STARKVILLE — Mississippi State’s run defense ranks in the top 10 in the nation.
Texas A&M’s rushing offense is solidly middle of the pack thanks to a subpar offensive line.
But don’t expect that to mean the Bulldogs will stymie the Aggies on the ground when the two teams meet at 6 p.m. Saturday in College Station, Texas.
Because Mississippi State defensive coordinator Zach Arnett certainly doesn’t.
“I’d assume they watched last year’s game and saw they rushed for over 200 yards and probably sleep just fine at night going against us,” Arnett said Wednesday.
It was 186 yards accrued by the Aggies in a 28-14 win at Davis Wade Stadium last Oct. 17, but Arnett’s point still stands. Texas A&M’s offense — and its run game — can’t be overlooked.
The Aggies have Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane in the backfield. They have 6-foot-5 tight end Jalen Wydermyer. And even backup quarterback Zach Calzada, who will start Saturday, can “make all the throws.”
“They do it all, and they’re obviously physical up front with the offensive line,” Arnett said. “They do a good job of mixing it up — run the ball down your throat, then they play-action pass you, dropback game and explosive plays through the air.”
Little of that was on display in the Aggies’ 20-10 loss to Arkansas on Saturday, but Mississippi State still knows what it’s up against. The Bulldogs allowed three touchdown plays of 40 or more yards against LSU in Saturday’s 28-25 loss and are motivated to change that this weekend.
“If you can limit explosive plays and make a team operate all the way down the field, typically you have a good chance of getting them off schedule and getting a stop, and when you give up explosive plays — particularly when you give up touchdowns — you give up points,” Arnett said. “And obviously we gave up a few too many.”
Crumedy: MSU must pressure QB
One downside to Calzada’s game, according to Mississippi State junior defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy?
“I’ve seen that he likes to hold the ball a lot, and that’ll be a perfect chance for us to get to him and make plays,” Crumedy said Tuesday.
The Bulldogs’ pass rush hasn’t been as desired this season. Thanks in part to the loss of defensive end Jordan Davis because of an apparent injury, Mississippi State has just eight sacks through four games, good for a tie for the No. 74 spot in the country. They sacked LSU quarterback Max Johnson twice Saturday with linemen Randy Charlton and Aaron Odom earning one takedown apiece.
Against a Texas A&M team with a banged-up O-line, those numbers will have to improve. Aggies right guard Layden Robinson has missed the past two games and could miss a third, leading to further shuffling along the line.
With the injury issues and a young quarterback under center, Mississippi State must force pressure on Calzada to disrupt Texas A&M’s offense.
“I feel like it’s going to be very important for us,” Crumedy said. “For one, we want to step our game up and show that we can do what we haven’t been doing in the first place.”
MSU OL takes another step
Head coach Mike Leach was considerably critical of his offensive line during the Bulldogs’ first fall scrimmage Aug. 14 at Davis Wade Stadium.
“I think some of these guys have got to get tougher,” Leach said. “Some of them probably think they’re better than they are, so we’ve got to get that out of them.”
Whatever he and offensive line coach Mason Miller have done since then appears to be working.
After some shaky moments early in the season, Mississippi State protected quarterback Will Rogers well against LSU, allowing just one sack. Strong run blocking also allowed the Bulldogs to rush for 115 yards on just 26 carries.
“They kept Will pretty clean all day, and we ran for 100 yards on the ground,” running backs coach Eric Mele said Wednesday. “That’s about what you want it to look like.”
Center LaQuinston Sharp said he feels comfortable at his new position thanks to at least 100 snaps a day in the offseason and a strict conditioning regimen.
He expressed confidence his teammates on the O-line are improving as well.
“Everybody’s getting better every day at their job, doing what they’re supposed to do, and we’ll keep getting better from there,” Sharp said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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