The 14th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies will face the Mississippi State Bulldogs on the road on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 4:15 p.m. ET. The game can be watched on the SEC Network.
Texas A&M (5-1, 3-0 SEC), fresh off an open week, dominated Missouri 41-10 in its last outing. Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3 SEC) is coming off a 41-31 loss to Georgia.
Texas A&M vs Mississippi State Preview
Texas A&M is a sizeable 17.5-point favorite to defeat Mississippi State on Saturday. The over/under is set at 56 points.
The Aggies have Conner Weigman back under center who is in full health and led Texas A&M to a big win over Missouri. Weigman threw for 276 yards but did not throw for a touchdown. After the game, he said (via AggiesWire):
“Not being able to play a football game is always tough because I like being about to be out there with my brothers and having their backs. Not playing football sucks. Being back to feeling good finally is a good feeling."
This season, Weigman has thrown for 501 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. After being sidelined by injury, his return against Missouri came as a surprise, considering Marcel Reed had played well in his absence.
The Aggies' offense runs through running back Le'Veon Moss who has rushed for 609 yards and six touchdowns on 88 carries
On defense, Marcus Ratcliffe leads with three interceptions, Nic Scourton has 4.5 sacks, and Taurean York has recorded 28 tackles.
Mississippi State, meanwhile, has struggled this season. Bulldogs starting quarterback Blake Shapen went down with an injury and has been replaced by freshman Michael Van Buren Jr.
Van Burne Jr. has been impressive to begin his career and Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said he does pose a problem for the defense with his strong arm and ability to throw it deep.
"I think [he's] a kid who's certainly grown tremendously," Elko saidi (via SI). "You know, they haven't given him the easiest hand, having to go to two top-10 teams on the road in his first two starts, and I think he's handled it extremely well.
"I think he's got a big-time arm, I think he can throw the deep ball really, really well, I think you saw that last week. I thought in the second half, he got into a really comfortable rhythm back there and made some big-time throws against a really good defense."
However, Mississippi State's defense is a major issue as the Aggies should be able to score at will against the Bulldogs. Texas A&M could cruise to a lopsided win on the road to remain atop the SEC with an undefeated conference record.
Prediction: Texas A&M 41, Mississippi State 21
Texas A&M vs Mississippi State: Betting Tips
Tip 1: Texas A&M -17.5 (-110)
Tip 2: Over 56 (-110)
Tip 3: Conner Weigman over 225 passing yards (-185)
Tip 4: Texas A&M first half -9.5 (-115)
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