Mississippi State football opens the 2024 season with FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.

The Bulldogs open Year 1 of the Jeff Lebby era with a lot of unknowns. Saturday’s game will be a good chance to find some answers.

Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen will make his first start in maroon and may have a big season in Lebby’s offense.

Here’s how to watch the Mississippi State football vs. Eastern Kentucky game today, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:

Mississippi State vs. EKU will broadcast nationally via streaming on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season. Kevin Fitzgerald and Charlie Strong will call the game from the booth at Davis Wade Stadium. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service.

• Date: Saturday, Aug. 31
• Start time: 5 p.m. CT

The Mississippi State football vs. Eastern Kentucky game starts at 5 p.m. CT Saturday from Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.

Clarion Ledger reporter Sam Sklar’s prediction: Mississippi State 50, Eastern Kentucky 10

Saturday will be a celebration of sorts for Lebby’s first game. The Bulldogs will come out hungry with something to prove on offense after last season. MSU will grab a big lead early and Blake Shapen won’t need to play a single snap in the fourth quarter.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Aug. 29

• Odds: N/A
• O/U: N/A
• Money line: N/A

• Aug. 31:  EKU, 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and SEC Network+
• Sept. 7:  at Arizona State, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
• Sept. 14:  Toledo, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2 or ESPNU
• Sept. 21:  Florida, 11 a.m. on ABC or ESPN
• Sept. 28:  at Texas, TBD
• Oct. 5:  OPEN DATE
• Oct. 12:  at Georgia, TBD
• Oct. 19:  Texas A&M, TBD
• Oct. 26:  Arkansas, TBD
• Nov. 2:  UMass, 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network
• Nov. 9:  at Tennessee, TBD
• Nov. 16:  OPEN DATE
• Nov. 23:  Missouri
• Nov. 29: at Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+
• Dec. 7: SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, 4 p.m. on ABC
• Record: 0-0

• Aug. 31:  Mississippi State, 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and SEC Network+
• Sept. 7:  at Western Kentucky, 6 p.m. on ESPN+
• Sept. 14:  West Georgia, 5 p.m. on ESPN+
• Sept. 21:  Morehead State, 5 p.m. on ESPN+
• Sept. 28:  Robert Morris, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
• Oct. 5:  OPEN DATE
• Oct. 12:  at Southern Utah, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
• Oct. 19:  at Abilene Christian, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
• Oct. 26:  Utah Tech, 2 p.m. on ESPN+
• Nov. 2:  at Tarleton State, 6 p.m. on ESPN+
• Nov. 9:  Central Arkansas, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
• Nov. 16:  at Austin Peay, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
• Nov. 23:  North Alabama, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
• Record:  0-0

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An investigation is ongoing after a 53-year-old man was shot by sheriff’s deputies in north Alabama.

The shooting happened late Thursday into early Friday when Colbert County deputies were assisting Mississippi law enforcement officers in a car chase that crossed over into Alabama, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agent.

ALEA Lt. Jeremy Burkett identified the wounded man as John William Griffin. He lives in Iuka.

The pursuit ultimately ended on Daryl Lane in Leighton in Colbert County, Burkett said

Griffin was airlifted to Huntsville Hospital. His condition has not been released.

Colbert County Sheriff Eric Balentine told WAFF that Griffin refused to stop at a random police roadblock in Tishomingo County, Mississippi.

Balentine said Griffin fired on officers and deputies and was shot in return fire.

Burkett said no officers were injured.

Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be turned over to the Colbert County District Attorney’s Office.

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The MSU crew joins in prayer for protection and safety during their season, led by crew member Carl Young.

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Vicksburg District employees Renee Everage and Mary Bryan hold signs with well wishes for the MSU crew at the City Waterfront Tuesday. (Photos courtesy of USACE Vicksburg District)

Col. Jeremiah Gipson, right, speaks with Cary Young, MSU crew member, before departure.

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Friends, family, and colleagues gather at the City Waterfront Tuesday to offer their support as the MSU begins its season.

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District’s Mat Sinking Unit (MSU) officially began the annual revetment season on the Mississippi River Tuesday, where the crew was greeted by cheers from family, friends, and colleagues at the Vicksburg City Waterfront as they set off on their multi-month tour.

The MSU typically performs revetment operations during low-water months (July-December), when the Vicksburg gage is at 27’ and falling.

USACE officials said the MSU places hundreds of thousands of articulated concrete mats, or revetments, along the Mississippi River. This work is crucial, USACE said, for protecting flood control structures, preventing erosion, and maintaining navigable waterways within the project authorized area including 953 miles from Cairo, Ill., to above Head of Passes, which is considered to be the mouth of the Mississippi River.

USACE Vicksburg District Commander Col. Jeremiah Gipson emphasized the project’s importance.

“The Mat Sinking Unit, and the teammates who perform the work, are essential for both flood risk management and ensuring reliable, navigable waterways for commercial vessels,” Gipson said. “The Mississippi River is a vital part of our national infrastructure, and our mission remains to secure our nation, energize the economy, and reduce disaster risk.”

USACE said the mat sinking crew includes a diverse range of seasonal professions, such as clerks, deck hands, drag line operators, electricians, gantry crane operators, mechanics, quarter boat utility operators, stewards, surveyors, tying tool operators and repairers, tractor drivers, truck drivers, and winchmen. These roles are integral to the success of the operation and the stability of the Mississippi River, officials added.

The crew is made up of approximately 300 men and women.

Revetment Section Chief John Mark Henderson said the work the crew will do in invaluable both locally and nationally.

“The MSU and its team of skilled revetment workers install critical armament to the banks of the Lower Mississippi River, to protect our levees and provide for a safe, efficient navigable channel,” he said. “Our most valuable asset is the people performing this difficult and challenging task. The team is commended for their selfless service and dedication to this vital mission.”

The USACE Vicksburg District continues to tackle some of the nation’s most challenging engineering problems, officials said. Spanning a 68,000-square-mile area across Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, the district manages nine major river basins and approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. With approximately 1,100 employees, the Vicksburg District is engaged in numerous projects aimed at addressing complex water resource challenges.