Showtime in Starkvegas: Mississippi State Football Season Preview

right side to the five [Music] TCH into the hoop P it up push it [Music] in a fantastic [Music] Play Welcome Back ladies and gentlemen to the second edition of the Magnolia Fields maroon and White Edition we're going to be talking all things Mississippi State football today I'm Tanner maror he's Cody blazak and Cody let's just go ahead and dive in on tap today we have got the Mississippi State football schedule preview and without further Ado jumping into Eastern Kentucky uh first matchup ever between these schools Eastern Kentucky obviously at the FCF level that one's going to be played in starkfield 5m Kick for the home opener cupcake week you take what you can right around the corner and how do I put this we say cupcake week but I'm not sure you can always be sure of that yeah I I listen brand new head coach didn't have a great season last year looks like we've got a better roster than last year or state has a better roster than last year and a as you can see it's a 29 and a half point spread I think state gets the job done I'm not sure they cover that 29 and a half point spread yeah 29 and a half is a lot I mean a lot and the reason I say it cupcake week is one thing but like you also got to realize that there are first game Jitters and a new head coach a bunch of new players your quarterback is a transfer quarterback so I mean yeah I think they get the job but I don't think it's going to be a walk in the park like most week ones are well and here's the thing too Cody is that week There's still going to be a lot of position battles going on I I look specifically at the slot I think that that's going to wind up being a young guys role um unless Kelly arari takes over some duties in the slot but I think he's I think he could he's plenty fast enough but I think they're going to want him on the outside I look at like some freshman like JJ Harold a brillan Burnside guys that can come in and really do some damage from that slot position but the biggest position I think that's going to be up for grabs week one is the running back slot Seth Davis been ruled out for this season after the ACL tear late last year don't know yet really haven't heard any word whether that's kind of still being rehabbed or whether it's something else that's going to keep him out for this season but the good good news is he'll be able to get a medical red shirtt for it still maintain the eligibility but yeah Seth Davis who everybody expected to kind of be the bellal back for this state Squad this year G to be out for the season so who do you have Cody taking that running back spot rb1 in week one I I mean you would hope the top guy I don't have a list of this in front of me right now but the running back put it this way I think running back's going to be big but I don't think that's the main point of concern for this offense I think it'll be a factor but I really think you're going to I'm not going to say an air raid like we've seen here at the past but I think you're going to see that ball in the air quite a bit I don't know I I think that because when you look at leb's offense at Oklahoma a lot of it was predicated on the success of the Run game there was a lot of RPO there there is a lot of space and Pace to the outside guys but the the offensive line in the Run game really anchored that offense at Oak and for that reason I think we're going to see a by committee Approach at least in week one until a true starter emerges now which which is where I was kind of headed with that it's not necessarily that you're not going to see a lot of the ball on the ground because of the offense but because you don't have that guy with Seth Seth Davis gone that eliminates your your your front runner so yeah when you don't have a clear-cut favorite at that one spot in the depth chart sometimes you have to change the game plan a little bit yeah and you know you go out and you get it if you're Mississippi State you get who was supposed to be the number one running back in the transfer portal that winds up not working out then you go after Utah State's Devon booth now I think that is an interesting case for rb1 is Booth came from Utah state had a very very very good season for them last year um 2023 all academic uh Mountain West I look at um his Junior season at Utah State started seven of 12 games rush for 85 yards I I think this is a guy that can really give you a much needed boost but in the same breath I look at somebody like a Johnny Daniels who came from coin is the type of player that Mississippi state has had a lot of success with um just in recent years those Joo guys really get into Stark full and a lot of times reek Havoc he's played highle football um he was in uh NJCAA All Region uh in 2023 U the first commit for Jeff lebby so when Jeff leby came in Johnny Daniels was one of the first guys was the first guy he signed and then you still got Jeff Pitman so I think between those three you've got a really solid stable in the back field that can do some damage in week one I I was kind of thinking Jeffrey Pitman