3 Takeaways from Mississippi State's 45-14 win over Bowling Green

Mississippi State always preaches taking it one week at a time, and they did that this week in a 45-14 route of Bowling Green ahead of their SEC home opener with Texas A&M.

The Falcons were without starting quarterback Matt McDonald today, and the Bulldogs took full advantage as they held backup Camden Orth to 172 yards passing, but the storyline of the day was the offense as Will Rogers tied a career-high with six touchdowns on the day.

1) Special Teams

I'm sure it was a shock to most Mississippi State fans when Ben Raybon knocked down a 53-yard field goal in the first quarter, but the reality is that Mississippi State's field goal kicking is much improved this season. The 53-yarder is tied for the 2nd longest make in school history, and it's the 2nd week in a row that the Northern Colorado transfer knocked down a long-range kick as he drained a 45-yarder in the loss to LSU.

The punting has also been impressive, and UMass transfer George Georgopoulos pinned Bowling Green at the 3-yard line on a punt in the second quarter. The 5th year senior also stood out last week with two punts that downed LSU at the 11-yard line.

In a season where special teams have caused some issues for the Bulldogs, Head Coach Mike Leach raved about the unit's performance today.

"I thought maybe the brightest part of our play was the special teams," Leach said. "We were pretty solid in all phases. We had some really good punts. We punted better than the chart even says because we dropped that one on the 1-yard line and all that other stuff, and it was literally the punt more so than the coverage. We had some good tackles. Hit a long field goal, I don't know how long it was, but it was quite a ways. This is one of the better special teams games I think we've had.

2) Ducking Dominates

Redshirt senior Caleb Ducking has been the breakout star of Mississippi State's receiving core, and his 96-yard 2-touchdown performance gives him the team lead in both categories with 258 yards and five touchdowns on the season.

The former Holmes C.C. standout has taken full advantage of his opportunities this season after sitting behind Osirus Mitchell and Makai Polk in previous seasons, and he says that it's shaped him into the player he is today.

"I feel like I came a long way," Ducking said. "Sitting back behind guys like Makai (Polk), sitting back watching him. The year before, I was behind Osirus Mitchell, so I had a lot of guys in front of me who were doing good, so I just learned from them and put it to my game."

3) Tulu Time

Mississippi State fans have been vocal about wanting to get Tulu Griffin the ball more. The junior was more featured in the offense today and drew more snaps than Rara Thomas at the X-receiver position.

The speedster had 54 receiving yards, 39 of which came after the catch, and tied a season-high with five receptions, including his first touchdown this season. Griffin also made his presence felt on special teams, as he always does, with a 42-yard kick return that started a Mississippi State touchdown drive at the 46-yard line.