Mississippi State vs. EKU PREVIEW & PREDICTIONS | 2024 SEC Football

[Music] a new era begins in Starkville Mississippi game number one for Jeff lebby's bulldogs as Mississippi State takes on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and we're here breaking it all down our full preview and predictions he is Cole Thompson I am Chris Phillips folks welcome to SEC unfiltered appreciate each and every single one of you tuning in make sure you like subscribe turn notifications check us out via podcast wherever you get your podcast you can also find us across all social media platforms as well as our website SEC unfiltered.com this segment brought to you by our friends over at mybookie guys go to mybookie.ag use promo code SECU at sign up to receive a special welcome offer on your first deposit again that's mybookie.ag promo code SECU to get your special welcome offer and bet on all the week one action including this game we're discussing all throughout the season guys let's move into it again Cole Thompson joins me we're breaking down the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Eastern Kentucky Colonels as the SEC football season is officially back Cole my man first things first what's going on how you feeling oh boy this is gonna be this is be the segment that makes me or breaks me I I generally don't know there there is a LoveHate relationship going on right now inside my heart with not only internal thoughts but also the the the the Mississippi State fans that I know are clamoring at the cowbells begging me to come in a t it's like that's scene in the movie Warriors Warriors come out to play there's just ringing the cowbells Cole come to Starkville because they just know that I am not going to walk out of that town unscathed it's a it's a year to where you can prove me wrong Mississippi State I don't think you will but we gonna find out pretty quickly what this offense looks like and ultimately the one thing that we do know about Jeff lebby's units you don't want to go and shoot out fion with them the path to prove the doubters wrong Cole it begins in week one again against Eastern Kentucky Saturday August the 31st 6 PM Eastern kick on SEC network plus this game of course being played in starkl at Davis Wade Stadium like you mentioned the cow bells will be ringing for Jeff leevy's debut Mississippi State a 29 and a half Point favorite in this game the over under set at 58 this is the first meeting between these two schools again game one of Jeff leby the big headliner but let's first talk about the colonels Cole meeting the colonels Eastern Kentucky and what folks may not realize they gave an SEC team a little bit of a scare last year the Kentucky Wildcats this is a team that went five- six four- two by the way overall but they Trail Kentucky Cole it was 21- 17 in the fourth quarter lost that game 28 to 17 but they made that one very uncomfortable for Mark Stoops team there in Lex inton but Eastern Kentucky they got to replace a ton they got to replace their quarterback they got to replace their running back they got to replace their top three receivers their top linebacker a lot of their secondary as well so they're one of these teams Cole you see it with these lower level teams gutted by the transfer portal that's the case with EKU and also guys just leaving uh they're anchored by a veteran offensive line a strong running game as well they do also return their top sack getter and linebacker Frank Lee from a season ago but again a lot of unknowns when it comes to Eastern Kentucky so Cole let's talk briefly about the colonels because this is a game as we break down all the games of week ones a lot of non-conference matchups heck they're all non-conference matchups but a lot of these SEC team against FCS team or SEC team against lower level team where it's our focus is more so on the SEC team I I think that's the case here the focus is g to be on Mississippi state do they take care of their business almost a 30-point favorite but it is kind of an interesting Wrinkle in this one that you know Eastern Kentucky has gone into a sec venue and is at minimum caused some headaches so that's the thing you gotta avoid if you're the Bulldogs do not let this thing get into a third quarter or God forbid fourth quarter game because the longer you let a team like EKU hang around the more they believe hey we can win this thing which I I don't know that I worry that'll be a problem but it's just important again prove the doubters wrong important for Jeff Levy Squad to start fast stay hot and get off to a hot start this year what's so interesting to me when it comes to EKU is that not only do they continuously send players to high-profile schools at division one after a few years of being developed with the colonels but there's always been rumors of potentially expansion in the sunbell and they want to add a team in from Kentucky and the one roster that feels like is built is Battle tested and has the Persona to carry on that weight is Eastern Kentucky so you're starting to see as more schools are being added to the FBS level from the FCS conference pasas state was just added in last year it was s Houston State we seen Jacksonville State we've seen James Madison come on in immediately and flourish in the sun Bel from the hail state of West from the hail state of Virginia I mean we've seen abalan state do the same thing over the last decade plus coming on in so it's not uncommon to think that if the colonels are able to start establishing themselves against SEC opponents whether it be lower tier or not they're going to get a call soon and so for that standpoint I think that every game that they play against a higher opponent they want to be the enforcer they want to be the standard Setter they want to show that they belong at a higher level of competition because we've already heard for weeks on end whenever it comes to North Dakota State and South Dakota State they've done great it's time to go ahead and move them off of the FCS level bring them into the FBS let them play quality competition I think Easter Kentucky Falls in that same category in the Sun Belt they've been talking about potential expansion two teams you continue to hear a lot about EKU and Chattanooga and wouldn't it be interesting to see a Sun Belt fun Bel March their way into the SEC instead of standard they're the other s conference but their conference means Supreme so Cole looking at this game again game one of the Jeff lebby Aaron Starkville I think that's the thing that really jumps out do we see the immediate fireworks and like I mentioned Mississippi State this is been a football team that has been doubted that has been they've taken their shots if you will over the last couple months what do you I don't know if there's anything we can see from week