Mississippi State football travels to Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Mississippi State football team hits the road for the first time during the 2021 season to face the Memphis Tigers at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

The Bulldogs (2-0) are looking for their best start since 2018, two years before Mike Leach took over as head coach.

The Bulldogs and Tigers are meeting for the 45th time, dating back to the 1951 season. MSU owns a 33-11 edge in the all-time series, including a 17-6 record in Memphis. The Bulldogs have also won 12 consecutive games over the Tigers.

MSU improved to 2-0 last week with a 24-10 win over North Carolina State, which followed a 35-34 come-from-behind win over Louisiana Tech to open the season.

MSU sophomore quarterback Will Rogers leads the nation in completions per game with 36. He has completed 72 of 96 (75%) passes for 664 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

MSU’s defense was a big reason for last week’s victory over the Wolfpack. The Bulldogs limited the Wolfpack to just 34 yards rushing and forced three turnovers.

Memphis (2-0) opened its 2021 campaign with a 42-17 win over Nicholls State and followed with a 55-50 win over Arkansas State last week.

The Tigers, led by a pair of freshmen in quarterback Seth Henigan and running back Brandon Thomas, are averaging a nation-leading 633.5 yards of total offense per game to go with 48.5 points. Henigan has completed 41 of 65 (63.1%) passes for 682 yards and six TDs. Thomas leads the nation with 338 yards rushing on 34 carries and three TDs.

The Memphis defense is giving up 33.5 points and 489.5 yards of total offense per game, including 390.5 yards through the air.

Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst) and Dawn Davenport (reporter) will be on the call.