before you got into him a veteran who hasn't seen a lot of time here he's a senior runs the ball hard yeah runs the ball hard he saw 11 games last year so it's not like he rode the bench the entire year only had 54 carries but you wonder if he'll be maybe not the feature back but a back that sees enough playing time to take the load off of that feature back and a big guy there's also Keon Lee still hanging around Penn State transfer everybody has been waiting on Keon Lee to break out maybe this is the year he does it we'll see on into week two hitting the road and that is a late late kick out in tempy Arizona against Arizona State I've got Mississippi State taking the win in this one personally I think they're going to be kind of riding a little bit of a high uh I don't think Arizona State's going to be a very good football team this year so I've got Mississippi State starting off two and0 yeah week one to me is kind of like a a glorified spring game in a sense where probably should win it and there'll probably be some things that you don't usually do just to get things going figure out who your starters are but yeah week two they should be two and0 at this point yeah and ESPN's got this one is pretty much a tossup 50.9% chance for Mississippi State to take the win here I I think it's a little higher for Mississippi State I think that the physicality side of things and they do return a lot of the defensive line from last year so I look at that and I'm like I I think Mississippi State unless Arizona State comes back with a ridiculous offensive line could live in the back field that night and really kind of cause some Havoc uh with the addition of some guys like Brandon Jennings off the edge uh you know Damonte Russell is back trevan Williams is back I think they can really do some damage at the line of scrimmage in week two so I've got them taking the win yeah Arizona state was not good last year they were three and nine let's be a little bit honest about it but State wasn't great either last year they weren't three and nine bad but they weren't far behind they were bad and it this is a program that has had three different coaches in the past three years essentially and no that not essentially that's what it is so it's there's a lot up in the air and and I think there's a lot of possibilities that can happen with this team but I I don't want to say the first couple games your season are a cakewalk but they're pretty close to it these are games that that for an SEC school you should be winning these two yes it shouldn't be a question of yeah you should be winning these two uh on into week three Toledo uh Mississippi State again according to ESPN a 77.4% chance to win I think that's right on the Monday Toledo not a very historically good team has been good in spurts um I I think that early in the season Toledo will be looking to find themselves I think this could be this is really the last week for Mississippi State to find them to find themselves uh in this 2024 season so I I think Mississippi State takes the win in that one night kick in Starkville 6:30 p.m. I think Davis Wade could be rocking especially if State comes into that 2 and0 uh I think Toledo really going to have to surprise a lot of people yeah they were they've had solid Seasons the past couple of years they put out some really good players over the years I mean they were they they have improved since 2021 where they finished seven and six in 2022 they finished 9 and five and last year 23 they finished 11 and three yeah really good G5 team so I mean give them a little bit of credit really good G their only one regular season loss came in week one to Illinois they lost by two yeah and now Illinois was not a world beater last year by any means but still a good team yeah and then the last two games of the Season uh conference Championship lost Miami of Ohio 2314 and they lost the blll game to Wyoming 16 to 15 so they lost three games but two of them were by two points or less and but once again it's a whole different beast when you come into the SEC once again this should not really even be a a game in the sense of the word with Mississippi State that's Saturday night in Starkville night game Mississippi State comes into that one again two and0 I think Davis way is goingon to be rocking um going to be tough for Toledo coming out of there with a win we've got State starting off then three and0 and it gets a little tough get a little tougher from there on into Florida 11 a.m. September the 21st now here's the thing with this Florida team Cody the barometer for them is week one against Miami you weird I'm not high on Florida right now not it not at all I personally think this could be Billy napers last year in the swamp he doesn't have Anthony Richardson uh Travis eten Jr I believe is gone where are you going to get your production from I I think that if if Florida goes out and gets trampled in week one against Miami I think this is one of state's few very winnable SEC matchups especially with it being at home well a lot of it is where are they going to get the production they need