9/1/2017 football Edit

Game Preview: Mississippi State vs Charleston Southern

First year head coach Mark Tucker will bring a young but experienced team to Starkville. (CSU Sports)

Vernon Bailey • BulldogBlitz

Publisher

Charleston Southern ( 3:00 PM CT Starkville, Ms Davis Wade Stadium Sept 2)

TV: SEC Network

Series Record: 0-0

Last Meeting: First meeting

2016 Record: 7-4, 4-1 Big South

CSU’s Rivals Class Rankings 2013-17: NA

Mississippi State’s Rivals Class Rankings 2013-17: No. 25 (2013), No. 38 (2014), No. 16 (2015), No. 25 (2016), No. 27 (2017)

Mississippi State enters the game as a heavy favorite but Charleston Southern will not be the easiest opener in recent years. They start the season ranked No. 14 in the FCS division and with a new staff they will be unpredictable on both sides of the ball.

Dan Mullen has now taken the team to a school record seven bowl games in a row and getting off to a fast start this weekend could help push that to eight years. The hire of Todd Grantham as defensive coordinator is one of the keys to improving upon a struggling defense from 2016.

MSU will again be led by quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, last season he threw for 2,423 yards and rushed for 1,375 yards. His ability to hurt you with both his arms and legs will be a real challenge for Charleston's defense. One area he will need to improve on is his 54.3 completion percentage from 2016.

Fitzgerald will have a new quarterback coach in Brett Elliott. A former college quarterback, Elliott played for Mullen at Utah.

The Buccaneers bring an offense based on a two-back triple option that will be a challenge for defenses. While the running game is their strength they will go the the air more than most option-based offenses.

On defense MSU is expected to start only three seniors and six returning starters but the unit returns several players with experience. Grantham will move the defense to a 3-4 scheme.

Two time pre-season Big South Defensive Player of the Year Anthony Ellis will lead the Charleston Southern defense. Last year he led the conference in both sacks (7.0) and tackles for loss (16.5).

NOTES

MSU is 83-32-2 all-time in season-openers, 57-15-1 in openers in Starkville and 6-2 under Dan Mullen.

Charleston Southern is still seeking its first win against a full FBS opponent, having beaten both Appalachian State (2013) and Coastal Carolina (2016) during their transitional years from FCS to FBS. The Bucs are 0-18 all-time against FBS opponents since CSU first lined up against South Florida back in the 2002 season.

The Buccaneers are 8-18 in season openers and 2-16 record in away games.