The BG football team will be taking its talent and new equipment truck to Starkville, Miss., Saturday to take on its Southeastern Conference opponent, the 2-3 Mississippi State University Bulldogs.
The Falcons are currently 5-1 on the season and look to break the bowl eligible mark this weekend in their best season start since 2003 when they defeated the Northwestern University Wildcats 28-24 in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit. The 2003 team went 7-1 before losing its second game to the Miami University RedHawks 33-10 on Nov. 4, 2003.
This is the first meeting between BG and Mississippi State and the second time the Falcons have played in the state of Mississippi since the inception of the program in 1919. BG’s only game in the state of Mississippi was on Nov. 11, 1978 against the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, a game in which the Falcons lost 38-21.
This game is the second year in a row the Falcons have played a school from the SEC, arguably the nation’s most superior conference in college football. BG traveled to the University of Florida this past year to take on the Gators in the 2012 season opener, but lost 27-14.
Before 2012, the last time BG competed against another SEC team dated back to 1996 when the Falcons traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to play the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and lost 21-7.
The only other SEC team BG has played is the University of Kentucky Wildcats. The Falcons and Wildcats faced each other three times, all of which were in Lexington, Ky. The Falcons lost to UK 20-14 in 1979, 21-20 in 1980 and BG finally defeated UK 30-26 in 1985.
BG has faced current-SEC member, the University of Missouri Tigers, five times, but the Tigers were a member of the Big-12 Conference in all five meetings between the two teams. BG holds a 3-2 record against the Tigers, with the most recent victory coming in 2002.
With a win against Mississippi State, BG would become bowl eligible for the second straight season. It would also be the first win against a BCS automatic qualifying team since the Falcons defeated the University of Pittsburgh Panthers 27-17 in 2008 and the first victory against a SEC team since their victory against Kentucky in 1985.
BG’s matchup against Mississippi State marks the first time it has not face a Mid-American Conference opponent since its Parents’ Weekend game against Murray State University in September.
The Falcons are currently placed first in the MAC-East Division with three MAC conference wins so far in the season. BG’s conference record will not be altered with a win or a loss against the Bulldogs this weekend.
BG and Mississippi State will kick off in Starkville at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Follow BG New Sports on Facebook and Twitter for live game updates.
