Good morning! Heading into the first round of the SEC Championships, the Bulldogs stand alone at the top of the TopDrawerSoccer rankings as they look to continue their roll through the conference.

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

🏀 Men’s basketball cruises to season-opening win
🏈 The special makeup of MVB
🐶 And much, much more!

🎙️ DEAR OL’ STATE

Dear Ol’ State: A Victory Monday and Lebby Looks To Tennessee. Mississippi State football returned to the win column on Saturday with a homecoming triumph over UMass. So, on the latest edition of Dear Ol' State, Joel Coleman and Logan Lowery enjoy a victory edition of the show and also bring you head coach Jeff Lebby's full Monday press conference ahead of this weekend's battle at Tennessee.

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 First Won Down. Mississippi State entered this basketball season with much anticipation and the Bulldogs' season opener only served to further amplify that excitement. MSU rolled to a 95-60 victory over West Georgia, never trailing in the contest. State kept the foot on the gas all game long, leading by as many as 40 points, before wrapping game one in Maroon and White. Josh Hubbard led the way with 26 points on 6-7 shooting from behind the arc while Claudell Harris Jr. finished with 20 points.

🔼 It’s Go Time. After receiving a first-round bye at the SEC Championships, the Bulldog soccer team will compete in its first postseason match against No. 9 seeded Tennesse as the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed. State soccer enters the tournament following a perfect 10-0 record in SEC play with only one loss on the season. The teams tied in a 3-3 offensive explosion in the most recent meeting during the 2023 season.

🔼 Brick Wall. Fresh off the heels of a career-best performance against Texas A&M, Arissa Smith was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week. The sophomore set a new career-high with nine total blocks. Smith's nine blocks were the second-most of any Bulldog all season and the second-most Texas A&M had given up to any single player this season. On the week, Smith averaged 3.00 blocks per set, which was at least double that of any other player in the SEC.

🔼 Something Special. Making his first career start in front of 100,000-plus fans in burnt orange at Texas, quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. didn’t blink. After leading State to a dominant 45-20 homecoming win over UMass on Saturday, the freshman has now thrown for 1,323 yards and nine touchdowns since becoming MSU's starter on Sept. 28. He's also run for four scores. He's thriving by land and by air.

🗣️ "I feel like I've grown a lot, getting games under my belt and getting to see new coverages I've never seen before and things like that. Being able to get that experience is the main thing [that's helping me grow]." - Michael Van Buren Jr.

📚️ Read more about the special makeup of the true freshman QB

🔼 State of Mind. With the launch of the brand new podcast, State of Mind, catch the inaugural episode with Jake Mangum as he interviews men’s basketball’s Josh Hubbard.

🎙️ Listen to State of Mind with Josh Hubbard

🤔 BULLDOG TRIVIA

Stacking Up Awards. Today’s trivia question…how many SEC awards did Bulldog soccer earn following the conclusion of the regular 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

Tuesday, November 5
⚽️ Soccer vs. Tennessee @ 4:30 p.m. in Pensacola, FL | SECN

Wednesday, November 6
🏐 Volleyball vs. Texas @ 6 p.m. in Starkville, MS | SECN+

Thursday, November 7
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ Rice Fall Invitational in Houston, TX
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ ITA Sectional Championships in Tallahassee, FL
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ ITA Conference Masters Championships in Rome, GA
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ ITA Conference Masters Championships in San Diego, CA
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ ITA Sectional Championships in Athens, GA
🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Memphis @ 6:30 p.m. in Starkville, MS | Tickets | SECN+ | Listen

🐶 Click here to see the full Mississippi State Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Nine!

Nine members of Bulldog soccer earned an SEC award, highlighted by Macey Hodge’s Midfielder of the Year award, Maddy Anderson’s Goalkeeper of the Year honor, and Rylie Combs’ Defender of the Year honors.

🐶 Have a great Tuesday, y'all!