MISSISSIPPI STATE GAME NOTES MSTATE (4-3, 1-3 SEC) VS. WEST VIRGINIA (5-1, 1-1 BIG EAST) MOUNTAINEER FIELD AT MILAN PUSKAR STADIUM (60,000) • OCTOBER 20, 2007 • 3:30 P.M. ET MSTATE SCHEDULE & RESULTS MISSISSIPPI STATE PLAYS ITS FINAL NON-CONFERENCE GAME AT WVU Date Opponent W-L Score/Time Following last week's 33-21 loss to nationally No. 25-ranked Tennessee, Mississippi State plays its Aug. 30 * LSU L 0-45 final non-conference game of the 2007 season when the Bulldogs travel to West Virginia, Saturday, Sept. 8 at Tulane W 38-17 Oct. 20. The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised to selected areas in West Sept. 15 * at Auburn W 19-14 Virginia and Pennsylvania by the ESPN regional network. Sept. 22 GARDNER-WEBB W 31-15 Sept. 29 * at South Carolina L 21-38 MISSISSIPPI STATE HAS BEEN SOLID BULLDOGS EYE THIRD ROAD WIN IN A Oct. 6 UAB (Homecoming) W 30-13 Oct. 13 * TENNESSEE L 21-33 AGAINST NON-LEAGUE OPPONENTS SEASON FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE '00 Oct. 20 at West Virginia 2:30 p.m. Mississippi State has posted a 159-116-10 (.575) record Mississippi State has not won three road games in the Oct. 27 * at Kentucky TBA all-time against teams that are not members of the same season since 2000, the last time the Bulldogs earned Nov. 10 * ALABAMA TBA Nov. 17 * at Arkansas (Little Rock) TBA Southeastern Conference, an impressive 46-16-1 (.738) a post-season bowl berth. That year was also the last time Nov. 23 * OLE MISS 11:30 a.m. mark in regular-season, non-conference games since MSU has posted four or more wins in a year. All times Central 1989. MSU, however, has won just nine of its last 17 non- The Series conference games, dating to the beginning of the 2003 CROOM TUTORED WVU COACH MAGEE Overall Record . West Virginia leads 1-0 season. The Bulldogs are 3-0 outside the SEC thus far this IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE at Starkville . West Virginia leads 1-0 at Morgantown . Never Met season and have not gone unbeaten in non-league play Mississippi State head football coach Sylvester Croom at Neutral Sites . Never Met since the 2000 campaign (3-0). worked with the running backs while with the Tampa Last meeting: . West Virginia 42-14, 2006 in Starkville Last meeting in Morgantown: . Never Met Bay Buccaneers in his first professional football coaching Last 10 meetings: . West Virginia leads 1-0 MISSISSIPPI STATE HAS RARELY PLAYED assignment from 1987-90. During his first two years in Current Series Win Streak: . .West Virginia 1 AN OPPONENT FROM THE BIG EAST Tampa, one of his top players was current West Virginia Sylvester Croom vs. West Virginia: . 0-1 at Morgantown . Never Met Mississippi State is 5-4 all-time against teams that cur- assistant head coach/offensive coordinator and running Rich Rodriguez vs. Mississippi State:. 1-0 rently comprise the Big East Conference. Prior to last backs coach Calvin Magee. In fact, Magee was a Pro Bowl at Morgantown . Never Met Croom vs. Rodriguez:. 0-1 season's home loss to West Virginia, the Bulldogs had not alternate under Croom's direction in 1987. played a school from the Big East in 20 years (at Syracuse Broadcast Information in 1986). MSU won two games from the Orangemen in WEST VIRGINIA HAS TWO PLAYERS Television . .ESPN Regional Announcers . John Sanders and Rene Nadeau 1985-86, has split series' games with Louisville (2-2) and FROM THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI Radio . Mississippi State Radio Network Cincinnati (1-1). In addition to last year's meeting with the West Virginia shows two players on its roster from the Announcers . Jack Cristil, Jim Ellis, John Correro XM Radio. Channel 200 Mountaineers, those are the school's only games against state of Mississippi. Junior linebacker Archie Sims is in Starkville . 107.9, WFCA the Big East Conference. from Laurel (West Jones HS). He signed with Mississippi State out of high school, but inked a scholarship with the Quick Facts - Mississippi State Record . 4-3 MISSISSIPPI STATE TO APPEAR ON ESPN Mountaineers after attending Jones County Community Ranking (AP/Coaches'). NR / NR REGIONAL TV, NATIONAL GAMEPLAN College. Senior tight end Brandon Tate hails from nearby Last Game . L, vs. Tennessee, 21-33 Head Coach . .Sylvester Croom Mississippi State looks to improve on a 51-75 all-time Noxubee County High School in Macon, Miss. Mississippi Career Record . .13-28 / fourth season record (.405) when appearing on television. State is 2-2 State has no players from the state of West Virginia. MSU Record . .13-28 / fourth season on the tube this season. The Bulldogs have recorded a Quick Facts - West Virginia 23-30 mark (.434) when their games have been televised DESPITE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN Record . 