Mississippi State @ Massachusetts preview

Mississippi State nearly pulled off a substantial upset over No. 18 LSU on the road last week and tries to overcome that disappointment when it makes a rare trip to the Northeast to face Massachusetts on Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., home of the New England Patriots. The Bulldogs nearly erased a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit before falling 23-20, and coach Dan Mullen was quick to make sure his team has a short memory.

"That game's over, got to get ready for the next one,'' Mullen, who grew up in Manchester, N.H., and is expected to have plenty of family and friends at Saturday's game, told reporters. "If you don't do that, you're going to let one loss cause many losses for you." Mississippi State makes its first trip to the Northeast since defeating Syracuse 24-17 in 1986 and looks to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time since November 2013. Bulldogs defensive end A.J. Jefferson could be a frequent visitor in the Minutemen's backfield as the senior's three sacks bode well against a team that has yielded 14 - second-most among the 128 FBS teams (San Jose State, 16). UMass, which is last in the country in scoring (11.7 points per game), is one of four independent schools (Army, BYU, Notre Dame) in the nation after joining the FBS ranks in 2012 and going 8-40 in four seasons as a member of the Mid-American Conference.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: Mississippi State -22

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (1-2): The Bulldogs are led offensively by dual-threat sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who is fourth nationally among quarterbacks with 73 yards rushing per game on the strength of a 195-yard performance against South Carolina in Week 2. Fitzgerald's favorite target is senior wide receiver Fred Ross, a Biletnikoff Award candidate who has 17 receptions and two touchdowns. Jefferson (SEC-leading 6.5 tackles for loss) is complemented by Leo Lewis as the linebacker leads SEC freshmen with 23 tackles and has two of Mississippi State's 27 tackles for loss.

ABOUT MASSACHUSETTS (1-2): The Minutemen may have found a spark on offense in sophomore quarterback Andrew Ford, who threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns in his first game - a 21-13 victory over Florida International last week. Junior tight end Adam Breneman recorded 10 catches for 77 yards and a score last week while sophomore wide receiver Andy Isabella (6-83-1 against FIU) gives Ford another solid option. UMass averages 46.3 yards rushing - second-worst in the nation - and doesn't figure to do much better against a Bulldogs run defense that is 24th in the country (101.7).

EXTRA POINTS

1. Ross needs 19 receptions to pass David Smith (162 from 1968-70) and become the Bulldogs' all-time receptions leader, and has seven 100-yard games - one shy of Smith's school record.

2. The Minutemen are coached by Mark Whipple, who led UMass to the Division I-AA (now FCS) title in 1998 during his first stint at the school (1998-2003). Whipple returned in 2014 after a string of jobs including quarterbacks coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers (2004-06), where he helped develop Ben Roethlisberger.

3. Mississippi State is 25-4 in regular-season non-conference games under Mullen, including all seven on the road and 11 of its last 12 overall.

PREDICTION: Mississippi State 31, Massachusetts 7