Scouting USC’s next opponent: the Mississippi State Bulldogs

Game info

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field (55,082), Starkville Miss.

TV: ESPN2

Three story lines

1. What in the world just happened? Mississippi State was supposed to take a step back after losing quarterback Dak Prescott, but still appeared to have enough to be a solid SEC team. The Bulldogs lost to mid-tier Sun Belt foe South Alabama in their opener, blowing a 17-0 lead in the process. How MSU responds will be telling.

2. Another QB battle. Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen went into last weekend planning to play two passers. Starter Nick Fitzgerald got two series before backup Damian Williams came in, and Williams took enough command to play all but one drive the rest of the way.

3. Jeffrey Simmons debuts. The five-star freshman defensive lineman was caught on video punching a woman before enrolling, and Mississippi State’s response of a one-game suspension against a mid-major school drew criticism. The touted 6-foot-4, 310-pounder will get his first college experience against the Gamecocks.

Three players to watch

1. Junior quarterback Damian Williams was moderately productive, if conservative, in the opener, throwing for 143 yards on 20-of-28 passing and running for 93 yards on 12 carries.

2. Senior Fred Ross is the Bulldogs’ top target, a big slot receiver who serves as an outlet in the team’s spread attack. Coming off a 1,007-yard season (on 88 catches), he led the team with six receptions in the opener and broke a 46-yard run.

3. Senior defensive end A.J. Jefferson was Mississippi State’s most disruptive returning lineman, and he continued the trend with four tackles for loss and two sacks against South Alabama.

Scouting report

▪  After losing running back Josh Robinson following the 2014 season, the Bulldogs transitioned into using their quarterback as the main inside option on the ground. One game into the post-Prescott era, all indications are that will continue.

▪  The team ran more two-back shotgun sets Saturday than one usually sees in the current era.

▪  The Mississippi State defense transitioned from Manny Diaz as coordinator to Peter Sirmon, last on staff at Southern Cal, and the group retained some of its versatile character. Primarily playing three down linemen, it can spread or tighten to match an offense’s approach, and the group created a lot of havoc last year.

▪  Defensive end Johnathan Calvin is often standing and moving around at 6-foot-3, 272 pounds.

▪  Mississippi State had a meltdown of a day in the kicking game, as Westin Graves missed a 46- and 28-yarder in the one-point loss.

This story was originally published September 4, 2016 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Scouting USC’s next opponent: the Mississippi State Bulldogs."