency. The run defense was stellar as well, holding Auburn to 110 yards on 44 carries.

Opponents are only scoring 16.2 ppg against Vanderbilt, which has been quite strong defensively through the first five games of the season. The Commodores are yielding only 3.5 yards per rush and have permitted just two rushing scores through 20 quarters of football. There is room for improvement in regard to pass defense, although Vandy does have a staggering total of 11 interceptions to its credit. Considering that the 'Dores have also recovered four fumbles and generated 16 sacks, the defense has made a high total of big plays. Keep an eye on Patrick Benoist, as he leads the team with 50 total tackles, including 5.5 TFLs.

Mississippi State did not commit a single turnover against LSU last weekend, enabling the Bulldogs to keep the game close. Sure, they only finished with 285 yards, but the offense scored three touchdowns and provided consistent effort all game. Tyson Lee looks comfortable running the offense, and he completed 17-of-26 passes for 175 yards. Head coach Sylvester Croom was happy with the play of his signal caller. "The thing he did tonight that he hadn't been doing that I was very pleased with, when things broke down he was very decisive about what he was going to do, whether he was going to throw it away or pull it down and run," said Croom.

Considering that MSU is only averaging 16.2 ppg, the offense isn't going to scare many opponents. But Lee is a dynamic player who brings a new look to the offense. Anthony Dixon leads the club with 320 rushing yards and has reached the end zone three times.

The Bulldogs did not play well enough on defense to knock off LSU, which posted 427 total yards and scored four offensive touchdowns. Mississippi State yielded 4.5 yards per rushing attempt and 14.5 yards per pass completion. "We didn't make some of the plays we needed to make to win the game, but the intensity level was really high," said linebacker Dominic Douglas. Opponents are scoring 21.4 ppg while gaining 331.8 total ypg against the Bulldogs, who are yielding 4.6 ypg on the ground and 13.5 yards per pass completion. They have come up with nine takeaways and eight sacks, but those big plays have not resulted in wins. K.J. Wright has six TFLs in five games, and Douglas leads the club with 36 total tackles.

This looks like a trap game for Vanderbilt, which is fresh off an emotional victory at home. The Commodores are experiencing levels of success rarely reached by the program, and it wouldn't be surprising to see a road loss to the Bulldogs.

Predicted Outcome: Mississippi State 24, Vanderbilt 20

Web Producer- Brett Haas
Copyright 2008 WAAYTV.com, The Sports Network contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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