No. 15 Tennessee visits Mississippi State in SEC matchup

No. 15 Tennessee (3-1) at Mississippi State (4-0), Sept. 27 at 4:15 p.m. EDT.

How to watch: SEC Network

Key stats

Mississippi State Offense

Overall: 444 yards per game (39th in FBS)

Passing: 237 yards per game (66th)

Rushing: 207 yards per game (31st)

Scoring: 39.8 points per game (27th)

Mississippi State Defense

Overall: 265.5 yards per game (26th in FBS)

Passing: 129 yards per game (14th)

Rushing: 136.5 yards per game (68th)

Scoring: 11.8 points per game (16th)

Tennessee Offense

Overall: 554 yards per game (7th in FBS)

Passing: 337.8 yards per game (8th)

Rushing: 216.3 yards per game (27th)

Scoring: 53.5 points per game (4th)

Tennessee Defense

Overall: 372.3 yards per game (85th in FBS)

Passing: 279 yards per game (126th)

Rushing: 93.3 yards per game (26th)

Scoring: 27.8 points per game (100th)

Both teams perform well on third down. Mississippi State ranks 24th in the FBS, converting 51% of the time. Tennessee ranks 12th, converting 56.9%.

Tennessee is 61st in the FBS with an even turnover margin, compared to Mississippi State’s 10th-ranked +5 margin.

Mississippi State is 134th in the FBS with 89 penalty yards per game.

Tennessee is 103rd in FBS in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 92.3% of trips. Mississippi State’s red zone offense ranks 1st, scoring on 100% of red zone opportunities.

Both teams rank low in time of possession. Mississippi State is 119th in the FBS with an average time of possession of 26:31, while Tennessee’s 116th-ranked average is 27:03.

Team leaders

Mississippi State

Passing: Blake Shapen, 882 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs, 66.3 completion percentage

Rushing: Da’Marion Bothwell, 271 yards on 47 carries, 4 TDs

Receiving: Brenen Thompson, 291 yards on 17 catches, 3 TDs

Tennessee

Passing: Joey Aguilar, 1,124 yards, 12 TDs, 3 INTs, 66.7 completion percentage

Rushing: Star Thomas, 272 yards on 42 carries, 4 TDs

Receiving: Chris Brazzell II, 426 yards on 25 catches, 6 TDs

Last game

Mississippi State beat Northern Illinois 38-10 on Saturday, Sept. 20. Shapen passed for 160 yards on 12-of-20 attempts (60.0%) with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also carried the ball 11 times for 51 yards. Bothwell carried the ball 17 times for 101 yards, adding two receptions for 10 yards. Anthony Evans III had four receptions for 80 yards.

Tennessee won 56-24 over UAB on Saturday, Sept. 20. Aguilar led Tennessee with 218 yards on 15-of-22 passing (68.2%) for three touchdowns and one interception. Peyton Lewis carried the ball 11 times for 81 yards and scored one touchdown. Brazzell put up 62 yards on five catches with one touchdown.

Next game

Mississippi State plays at No. 9 Texas A&M on Oct. 4. Tennessee hosts Arkansas on Oct. 11.

By The Associated Press