STARKVILLE — After missing Mississippi State’s last three games with a left shoulder injury, starting quarterback Will Rogers may be close to returning, head coach Zach Arnett said at his weekly press conference Monday.

“He’s practicing, and he’s able to do more and more and more,” Arnett said. “If it’s determined that he’s able to go, he’s our starting quarterback, no doubt about it. If he’s unavailable to go, I have no doubt you’ll see both (Mike Wright and Chris Parson) in the game. The reps will reflect that accordingly in practice all week.”

Rogers sustained the injury in the fourth quarter of the Bulldogs’ win over Western Michigan on Oct. 7, and in three games started by Wright, a transfer from Vanderbilt, MSU (4-5, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) has scored a total of 23 points. The Bulldogs now rank last in the SEC in scoring offense and are ahead of only Arkansas and Vanderbilt in total offense.

Parson, a true freshman whom Arnett said Saturday had been available for “emergency purposes” from the moment Rogers went down, saw his first collegiate action in the 24-3 loss to Kentucky, completing just six of 14 passes but displaying a nice touch at times. His 34-yard completion to Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin covered more than twice as much yardage as any other play MSU’s offense ran all night.

“There are some real positives there that he can point to,” Arnett said. “He got a lot of valuable experience, did some good things. Simply put, I just liked the confidence he plays with. Other people gravitate toward that; it gets other people going. He’s plenty smart enough to know that there are a lot of things he has to do a lot better, too.”

Rogers was seen participating in on-field stretching drills before Saturday’s game, and wore his jersey over his street clothes during the game. Arnett said he has been ramping up his intensity in practice in the hope that he could play this weekend at Texas A&M.

“He’s been practicing the entire time,” Arnett said. “He’s able to do more. He started off (with) lighter throwing, and now (he can) fully let it rip and throw every route on the route tree. He gains confidence from that, and everyone else gets excited about your starting quarterback potentially being able to go.”

No update on Kameron Jones incident

After a kickoff return by Griffin that followed the Wildcats’ first touchdown, Kentucky’s Khamari Anderson was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct as members of both teams came together for some pushing and shoving near the visitors’ sideline. Bulldogs right tackle Kameron Jones, who was not initially part of the skirmish, grabbed Wildcats running back JuTahn McClain by the facemask and threw him to the ground.

McClain was shaken up but walked off under his own power. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said Monday that his team sent video of the incident to the SEC, but Arnett said he had not received word from the conference about any potential punishment for Jones.

Scouting Texas A&M

It has been an up-and-down year for the Aggies (5-4, 3-3), who have lost three of their last four games — but each loss was by seven points or fewer against ranked foes Alabama, Tennessee and Ole Miss. Head coach Jimbo Fisher’s team fell at Miami in non-conference play and does not yet have a signature win, with Texas A&M’s conference victories coming against Auburn, Arkansas and South Carolina.

Of course, MSU has lost to two of those teams and barely survived against the third, so it was no surprise to see the Aggies installed as early 19.5-point favorites. Texas A&M lost starting quarterback Conner Weigman for the season on Sept. 23 against Auburn, and since then Max Johnson, who started 12 games in 2021 for LSU, has been behind center.

Johnson sustained a rib injury during last week’s loss to the Rebels, but Fisher said he expects Johnson to be ready to go against the Bulldogs.

“We’ve faced him a couple times over the course of his career,” Arnett said. “That guy is a tough football player. He stands in there and delivers some throws and takes some shots. He’s had a heck of a year. I have every reason to believe that if he can go, he’s going to be going.”

Running backs Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels are each averaging upwards of five yards per carry, with more than 400 yards and four touchdowns apiece. Ainias Smith (39 catches, 652 yards) and Evan Stewart (37 catches, 506 yards) are the Aggies’ go-to receivers. Smith has also been effective as a punt returner, taking one back for a touchdown against South Carolina. Stewart missed last week’s game against Ole Miss with a lower-leg injury.

Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is the engine of Texas A&M’s defense with 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks, the former of which leads the SEC and the latter of which ranks second behind the Bulldogs’ Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson. The Aggies have struggled to generate turnovers, though, as only Florida has created fewer takeaways among SEC teams than Texas A&M’s seven.

“We have to match their physicality,” Arnett said. “We just need to execute a little better and make a few more plays. That’s the difference between winning and losing. If we continue to play with that level of competitive spirit and fire for four quarters… we’ll give ourselves a better chance to win.”