Good morning! Feet on the ground and eyes on the prize. Be sure to wish State cross country good luck at the SEC Championships this weekend!

What else did we throw into today’s Bulldog Brew?

🏀 Hubbard garners All-SEC preseason honors
⚽️ Two Bulldogs earn weekly awards
🐶 And much, much more!

🎙️ DEAR OL’ STATE

Dear Ol’ State: Luke Work and Nic Mitchell. Ahead of Mississippi State football's homecoming game against UMass on Saturday, Joel Coleman and Logan Lowery chat with a couple of Bulldogs – a youngster and a veteran. Freshman offensive lineman Luke Work and junior linebacker Nic Mitchell join the show to discuss their seasons up to this point and more.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Among The Best. Ahead of Bulldog men’s basketball’s first game of the season, Josh Hubbard was named to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team. As a program, the Bulldogs have had at least one player capture All-SEC Preseason honors from the coaches in four consecutive seasons and during nine of the last 10 seasons going back to 2015-16.

🔼 Double Trouble. State soccer continued its season of record-breaking achievements as two Bulldogs earned SEC Player of the Week honors. Goalkeeper Maddy Anderson was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week, while forward Kennedy Husbands claimed her first career SEC accolade as SEC Freshman of the Week. The combination of Anderson's record-setting performances and Husbands' offensive emergence has been integral to the Bulldogs’ historic campaign.

🔼 Oga. This season, wideout Kelly Akharaiyi is raising the blood pressure of defensive coordinators. After battling through an early-season injury, the Mississippi State senior receiver has become the tremendous offensive playmaker head coach Jeff Lebby and staff thought he could be when they picked Akharaiyi up out of the transfer portal ahead of this year.

🗣️ “…I've just trusted in the process. I just want to thank the training staff – James [Beasley], Thomas [Callans], Chelsea [Best] and all of them for really getting me in the training room and making me feel comfortable that everything was going to be OK. Now that I'm back, I'm just ready to go and make plays for y'all, [the Mississippi State family]." - Kelly Akharaiyi

📚️ Read more about Akharaiyi’s journey to State and the work he has put in to make his return to the football field

🔼 When Passion Equates to Success. To be successful in athletics, it takes a tremendous amount of passion and desire to be the best at all times in your respective sport. From her childhood kicking around the soccer ball in her front yard, junior goalkeeper Harlee Head has always held a competitive spirit that was ignited by her love for the game of soccer.

🗣️ "I had the drive to be better the next day and the mentality that I get to go out and kick a ball around and have fun. That's what made me really fall in love with it and then I realized that I was actually kind of good at it." - Harlee Head

📚️ Read about Head’s passion for the game and how it led her to Starkville

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

Snagged. Today’s trivia question…how many catches does wide receiver Kelly Akharaiyi have so far this season?

Think you got it? Scroll to the bottom of the Bulldog Brew to see if you know your stuff!

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📆 THE WEEK AHEAD

Friday, November 1
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ Roberta Alison Fall Classic in Tuscaloosa, AL
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ GT Fall Invite in Atlanta, GA
👟 Cross Country @ SEC Championship in College Station, TX
⚾️ Baseball @ Scrimmage @ 3 p.m. in Starkville, MS

Saturday, November 2
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ Roberta Alison Fall Classic in Tuscaloosa, AL
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ GT Fall Invite in Atlanta, GA
🏈 Football vs. UMass @ 3:15 p.m. in Starkville, MS | Tickets | SECN | Listen

Sunday, November 3
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ GT Fall Invite in Atlanta, GA
⚽️ Soccer vs. TBD @ SEC Championship in Pensacola, FL
🏐 Volleyball vs. Texas A&M @ 2 p.m. in College Station, TX | SECN+

🐶 Click here to see the full Mississippi State Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 18!

Akharaiyi has totaled 18 catches for 266 yards and a pair of touchdowns this season. Half of his receptions and yards, and both of his scores, have come in the last three games.

🐶 Have a great weekend, y'all!