No. 14 Mississippi State and Kentucky take Twitter war of words to the field

STARKVILLE – There shouldn’t be need for extra motivation when the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs travel to take on Kentucky in Lexington at 6 p.m. CT Saturday night. It’s the first SEC game of the year for MSU, and the Wildcats are looking to extend their hot start on home turf.

Kentucky junior running back Benny Snell Jr., though, gave the Dogs (3-0) a reason to want this one a little more. After UK (3-0, 1-0 SEC East) beat Murray State 48-10 last week, Snell said he feels like he can “run on any team.” He added that he doesn’t fear any opposing defenses.

Enter Mississippi State’s vaunted front seven, regarded as arguably the best defensive front in the nation.

The Dogs’ defense has only allowed 85 rushing yards per game this season, sparking MSU’s sophomore running back Kylin Hill to respond to Snell’s comments on Twitter with 41 consecutive ‘crying-laughing’ emojis.

Kentucky offensive lineman Drake Jackson was asked about Hill later in the week. His response: “Does he play for Mississippi State?” Hill responded to that one, on Twitter once again, with one burning flame emjoi.

Fuel for the fire.

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State head coach Joe Moorhead didn’t elaborate directly on the extracurricular comments, but he knows the Wildcats will have a lot of energy playing at Kroger Field. Few expected an undefeated showdown between these two teams.

“Their mindset is toughness, physicality, aggressiveness and explosiveness, and right now, they're playing with a ton of confidence,” Moorhead said. “Certainly, they are a huge challenge.”

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The test for State's defense is containing both Snell and sophomore quarterback Terry Wilson, a transfer from the University of Oregon. They’ve combined to rush for 199.3 yards per game this year.

Mississippi State counters with a defense that has the second most tackles for loss in the FBS (33). Junior defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and senior defensive end lead the team in TFL with 5.5 each. Those two unsurprisingly topped the Bulldogs in that category a season ago when Sweat had 15.5 and Simmons trailed with 12.

“It’s a blessing because if I’m getting double-teamed, somebody else is free,” Simmons said. “If Sweat is getting double-teamed, I’m free. That just helps us out as a team and a defensive front. Somebody is going to be free.”

Racking up more negative plays is certainly a recipe for success against Kentucky. So is forcing turnovers, yet the only takeaways Mississippi State's defense has forced are single interceptions in each of the first three games.

Kentucky has turned it over six times this year, and the Wildcats are lucky the number isn’t higher. The team has fumbled eight times and has recovered five. MSU defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said Kentucky has a few “known offenders,” a term he uses to describe players the Dogs should target for ball security issues.

Wilson must be one of them. He’s fumbled three times, losing two. He’s also thrown three interceptions. This could be the week Mississippi State breaks out to force multiple turnovers.

A slew of takeaways could silence the home crowd and the Wildcat players walking into this matchup with a confidence-overload. But if Kentucky plays error-free and to its potential, then Mississippi State’s SEC opener could be close.

No. 14 Mississippi State (3-0, 0-0 SEC West) at Kentucky (3-0, 1-0 SEC East)

WHEN, WHERE: Saturday, 6 p.m. CT, Kroger Field, Lexington, Ky.

TV: ESPN 2

RADIO: MSU Radio Sports Network, Sirius satellite Channel 113, XM Channel 192

SERIES, LAST MEETING: MSU leads 23-22. The Bulldogs won 45-7 last year in Starkville.

KICKOFF WEATHER: 64 degrees with 78 percent humidity, 30 percent chance of rain, winds northeast at 9 miles per hour.

WHAT TO WATCH: The unbeaten Wildcats gained confidence two weeks ago when they opened SEC play with a 27-16 win vs. Florida to break their 31-game losing streak to the Gators. Mississippi State is starting SEC action trying to get its third straight victory in league openers. The Bulldogs, sporting the SEC’s top rushing attack which averages 311.7 yards, will test Kentucky’s suspect rushing defense (122.7 ypg allowed, 10th in the league) early and often. MSU quarterback Nick Fitzgerald ranks second in the SEC in total offense (331.5 ypg) and has accounted for 8 TDs (4 rushing, 4 passing). Defensively, the Bulldogs have had six straight games with at least 8 tackles for loss dating back to last year .UK running back Benny Snell has 14 career 100-yard rushing games.

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