Primary Contact: Joe Galbraith • [email protected] • O!ce - 662.325.0967 • Cell - 662.418.3970 Secondary Contact: Kyle Niblett • [email protected] • O!ce - 662.325.0972 • Cell - 662.418.9139 Game One • Mississippi State (0-0, 0-0 SEC) at Memphis (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) • Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011 • Liberty Bowl • 7:10 p.m. CT • FSN ENERAL AME NFORMATION G G I BULLDOGS HEAD TO BATON ROUGE FOR ANOTHER MSU LOOKING TO FOR ONE OF BEST MARKS THROUGH RANKED BATTLE 10 GAMES TEAM INFORMATION & STATS Mississippi State travels to Baton Rouge this weekend to face Should the Bulldogs win Saturday, their 8-2 mark through 10 MISSISSIPPI STATE LSU LSU, the Bulldogs’ third-consecutive top-15 foe. The game will be games will tie the 1999 squad for the second best start through 22 / 23 / 21...........Ranking (AP / USA Today / BCS)...........9 / 9 / 7 broadcast on ESPN with Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly nine games in school history (9-0-1 in 1940). In fact, Mississippi Dan Mullen ...................Head Coach .................. Les Miles Rowe on the call. Saturday’s game is the first time since 2007 the State has won eight games in a season only 14 times in its previ- 28-19 ........................ Career Record ................... 110-41 Bulldogs will face a third-straight ranked foe. ous 112 years of football. 28-19 .......................Record at School ....................82-20 2012 STATS MISSISSIPPI STATE LOOKING TO CONTINUE 1999 NEARLY DONE AT HALF, CERTAINTY AFTER THREE 7-2 ..............................Record...........................7-2 COMPARISONS Since Dan Mullen took over the Mississippi State program 3-2 ........................Conference Record .....................3-2 The 2012 edition of Mississippi State football became only in 2009, the Bulldogs have won 24 of 26 games led at halftime. 30.8 .........................Points Per Game ..................... 29.4 the second team in school history to win its first seven games Even more impressively, State has won all 27 games in which 19.7 .....................Points Allowed Per Game.................15.3 of the season, joining the 1999 team. The ’99 team was the last it had a lead entering the fourth quarter. Overall, the Bulldogs Bulldog squad to defeat LSU, posting a 17-16 victory in late have a 37-game winning streak when up to begin the fourth. 387.1.....................Total Offense Per Game................ .391.2 October. 156.4....................Rushing Yards Per Game ................200.7 BANKS AMONG BEST DEFENDERS IN THE COUNTRY 230.7.....................Passing Yards Per Game.................190.6 MULLEN CONTINUES TO CLIMB SCHOOL WIN CHARTS On Oct. 29, senior defensive back Johnthan Banks became 377.9....................Yards Allowed Per Game . .253.1 Head Coach Dan Mullen has led the Bulldogs to 28 wins in the first player in school history to be named a semifinalist for 168.2................Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game ............102.8 three-plus seasons, good for fifth most in school history. A win the Chuck Bednarik Award, given annually to the outstanding 209.7................Passing Yards Allowed Per Game ............150.3 vs. LSU would tie him with W.D. Chadwick (1909-13) for fourth- defensive player of the year. The All-American was also named INDIVIDUAL COMPARISON most all-time. Mullen’s .596 winning percentage ranks ninth all- a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the best Tyler Russell .................Leading Passer .......Zach Mettenberger time and third among any coach who amassed more than three defensive back in college football. Banks is the third player in 156-263-3-1954 yds-16 TD 136-233-4-1717 yds-8 TD years of experience in Starkville. program history named a semifinalist, and the first in back-to- LaDarius Perkins..............Leading Rusher............... Jeremy Hill back seasons. 153 att.-804 yds.-8 TD 77 att.-429 yds-6 TD OFFENSE STILL SCORING AT NEAR RECORD PACE Chad Bumphis ..............Leading Receiver.......Odell Bekcham, Jr. The Mississippi State offense has scored 277 points through RUSSELL HAS BEEN ELITE 34 rec.-536 yds-7 TD 30 rec.-493 yds-2 TD its first nine games, its most through the first nine contests since Tyler Russell is one of seven quarterbacks nationally with Benardrick McKinney . .Leading Tackler..............Kevin Minter the 2000 squad scored 307 points. The scoring an average of 15-plus passing touchdowns and three or fewer interceptions 30.1 points per game is apporaching the modern-era record of this season: 73 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 Sacks 82 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 3.0 Sacks 31.7 set in 1994. The Bulldogs have scored 27 or more points in seven games, only the third time in school history the team has NAME/SCHOOL TDS INTS ISSISSIPPI TATE CHEDULE 2012 M S S eclipsed 27 in seven games in a single season (1998 and 2000). Colby