one obviously against Eastern Kentucky Cole that's going to all of a sudden make us say wow this this Mississippi State team they're just they're way different than I think we all expected you really can't draw conclusions from a game like this or or or take any hard facts away but what does a successful opener for Jeff lebby look like for you like what do you most want to see from Mississippi state that would be a positive start of the levy era and get them off on the right foot in 2024 I think that when you look at the song power line from Goofy Movie you know it's great because they see I great track great track they see eye to eye and uh that's what I want to see from Blake shapen and Jeff Levy because if I honestly believe when we went back and we were looking at all the names that were brought to the SEC transfer portal I continuously and even though I apparently am the first self-deprecating Missippi State hater the one thing I said was the best quarterback wi the best quarterback had coach combo this year of the newcomers will be Jeff lby and Blake shapen it's an ideal fit everything that they like to do with this uptempo Veer and shoot not air raid but a lot of vertical passing down the field it fits into shape and zmo and you got to remember that part of the reason why he left Waco and Baylor was not because of talent it was because of he needed a fresh start because it was consistently an injured plague year it was consistently finding himself on the sidelines and he wasn't able to stay upright and so for for me you go and you add yourself to a great offense and you got to remember that this was also a quarterback that came on in against the number five team in the country and was a game away from going to the college football playoff Mike Gundy still is probably hating Dave Randa for this moment because Blake shapen set a big 12 record for the most consistent completions in a row going into the second quarter of that game 21 of 21 to start off so you know that these are two guys that with the style of offense that you want to play and the style of offense that you try to coach they can see much like power line eye to eye I'm very excited to see what this offense can be because of I do think that if they are on the same mindset they are going to be able to I think open up the Playbook a little bit more going into week two going into week three when they have to face off against teams like Toledo and Arizona State before they face off against Florida and I think that that's the main thing it's just they're on the same page if that's the case I don't care if you win by 15 points and your defense is the reason why they're staying around with the colonels if the offense is scoring 490 if the offense put up 490 yards you're seeing ey ey I I do think Cole to your point it's really important for Mississippi State I I know it's game one I I get that but it is really important I think for this offense to be humming early I I just because that's if you're going to overachieve you're gonna prove the doubters wrong people like myself like Cole Thompson like Dave shck prove FC unfiltered wrong uh the offense is probably goingon to have to be the reason why def defensively in this game call I just I want to see what you got I I don't I be honest with you I don't really know what you have I don't know if there's reason to have a bunch of optimism on the defense brand new defensive coordinator Coleman hutler this is new for him also everything is new in Stark it seems so what do you have on the defensive side I mean listen if you're going out there here's the weird thing Cole in a game like this if you shut down Eastern Kentucky I don't think we can sit there and definitively say man the defense is going to be one of the best in the SEC but if you're getting gutted Eastern Kentucky that's going to be a problem it just is so is there any reason to have optimism after game one for the defense who steps up and emerges again it's all so brand new you lost so many guys from last year including jet Johnson and Nathaniel Watson who were fantastic in the middle for you who are those new guys that emerge as Playmakers and offensively Cole I just you mentioned Blake shape I want to see that Blake shaping Kelly aari connection I I think that's one that's really really underrated has kind of gotten lost in the shuffle there's so many other good ones obviously but aari the UTEP transfer he's been fantastic throughout his career we saw Mississippi State throwing it around in the spring game was high-scoring again I think it is so critical for this offense to be clicking out of the gate not saying you gotta go score 50 week one but to your point the competition is GNA stiffen up very quickly like immediately so you need to be able to flex your muscles a little bit be humming like a willow machine and get get a big win I think the secondary is going to be a really big maker break and they added into two young emerging talents both coming from prominent schools that know how to play especially in coverage trayon Wright comes on over from Memphis a former Three Star Quarterback barely saw the field last year but again this is a dude that you believe has all the upside and the Gusto to be able to hold his own and then you also bring in montre Miller that's the guy uh uh that's the guy that comes on over from West Virginia really big all Big 12 defensive back 5 foot 11 plays more so like he's 6'2 he's physical those Neil Brown defenses at Troy and in Morgantown we both know that they are at the point of attack they like to pressure you they like to force you into being frustrated and so if you get that standard really set in the secondary with two veteran safeties I think that it does benefit you a lot and go to your point when it comes to Blake shaping real fast especially when it comes to Kelly the thing that I think really separates bad programs or programs that are having to completely hit the reset button is getting that veteran quarterback getting somebody who has been in a system for multi years understands the ins and outs the intricatus a lot more when I look at Mississippi State the big blessing for them is yes it is a brand new era when it comes to wide receivers coming on in you lose xav and Thomas which I thought was a huge loss that people are not talking about in the major spectacle of things especially when you have the arm strength the shapen and the speed of him that would have been honestly Cinema and it would have probably been a master class of how to not cover smaller but your wide receivers but still you got a better quarterback and so I think that if he can set this tone you're in a really really good spot but the same thing goes for the defense they add in several defensive players only two returning starters so how do you