Mississippi State running back apparently thinks UK’s Benny Snell is funny.

Benny Snell never lacks for confidence.

He was as diplomatic and deferential as possible when discussing an upcoming matchup with No. 14 Mississippi State on Saturday.

But there was still a little bit of Benny edge in there.

When asked after Saturday’s win over Murray State if facing the nation’s No. 13 rush defense in Mississippi State this weekend is the kind of challenge he likes, Snell replied:

“You could say so. I’m going to run on any team. You could be an NFL team and my college team, it don’t matter. This offense don’t fear nobody. I know they’re good, but this offense is good, too. It’s going to be fun.”

Bulldogs sophomore standout Kylin Hill apparently thought Snell’s comments were funny and indicated as much on Twitter on Monday with 41 emojis showing Hill laughing until crying.

Hill is fifth in the Southeastern Conference in rushing, averaging 97.7 yards per game with three touchdowns.

Snell is second after three games, averaging 125 yards per contest with three scores.

“His talent and production kind of speak for itself,” new Bulldogs coach Joe Moorhead said Monday.

Facing Mississippi State wasn’t much fun for Snell and Kentucky a season ago.

Other than the Music City Bowl, from which he was tossed by an official, Snell’s worst rushing performance by far was against Mississippi State’s big, physical defense.

“I didn’t play that much, know what I’m saying?” Snell said of his seven carries for 18 yards in that loss. “We were rotating. They were swarming to the ball, getting turnovers, throwing interceptions, fumbling, just beating ourselves.”

Since that game, though, Snell has been on a serious run. Not counting the bowl game, the UK running back has compiled 1,152 yards and 13 touchdowns on 185 carries, an average of 6.2 yards per carry.

And it’s not like the junior running back hasn’t had some success over the Bulldogs. In his first season at UK, Snell ran for 128 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown, including a 34-yard rumble.

He was complimentary of the Bulldogs on Saturday.

“I know Mississippi State is good,” Snell said. ”They’ve got a good defensive line. Their linebackers swarm to the ball. So as an offense, we’re going to make sure we’re prepared. We’re going to be ready.”

This story was originally published September 17, 2018 at 2:53 PM.