BULLDOG BITS
Football
Sports Illustrated released its preseason college football top 25 rankings on Tuesday and picked Mississippi State at No. 20.
The Bulldogs are one of seven Southeastern Conference teams featured in SI'S top 25.
Led by team captains and preseason Allsoutheastern Conference selections Darryl Williams and Erroll Thompson, MSU returns 49 letterwinners, including 13 starters from last season.
Coach Joe Moorhead's squad began preseason camp on Aug. 2 and will go full pads for the first time today.
State, who checked in at No. 19 in Sporting News' preseason top 25 last week, is set to open the 2019 season on Aug. 31 against Louisiana in New Orleans.
Tickets for the 2019 season can be purchased at Hailstate.com/tickets, by calling 1-888-GO-DAWGS or in person at the MSU Athletic Ticket Office on the first floor of the Bryan Athletic Administration Building (288 Lakeview Drive), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Soccer
Mississippi State soccer opened the 2019 preseason on Tuesday with its first training sessions of the year.
The Bulldogs took the field at 6 a.m. and again at 6 p.m. to begin preparing for next week's exhibition matches.
After a one-hour conditioning session in the morning, MSU returned to the field in the evening for a night of high tempo, competitive training.
Goalkeepers spent an extra hour on the field working through position-specific drills before being joined by the rest of the squad. Following a short period of passing drills, the Bulldogs moved into competitive smallsided games for the duration of the practice.
“We are very happy with our starting point,” State head coach James Armstrong said. “There were a lot of new faces out there today, but the returners have done a great job of educating them on the expectations of the program. The energy, enthusiasm and work rate were very pleasing and give us a great framework to build upon.”
MSU will practice twice today and Thursday before taking Friday off for recovery sessions and meetings. The Bulldogs will have five practices remaining before they travel to Columbus, Georgia, for an exhibition match against Georgia Southern on Aug. 15.
State opens its 25th season of soccer at home on Aug. 22 at 6 p.m. against Alabama A&M.