Cameron, Louisiana Tech 24 0 Date Opponent Result/Time A.J. McCarron, Alabama 19 0 Sept. 1 JACKSON STATE (FSN) W, 56-9 BALANCED ATTACK HAS PRODUCED RESULTS Tyler Tettleton, Ohio 15 2 Sept. 8 * AUBURN (ESPN) W, 28-10 Of 589 offensive plays, offensive coordinator Les Koenning’s Geno Smith, West Virginia 29 3 Sept. 15 at Troy (ESPN3) W, 30-24 group has run 306 times (51.9 percent) and passed 283 times Jordan Lynch, Northern Ill. 19 3 Sept. 22 SOUTH ALABAMA "PPV# W, 30$10 (48.1 percent). The Bulldog offense has gained 3,484 total yards, Matt McGloin, Penn State 18 3 Oct. 6 * at Kentucky (SEC Network) W, 27-14 with 2,076 yards (59.6 percent) through the air. The Bulldogs TYLER RUSSELL, MISSISSIPPI STATE 16 3 Oct. 13 * TENNESSEE "ESPN2# W, 41-31 rushed more times than passed in each of the first seven games Oct. 20 MIDDLE TENNESSEE "ESPN2# W, 45$3 of the season. QUARTERBACK SET TO BREAK MANY SCHOOL MARKS Oct. 27 * at Alabama (ESPN) L, 7-38 Russell, with 13 career starts, has already tossed 29 touch- Nov. 3 * TEXAS A&M "ESPN# L, 13$38 RUSSELL, PASSING GAME HAVE EXCELLED down passes, good for fifth on the school’s all-time list. The Nov. 10 * at LSU (ESPN) 6 p.m. The Tyler Russell-led Mississippi State passing attack has Manning Award Watch List QB has already entered the school’s compiled more than 2,000 yards just three-quarters of the way top 10 in passing yardage (3,623, ranks seventh). This past Nov. 17 * ARKANSAS "SEC NETWORK# 11:21 a.m. through the season. The 2012 team is only 234 yards from enter- Saturday vs. Texas A&M, Russell tied the single-season school Nov. 24 * at Ole Miss ing the all-time top 10 with 2,076 yards and only 16 completions record with his 16th touchdown pass of the season. away from the top 10 in that category. The 230 yards-per-game He needs two completions and one attempt to reach the SERIES HISTORY would be the second-highest average ever and the 59.4 comple- school’s top 10 in each of those categories. Russell is on pace to Overall Series Record:.............................. LSU leads 69-33-3 tion percentage would be a new school record. The total of 18 pass the school single-season records for completions, attempts, in Baton Rouge: .................................LSU leads 46-18-1 touchdown passes is one away from the school mark of 19, set and passing yardage. Last meeting: . LSU, 19-6, 9/15/11 in Starkville last season. in Baton Rouge: ................................ LSU, 29-7, 9/18/10 BUMPHIS REACHES ONE MILESTONE, Last 10 meetings: .......................................... LSU, 10-0 TURNOVERS HAVE GENERALLY TOLD STORY ON PACE FOR OTHERS Current Series Win Streak: . LSU, 12 Games In recent seasons, no stat has been a better harbinger of suc- Senior wide receiver Chad Bumphis is the university’s record cess for the Bulldogs than turnover margin. Over the last three- holder in touchdown receptions and hauled in his 19th against BROADCAST INFORMATION plus seasons, State has won 22 of 23 games when victorious in Texas A&M. The All-SEC candidate now has 131 career recep- Kickoff .....................................................6 p.m. CT the turnover column. Conversely, the Bulldogs have won just tions, good for fourth on the school’s all-time list. He needs 27 TV ............. ESPN (Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe) five times out of 14 when losing the turnover battle. receptions to tie the school record of 162 set by David Smith in Radio ................................Mississippi State Radio Network Through nine games, State ranks sixth in the nation with a 1970. His 1,884 career yards rank fifth all time and his 2,988 all- Announcers . .Jim Ellis, Matt Wyatt and John Correro plus-13 turnover margin. The Bulldogs are tied for 19th nation- purpose yards rank ninth on the school’s all-time chart. XM Radio Network .....................................Channel 85 ally with 21 forced turnovers. Bumphis is tied for the SEC lead among wideouts in 2012 Sirius Radio Network ...................................Channel 85 with seven touchdowns, which is tied for third most in a single in Starkville..............................................107.9 WFCA season in school history. Noon 1 p.m. 5:45 p.m. 11:50 a.m. 7 p.m. No Media Availability 11:21 a.m. Coach Mullen Coach Mullen Weekly Press Players available following SEC Teleconference Coach Mullen Radio Show Kicko% vs. Arkansas Weekly Teleconference Conference - Bryan Building practice (Bu%alo Wild Wings) (Senior Day) Post-Practice 1:30 p.m. Player availability if necessary Postgame Assistants available after Coach Mullen and selected Mullen players and coaches available following game. 2012 MISSISSIPPI STATE FOOTBALL NOTES • GAME 10 AT LSU PERKINS HAS TAKEN OVER EVERY DOWN RB ROLE AN EXPLOSION IN EXPLOSIVE PLAYS Junior tailback LaDarius Perkins entered the 2012 as a do- Through nine games this season, the Bulldogs already have Overall Streak 2012 everything scat back, but has emerged as a solid, every-down 67 plays of 20+ yards.