but it also doesn't help when you have a schedule that looks like yeah that's the thing if you're Florida you're looking at this startall matchup as a chance to grab an SEC win in a brutal schedule I I look at this schedule and I say to myself as Florida there are only two games on that schedule that you can chalk up as wins one of them week three to Samford one of them week six to UCF and I'm not entirely I'm not entirely sure on UCF that's a that is AJ Jefferson but that's the thing you got KJ Jefferson under Center you've got Gus maon calling the shots UCF is not a pushover at the G5 level I think they could very well lose that one and for again I think this is Nate's last year in Gainesville for a multitude of reasons one of them being I do not see a lot of wins on this schedule and how many years can Florida fans go without racking up some wins yeah it's just it's tough luck honestly I mean you play two top 25 non-conference teams in Miami and Florida State and then you have to deal with the SEC and we can be honest not every SEC team is great but this this is a rough schedule A&M State Tennessee Kentucky Texas LSU and miss and that's that's Florida's and that yes so yeah it it's this is a game to Mississippi State and Florida I don't want to call it their Super Bowl but this is going to be one of those games where they're not projected to have a lot of conference wins this one matters to them this one matters this one is huge for Mississippi State because the very next week and right now I think I've got Florida's a toss up by the way I do too it's until I see what they look like week one I'm not going to say what I think on this game we're going to chalk it up as a win for now I'll chalk it up as a win for now because it's in Stark it's in Stark if it's in Florida I give it to Florida I agree I agree um on into the valley of death uh the the grueling part of this schedule starts with a afternoon kind of window game 2:30 to 330 uh in Austin playing Texas oof o you open the SEC not with an easy game by any means but boy once you get through week one with the SEC it gets brutal you get Texas State plays and let's let's go ahead and just get this statement out of the way I think state has arguably the toughest schedule out of any SEC team outside of Florida no I completely agree but I mean do you get last year if the 12 team format had been implemented state gets four playoff teams playoff teams from the SEC and I think it's I think it's a little higher for Florida but nonetheless yeah you you start with Texas you get a guy like Quinn Y is returning you get a couple of receivers now Texas Texas running back room has been riddled but they'll find somebody and Quinn ERS is still the quarterback they'll find someone and on top of the fact you got some receivers from the portal that are going to help and I I'll say them because I followed him a lot last year but Isaiah Bond you had a not so great quarterback at least in the air in the first half of the season with Jaylen milro and now you got an arm like Quinn yers come on now Quinn ERS I think's got the best armed talent in college football right now uh it's just ridiculous so obviously we've got State losing that one the last time um these teams matched up or maybe not the last time but one of the biggest memories obviously being the Cotton Bowl in 99 and Jackie Cheryl's Antics around that one it'll be kind of cool to relive some of that but yeah I I've got State losing that one in a big way on the road uh going to push them to if we're counting Florida is a win four- one and then we get into a buy and that's going to be tough we're going to talk a little bit after this break on the about the other side of that buy stick with us we'll be right back here at the Richard Schwarz and Associate Studio signing off for just a little bit of time Dan Mar Cody blazak stick with us [Music] if you've been hurting a car wck you know who to call call me remember one call that's all welcome back here to the Magnolia Fields podcast Tanner Marlo Cody blazak before the break we had Mississippi State at 4 and one losing to Texas heading into a byee after that bye yeah four- one is four and one is shaky at best four- one probably three- two then again you really get into the valley of death here with this schedule you're going to Georgia on October the 12th uh that game could be anywhere from 2:30 to 7 and that's a night game in Athens I feel bad for what Georgia is going to do to Mississippi State yeah yeah they really when it comes to these Powerhouse teams I mean choc up like like Georgia and Texas where Georgia arguably should have been in last year and whether you think they should have been in or out they were that number five team chances are they'll be in this year yeah chance I I don't even think chances I think sure enough they're going to be in there in the SEC I think it's for sure Georgia and Texas are going to be in but Kirby Smart has put that program in such a strong Direction it's hard to see them not making it at least five times in the next seven years with a couple of national championships