all mesh together you know a thing that does fly under the radar a lot in early games is what version are we seeing of a team are we seeing two rosters one of the veterans one of the newcomers trying to intermingle together or is it one cohesive unit underneath a new def coordinator that truly does set the standard of starting the football so Cole as we move into our predictions for this ball game I'll let you start since you're such a big fan of Jeff lby in Mississippi State uh thoughts on this season opener again I I think you and I are probably going to be in agreement State's gonna get the win in this when it all comes down to Mississippi State they take care of their business even with maybe some of the holes we feel like that are on the roster it's still talked about him a much more talented roster again but we've seen Easter Kentucky cause some headaches I mean that Kentucky team last year wasn't bad and they took them to a fourth quarter game so do you see a similar result this go around and I hope you don't say yes because Mississippi State fans already have you on a list I don't want to see that continue anyways your thought I want I want to move up to listen listen if Brandon Walker is public friend number one I want to move up to public number one so we can go to battle how this actual war ends because I wanted to admit I'm of college football you are the little popper that doesn't have any say whatever when it comes to that um if the colonels had the same roster as last year maybe I'd make that prediction maybe I would but when you replace your starting quarterback when you replace your top three receivers when you replace two offensive linemen when you replace multiple starters on defense it's hard and I get it that you're gonna say well look at all the pieces that Mississippi states are placing it's still is the SEC and it's still as a high Tempo scoring offense the thing that I'm really interested in and a a lot of people seem to forget this all the time that it is a Veer run offense I think that somebody compared it to the Veer and shoot which is L like the gun and shoot where they are not afraid to run the football how does Devon Boo the Utah State transfer at running back factor into this pass factor into this ground game because of last year he averaged 6.7 yards for the aies I think that he was a really good interesting find and the thing that we got to talk about now which I'm not trying to bring other programs in but the SEC the running back r and in general there's a lot of questions because you don't have Ruben Owens anymore you don't have CJ Baxter anymore quinan junkins has left his way up to Columbus Ohio so really anybody could separate themselves as the front runner as the new king of college football on the ground in the secc could Devon boot be that guy ultimately I think this is going to be a really good litness test for what we know about Mississippi State offense I think that there's going to come with question marks defensively and maybe that's going to be the case because of you just have to see them all mesh together but I do think that Mississippi state will pull away into the third quarter I think that you will be able to see even some backups play on the final two drives I'm gonna say Mississippi State wins this game 41 to 17 so you and iole are really similar then I I would agree with you like I mentioned it is it is critical that the offense get off to a quick start game one of Jeff Levy because again I think the offense is what you're going to be leaning on I want to see Blake shapen be efficient be accurate I want to see this new offense like you mentioned the running back as well I want to see Kelly aari at the watch I want to see the tight ends be used my goodness tight ends being used at Starkville who' have thought a couple years ago we're talking about the tight end position uh and defensively like I mentioned earlier Cole I just want to see what you got I think Mississippi State wins this as well um I think it's a little bit closer than the home faithful would prefer I've got Mississippi state 38 to 17 beating Eastern Kentucky so you and I were really similar but you know when you're favored by 29 and a half points over under 58 and a half I it's probably a no play for me it's probably a staya away because you just you hate to take the underdog in the games like this because it's just but 29 and a half feels like a lot it feels like a lot in Jeff lebby's first game and 58 and a half feels like a lot too now granted I have to be trusting Mississippi state's defense to um you know to to get stops and and and play up to their abilities so again from the gambling perspective it's probably a staya away game gun tohe head I'm probably taking the under and taking Eastern Kentucky but I I do think Mississippi state will get the win I think like you mentioned they'll pull away late third quarter early fourth quarter may not be the the 40-point blowout the home faithful want but I do think Mississippi state gets off to a hot start wins this game 38 to 17 you you have a ton of you have a ton of puzzle pieces you have no idea they're all gonna fit the right holes at this point so there's so much there's just so much unknown yeah to your point it's it's all brand new and for Eastern Kentucky it's the same but it's I I think a lot of this game is just going to be getting the feet wet feeling yourself out figuring there'll be big plays I have no doubt there'll be big plays big offensive plays um but to your point you're also kind of just going into week one saying what do we have just just just be thankful you gota win like like we're both say you're get win neither one of us think that you're going anywhere past five and seven at best so like this is one of the of the five that we have scheduled for you or maybe three if you're me yeah and maybe just maybe listen Mississippi State wins this by even more than we expect and all all of a sudden there's more optimism on the offensive side or more optimism in general moving into the harder part of the schedule we shall see so again Cole Thompson and I both got Mississippi State getting the Big W guys how do you think Mississippi State Eastern Kentucky will play out how will the dogs fair in game one of the Jeff Levy era in Starkville guys it's going to do all for us appreciate each and every single one of you tuning in make sure you like subscribe turn notifications check us out via podcast wherever you get your podcast you can also find us all across social media as well as our website SEC unfiltered.com stay tuned as we break down every single game of not just week one but the entire 2024 SEC football season of for Cole Thompson I'm Chris Phillips appreciate each and every single one of you tuning in we will catch you on the other side [Music]