STARKVILLE — Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes called out the score of Sunday’s practice period before the Mississippi State staffer toting a bullhorn had a chance.
After safety Shawn Preston Jr. broke up a pass, Forbes yelled, “26-25, defense!” to his fellow white-clad defenders on the Bulldogs’ practice field.
MSU’s defense had erased a 6-0 deficit — points are earned by “winning” or “losing” practice plays — to beat the maroon-clad offense. Offensive players dropped to the turf and popped up again, subject to “up-downs” as their punishment.
It was easy to see: Even in practice, these competitions matter to the Bulldogs.
Not to defensive coordinator Zach Arnett, though.
“I don’t put a lot of stock into that,” Arnett said Sunday, minutes after MSU’s defense won both practice periods.
The Bulldogs’ defense has habitually been winning the day, although that wasn’t the case Monday. Safety Collin Duncan admitted the offense had the upper hand in an indoor practice at the Palmeiro Center.
Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes quickly echoed the sentiment.
“They got us,” Forbes acknowledged.
A result like that, at least, might matter to Arnett.
Duncan said Arnett — his position coach as well as his defensive coordinator — was likely to rip into his unit for Monday’s performance.
“I already know our meeting tonight is not going to be all roses and rainbows and stuff like that,” Duncan said. “We’re going to have to pick up our stuff, make sure we come back out here tomorrow and play physical and play sound football.”
The Bulldogs did a good job of that in Saturday’s scrimmage. Mississippi State’s offense got back into things toward the end, but the defense managed five interceptions and forced field goals rather than allowing touchdowns.
“I thought we started out alright,” Arnett said. “We got some third-down stops and held them out of the end zone deep in the red zone. We were just not able to sustain.
“Obviously,” he added, “fatigue makes cowards of us all.”
Arnett delivered that line as nonchalantly as he said he plans to handle a preseason roster crackdown.
It’s nearing time to find out who will see the field for the Bulldogs in 2022, and those who haven’t made the cut will find themselves on the scout team before too long.
“Every guy understands that,” Arnett said. “That’s just the reality of it at this level. It only gets more brutal the higher you go.”
MSU, at least, is well served by depth at nearly every defensive position. The Bulldogs returned their entire starting defensive line and brought back Jordan Davis from injury. At linebacker, Tyrus Wheat, Nathaniel Watson and Jett Johnson all return. Martin Emerson and Fred Peters are the principal losses in the secondary, but the Bulldogs have made additions.
Alabama transfer cornerback Marcus Banks, Florida State import corner Hunter Washington and West Virginia transfer safety Jackie Matthews are among some reinforcements shoring up Arnett’s defense.
“Any depth is good depth in this conference,” Duncan said Monday. “The more we’ve got, the better off we are.”
The Bulldogs are already in a good spot. They ranked 30th nationally in fewest yards allowed per game, although part of that is correlated with a strong ball-control offense that limits opponents’ time of possession.
When Mississippi State’s defense is firing on all cylinders, it’s easy to see why offensive players are the ones doing up-downs after practice.
But Monday showed the Bulldogs’ defense will get as good as it gives from an offense that is not to be written off.
“I would hope they won’t lay down every day — just come out and compete,” Forbes said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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