GAME PREVIEW: Aggies Host Bulldogs on Military Appreciation Night – Texas A&M Athletics

Texas A&M closes out the home portion of its SEC schedule under the lights Saturday night when the Aggies host Mississippi State at Kyle Field. Kickoff is set for 6:35 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

Saturday is Military Appreciation Night at Kyle Field. The game also marks the annual “Maroon Out”, where fans are encouraged to wear maroon to support the Aggies, in a tradition dating back to 1998.

The Aggies, who are 4-1 at home in 2023, come into the weekend after a tough 38-35 loss at 11th-ranked Ole Miss last weekend. Mississippi State, meanwhile, enters on a two-game losing streak–most recently dropping a 24-3 decision to Kentucky in Starkville last Saturday.

A&M has won five of the 11 meetings between the programs since joining the SEC but has dropped the last two. Last season, State pulled away for a 42-24 win in Starkville, while the last meeting in College Station went to the Bulldogs (26-22) in 2021.

Saturday’s forecast calls for overcast skies and a chance of light rain with temps in the low- to mid-50s.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• The Aggies return to Kyle Field this week to host Mississippi State … Each team has earned two victories in the last four meetings in the series.
• Graduate WR Ainias Smith has been a spark for the A&M offense, tallying 20 20-plus yard plays this season and has added at least 25 yards after the catch in five of A&M’s six SEC games, including a season-high 68 yards against South Carolina … Smith ranks eighth in the SEC averaging 72.4 receiving yards per game and ninth with a 16.7 yards-per-catch average.
• Smith, the FBS active career leader in punt return yards, ranks sixth nationally and leads the SEC averaging 17.8 yards per return … He also ranks sixth in the SEC averaging 108.6 all-purpose yards per game.
• The A&M offense has tallied over 350 yards of total offense in seven of the team’s nine games so far this season,…