STARKVILLE — Midway through spring practice, Mississippi State football conducted its first scrimmage open to media on Saturday.
It was far from a traditional scrimmage, but players worked on situational drives — mostly two-minute drills — in an 11-on-11 format.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay tested a number of arms in the pocket, including new faces Mike Wright and Asher Morgan, and despite sloppy play on both sides of the ball, getting back into game action was a welcome change of pace.
“I think from day one to day eight today, we’ve really made some great improvements,” Barbay said. “Obviously, we’re not satisfied with the scrimmage in the way that it rolled out today. We want to create more explosive plays and score more points, but when we go back and we look, we need as many of these open, loose, play-it situations as we can possibly get…This is the first time we haven’t been in a controlled situation where they’re hearing it from me.”
The first-year offensive coordinator from Appalachian State wasn’t afraid to shake things up with plays, getting receivers involved in sweep plays on the ground and using the quarterback draw.
Wright, a Vanderbilt transfer, showcased his speed and versatility, cutting and finding holes on the ground, especially in goal line situations.
“For Mike, just as many reps as he can possibly get,” Barbay said. “He’s got a little bit of a different element to his game, so there were some things I was trying to do with him that were different…Earlier on, there were some spots where he could have taken some easier completions, but he is coming along well.”
While Wright was effective on the run, receiver Justin Robinson impressed in the passing game, making catches all over the field.
Added versatility across the board is something that Mississippi State looks to benefit from on both sides of the ball this season. With that, come new tests for even an experienced defense.
Defensively, weaknesses were revealed Saturday as new personnel fit into different sets, something defensive coordinator Matt Brock expressed frustration with afterwards.
“The guys played hard, I thought, but you get a little sloppy the first time you play live football,” Brock said. “Tackling is number one and then you get into tempo situations, two-minute drills. What the offense showed us, it starts exposing flaws.”
Fixing mistakes will remain the emphasis in practice with just two weeks to go before the spring game on April 15.
“ Until you watch it, you don’t have a complete understanding of what’s wrong,” Brock said. “You’re just trying to call it, but a lot of things to correct I’m sure.”
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