Texas A&M (5-1, 3-0 SEC) enters Week 8 with a chance to reach 6-1 on the season before hosting LSU in a potential prime-time showdown on Oct. 26, but to achieve that goal, getting past Mississippi State's high-flying offense on the road will be a significant challenge despite the Bulldog's 1-5 record.

This week, head coach Mike Elko's approach to how the Aggies prepare for the Bulldogs has been focused on freshman QB Michael Van-Buren. Van-Buren threw for 306 yards and 3 touchdowns in Mississippi State's 41-31 road loss to Georgia last Saturday, meaning A&M's secondary will need to prevent explosive plays through the air to prevent a potential back-and-forth contest.

Texas A&M's Week 6 blowout win over Missouri included the return starting quarterback Conner Weigman, who completed an impressive 18/22 for 276 yards after missing the last three games. However, this could be a big day on the ground for junior running back Le'Veon Moss if the Aggie passing game can make an early impact.

Here are five observations ahead of Texas A&M against Mississippi State

5. Texas A&M's pass rush needs to disrupt QB Michael Van Buren early and often

In surprise fashion, Georgia failed to sack Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren last Saturday, as the freshman had plenty of time in the pocket to go through his reads and make accurate throws downfield. If that's the case against A&M's secondary, this could be a high-scoring contest going into the 4th quarter.

While junior defensive ends Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart certainly need to make an impact, Mike Elko continues to reference the impressive play of sophomore DE Rylan Kennedy, who recorded three tackles in A&M's 41-10 win over Missouri. Trusting DC Jay Bateman and sending pressure from various angles is the key to getting Van Buren out of rhythm.

4. Texas A&M's running game should thrive against Mississippi State

If there's one statistic that opposing offenses can depend on against Mississippi State, it's the Bulldog's porous run defense, which currently ranks 119th nationally, allowing over 200 yards on the ground per game. On the other side, Texas A&M's 9th-ranked rushing attack average over 230 yards per game, and an impressive 5.32 yards per carry.

Guarenteed over 10-plus carries on Saturday, junior running back Le'Veon Moss will carry the load, while angle-beating back Amari Daniels has a chance for several chunk gains if the run blocking comes through. OC Collin Klein wants to run the ball to set up play action, but don't be surprised if the Aggies start the game passing to start.

3. Mississippi State's WR corps could be an issue

While it wasn't a complete shock that Georgia's secondary allowed Mississippi State's wide receivers to average 15.3 yards per reception after what we all witnessed during the Bulldog's primetime loss to Alabama, Texas A&M's cornerback room needs to be on high alert ahead of Saturday.

Not as "talented" per say as Missouri's NFL-level wide receiver room, but these young man can fly down the field and score at any moment if the coverage doesn't account for every option, as Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby's spread offense is starting to become a weekly challenge.

While it's too simplistic to just say that the Aggie secondary can't allow explosive passing plays, it's imperative that keeping the passing game two short gains between the sticks will lead to more three and outs.

2. The Aggies need to avoid penalties and slow starts

While Texas A&M's five game winning streak is filled with much more good than bad, the Aggies are one of the most penalized teams in the country with 45 on the year, including several personal fouls that put a dent in successful drives. While most of these pentalites have yet to directly result in a loss, this needs to be cleaned up.

Facing one of the tougher SEC road environments, mainly due to the cowbells that will ring throughout the afternoon, getting off to a slow, mistake-driven drive in the first couple possesions is not ideal, and could be the different between facing a potential 14-7 deficit before the second half begins, as we've seen throughout the regular season in similar situations.

1. It's time for Conner Weigman to put together consecutive successful outings this season

After returning from his shoulder injury, which is reportedly 100% healed, Texas A&M starting quarterback Conner Weigman was lights out against Missouri, completing an efficient 18/22 for 276 yards while hitting tight windows and and connecting with nearly every receiver who took the field.

So far, Weigman has yet to throw an interception in SEC play after looking mightily impressive against one of the better conference defenses.

However, his inconsistency has been a talking point throughout his short starting career, so putting together another memorable performance against Mississippi State's 119th-ranked secondary should put that storyline to bed, at least until next week.

This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State: 5 things to watch for