The Mississippi State Bulldogs, playing with heavy hearts this week after the news of the sudden death of walk-on Sam Westmoreland, will travel to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Alabama comes in after losing their first game of the season in a shootout loss at Tennessee. The Bulldogs come in at 5-2 following a 27-17 loss to Kentucky. The opening kick is set for 7pm EST.
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It has certainly been a difficult week for the Mississippi State Bulldogs football program after learning of the death of 18 year-old walk-on Sam Westmoreland early this week. The team and coaching staff undoubtedly prepped for this week's huge tilt with Alabama with other thoughts on their minds.
“The Mississippi State Athletics Family is heartbroken by the sudden death of Sam Westmoreland,” Bulldogs coach Mike Leach said via a statement. “Sam was a beloved son, brother and teammate, and a tremendous young man with a limitless future. He will always be remembered and deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him. The entire MSU Family mourns as our thoughts and prayers go out to the Westmoreland family. Our highest priority is the support of the Westmoreland family and our student-athletes during this troubling time.”
Last week, in the business of football, the Bulldogs fell to the Kentu cky Wildcats 27-17, dropping from 16th to 24th in the Top-25 standings. The loss dampened the achievement of quarterback Will Rogers, who tied Dak Prescott's school record with his 70th touchdown pass of his career. Rogers finished 25-of-37 for 203 yards with the touchdown and an interception. The Bulldogs finished with just 13 first downs and 225 yards of total offense. Miss State had just 22 yards of rushing yards.
On defense, cornerback Emmanuel Forbes had his 5th career pick-six, tying an SEC record. The Bulldogs allowed 478 yards of total offense to Kentucky, including 24 first downs. They also forced and recovered a fumble in the game. They had one sack in the game and four tackles for loss.
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— Mississippi State Athletics (@HailState) October 19, 2022
Mississippi State will try to get back to the business of playing football this week and their efforts will be focused on utilizing one of the nation's top passing attacks. On the season, the Bulldogs are 23rd in the country in scoring offense. They are not very effective on the ground in Leach's pass-happy offense, ranking 117th in the country on the ground. Through the air, Miss State is 8th in the country, however. Their red zone offense is very effective despite the lack of ground game, ranking 11th in the country. They have been effective hanging on to the ball as well, ranking 24th in the country in turnover differential. On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs are 26th in defensive scoring thus far. They are just 68th in the country against the rush but have been better against the pass, ranking 48th. Finally, the Bulldogs have been pretty efficient at stopping teams in the red zone, ranking 38th in the country.