this is not going to be a pretty game by any means no so Mississippi State then moving to four and two three and three four and two three and three four in that realm then you get Texas A&M in starkfield this is a matchup that Mississippi state has really owned the last few years um whether they've been bad or good now obviously last year get it shellacked uh against A&M on the road you get them back in Starkville this year but I think that the year one still kind of playing out uh I I think by that point and I also think that the new coaching staff at Texas A&M know what they're doing yeah I think they know what they're doing but here's anytime you get a new coaching staff I I don't think anything's sure yeah so and I'm not saying A&M's going to be bad and they're not going to win this game but what I am saying it's a winnable I think it's close to a winnable game I still think State's going to lose I I think State's going to lose I think they would lose by a lot more if this was being played in College Station yes but whenever you have that first season as a new head coach you're trying to get everything straight you don't necessarily have all your players I know it's a little different with the transfer portal but it it's still not easy it's it's going to take some time they might still be a good team they've got they've got all the talent in the world yeah but you're going to have one of those games as a new head coach that you lose that you probably should have won yeah and it might be this game for Texas A&M I don't think it will be but no I've got I've got them losing that one moving to four and three or three and four right through there um four and three optimistically four and three optimistically then you host Arkansas October 26th um I just I don't have a lot of faith in Sam Pitman this year but that new look offense is is kind of scary ton green is a phenomenal player having him under Center is going to be gamechanging if Arkansas continues on the path that they've been going I think this will be Sam pitman's last year in fville which kind of tough to watch I like Sam Pitman it's sad to me I like Sam Pitman I love Sam Pitman but I I think I I still think that one being in startv give State a fighting chance I've got them losing a close one though I think this one could go I I don't think this start I don't think the state defense is going to be able to withstand the SEC slate and I I agree to an extent I these are the two teams that are projected to finish 14 and 15 in the SEC so yeah it might be a good game because of that I mean look at last year yeah I mean last year was a close game it was miserable to watch but it was a close game yeah I I unfortunately I think I think this is another one where State just can't pull it out it it it feels like if they are just because of the history of Jeff leby it's going to be a team where they put up a th000 points a game but they they allow 2,000 a game so I mean Coleman hutler we don't is unproven it's unproven the Mississippi State defensive coordinator in his first year as a defensive coordinator coming over from Alabama obviously a really good defense there last year really good linebacker unit where he was a linebacker coach but it's just unproven you know and until we really get into the grind of it I can't say for sure that that defense is going to carry through SEC play so I've got them losing that one as well on into the final non-conference game of the season for Mississippi State UMass in Starkville that one on my birthday November 2nd uh 3:15 p.m. kick uh State takes that one I think yeah I I agree I think that I think it's a sure enough you should win all of your non-con games in uh UMass Toledo Arizona State and Eastern Kentucky unfortunately I do think there's a possibility you drop one of them if you drop any of them it's Ariz Arizona State or Toledo you should have this one under wraps and you talked about Death Valley just wait until after this yeah uh I mean it's it's just absolutely brutal you you you get done playing UMass and you hit the road to Knoxville for a night game that's gonna that's just rough that's just rough it is rough and what's even worse at least to me your final three games of the season are to number 15 in Tennessee in your pre in the preseason rankings 11 Missouri and then the egg ball with number six Old Miss that's not a fun way to end the season no I've got them losing at Knoxville um that's just brutal a night game in Knoxville I got them losing by a lot I'm gonna be honest yeah I agree it it's going to be a tough tough this is SL this is not a knock on what Jeff lebby's doing in Starkville I think he's going to be a great guy for the job personally it's going to take time it's going to take time this year one's not going to be pretty I don't think just because of the one of the dep of the SEC on into Missouri again like you said number 11 team I think they're dark in the SEC period they return a lot of talent and I think Eli drinkwitz is a great coach um he's a dude that's very hard not to like he is he is uh afternoon kick uh It's