5-1 on a regional network. The game will be shown on SCHOOLS, OTHER PLAYER TIES EXIST Ranking (AP/Coaches'). 9 / 7 Last Game . W, at Syracuse, 55-14 ESPN's GamePlan and available for purchase in the state Despite the fact that only two players hail from the oppo- Head Coach . Rich Rodriguez of Mississippi. nent school's state, a couple of other associations connect Career Record . 95-61-2/ 15th season the two teams' players. MState halfback Arnil Stallworth West Virginia Record. 55-25 / seventh season was a sophomore at Daphne (Ala.) High School when MISSISSIPPI STATE ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS West Virginia's Patrick White was a senior there. Bulldog P.O. Box 5308 Mississippi State, MS 39762 quarterback Wesley Carroll was a sophomore starter at Football Contacts: Mike Nemeth, Joe Galbraith St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) High School when Mountaineer Phone: (662) 325-2703 • Fax: (662) 325-2563 wide receiver Mike Poitier was a senior there. Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. West Virginia Mountaineers • October 20, 2007 • Football Game Notes • Early Week Notes DESPITE VOL OUTBURST, MSU STILL MEDIA SERVICES RANKS IN TOP HALF OF SEC VS. RUSH STATISTICAL COMPARISON MONDAY TELECONFERENCE Tennessee became just the second team to rush for more Mississippi State vs. West Virginia MSU head football coach Sylvester Croom will conduct a Monday teleconference (10 a.m. CT) prior than 200 yards against Mississippi State's defense this sea- (2007 per-game averages) to Bulldog games this year. Contact the MSU Athletic son (Auburn, 216) when the Volunteers gained 211 yards on Media Relations Office (662-325-2703) for access info. 42 carries against the Bulldogs this past weekend. Despite Mississippi State WVU TUESDAY PRESS CONFERENCE that performance, the MSU defense still ranks sixth in the Overall Record . 4-3. 5-1 Coach Croom will conduct a weekly press confer- Southeastern Conference against the rush (142.0 yards Conference Record . 1-3. 1-1 ence each Tuesday prior to an MSU game. The confer- per game). UT also ended State's streak of not allowing Points Scored . 22.9. 42.8 ence will be held at the Bryan Athletic Administration Building. Coach Croom's press conference begins at a 100-yard rusher (Arian Foster, 139) at 12 games, a span Points Allowed . 25.0. 17.2 1 p.m. (CT). Selected players will be available following that dated to State's Week 6 game last year against West Total Offense . 301.3. 503.8 Croom's presentation (approximately 1:30 p.m.). To Virginia. Rushing Yards . 157.6. 311.2 request specific players, media members must contact MSU Athletic Media Relations (662-325-2703) by 5 p.m. Passing Yards . 143.7. 192.7 the Monday preceding each respective press confer- MSU KEEPS POSSESSION ADVANTAGE Yards Allowed. 343.9. 261.5 ence. WITH SOLID RUSH, CONVERSION RATE Rushing Yards Allowed . 142.0. 96.8 WEDNESDAY SEC WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE Mississippi State ground out 135 yards rushing against Passing Yards Allowed. 201.9. 164.7 Coach Croom will join the league's other 11 coach- Tennessee this past Saturday, the sixth straight week it First Downs. 17.3. 24.9 es on the SEC's Wednesday teleconference. Coach rushed for 135 yards or more in a game. MSU ranks eighth Time of Possession. 30:37. 31:38 Croom's seven-minute segment is scheduled from 11:03-11:10 a.m. (CT). The teleconference phone num- in the Southeastern Conference, averaging 157.6 rushing 3rd Down Conversion . 40%. 52% ber can be obtained by calling the MSU Athletic Media yards per game. State made six-of-16 third-down conver- Relations office. sion attempts against the Volunteers, and has now convert- INDIVIDUAL COMPARISON WEEKLY PLAYER INTERVIEWS ed third down opportunities at a 40.0 percent rate (seventh Mississippi State vs. West Virginia During game week, all player interviews must in the SEC). MState's rushing game and conversion rate (2007 per-game averages) be conducted by Tuesday evening and need to be has helped the team rank fourth in the league in time of arranged at least 24 hours in advance. Players MAY NOT be interviewed after Tuesday evening. Players possession average (30:37 average per game). By compari- Mississippi State West Virginia will be notified of requested telephone interviews via a son, the Bulldogs averaged 95.2 yards per game rushing Rushing Yards-per-Game message placed on the player's locker. The player will last year, converted 36 percent of its third-down opportuni- Dixon . 99.1. 104.2 . Slaton call following practice at his convenience. Please coordinate all player requests with the MSU ties, and averaged only 29:26 of possession time. Ducre . 36.6.