just tough It's just tough and we'll dive into that one a little bit more right here after this break stay with us we'll be right back here on the Magnolia Fields podcast [Music] if you've been hurting a car wreck you know who to call call me remember one call that's all welcome back to the Magnolia field Studios brought to you by Richard schwar and Associates one call that's all welcome back into the Magnolia Fields podcast before the break we Dove a little bit into Mississippi state's Missouri matchup uh that one on November 23rd in Starkville hosting the preseason rank number 11 team my personal Dark Horse for the SEC in general I think they're going to be a unsung Buzz saw they are a team that I have what I would call other uh other allegiances in the SEC this is a team that I would take over them that I would like to win you know how cool it would be to see Missouri just run through every like five to six years Missouri puts together some wickedly good team well not only because it's fun to watch a team that kind of comes out of nowhere but like we said it's hard not to like Eli drink with it is I like him I like him and I'm not saying it's going to happen but but they come in looking strong this season I I hope they have somewhat of a strong season but unfortunately that means that it's probably another L for for State going to be the Peril of Mississippi State then on into the big one the matchup everybody talks about every year for the bragging rights here in the Magnolia state ol Miss preseason ranked number 16 te I think ol Miss makes a playoff this year unfortunately uh for the Mississippi State listeners I just don't I don't see how State comes out of that one with a win unless they pull something miraculous I think Jeff lbby kind of operates as a secret weapon in this because he knows kin's Tendencies and stuff like that and he's been in that kind of building but it's just oh it's just a really really good old Miss team well well two things it is a good old Miss team but also they might have the easiest SEC schedule in the nation that's ridiculous which it is what it is but will say for the sake of this I will call Miss a loss but as we know as we know rivalry games are different yeah yeah anything can happen on any given year so and I'm not saying that state is at least on paper a better team than Old Miss but when it comes to a rivalry game end of the season and it might be a situation where if Old Miss loses that game you can say goodbye to the college football playoffs and that's some extra motivation absolutely there's nothing that Jeff leby and Mississippi state would like to do more than spoil Old Miss season um that that kind of wraps up the game by game preview I personally until I see Florida play I've got a chalk that one up as a loss I've got Mississippi State 4 and eight I think you're looking at a floor of an absolute worst floor of three and N in a ceiling of six and six where yeah with you got Florida and Arkansas maybe you squeak out A&M and well maybe A&M but the four nonc cons for sure and then Florida or Arkansas maybe both but even I I mean like I said Miss is always toss up yeah and I think that for all rivalries Michigan Ohio State you never know Bama Auburn all of it you just don't ever know that's the fun of it yeah real quick we've got about two minutes left here in the show we used to host a show called the dudes on 911 wmsv we always did X factors give me your X Factor out of the gate for this state Squad just all season all season so not for Eastern K Eastern Kentucky we'll dive into that next episode I think you're going to look at I'll give you I'm not going to give you an individual player I'll give you the wide receiver room mainly because there are a couple of young guys in brillan Burn side and JJ that are coming in that could be impact players and get some reps under their belt early in their freshman year maybe progress throughout their careers but I'm looking at those guys mainly because in high school they were electric they were fun to watch and they were really good hopefully they can replicate that for the Bulldogs and I don't know maybe you got some uh some strength in the offense going forward throughout the season and hopefully something to build on for next year yeah I'm G give you one name Isaac Smith fourstar safety out of owa I I think really could step into that role this year and be a leader uh for this Bulldog defense so keep your eyes on is Smith in the defensive back field a place where State needs some improvement we're a couple weeks away we are we're right here on the cusp of it week zero is next week college football week one is the week after it's time we all get excited for I'm I'm best time of the year I'm I'm I'm hyped I'm I'm ready I'm so ready I'm excited but I'm Buzz we'll see how it is for for the Bulldogs of Mississippi State fortunately I don't think it's going to be great how you never know that's all the time we've got as always thanks for joining here on the Magnolia Fields podcast I'm Tanner maror he's Cody blaz that we'll catch you guys next time [Music]