Mississippi State hits the road for the first time in 2023 Saturday night as the Bulldogs (2-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) travel to Williams-Brice Stadium to battle South Carolina (1-2, 0-1). The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Central Time on SEC Network. Here are five keys to victory for MSU.

Get Will Rogers on the same page with his receivers

The Bulldogs’ senior quarterback looked out of sync for much of last week’s loss to LSU and clearly was not communicating effectively with his receivers. That led to a career-low completion percentage and his fewest passing yards since his collegiate debut as a freshman in 2020.

The Gamecocks’ defense is beatable through the air, but they held Carson Beck and Georgia to just three points in the first half before the top-ranked team in the country figured things out after the break.

“It’s nothing simple, but it’s things that can be corrected in practice,” receivers coach Chad Bumphis said. “We have some option routes, some things that are dictated off coverage, so we just have to make sure we’re seeing the same thing.”

Put pressure on Spencer Rattler

In South Carolina’s season opener against North Carolina, the Tar Heels sacked Rattler nine times for a total of 65 yards. Seven of those sacks came in the second half and six occurred on third down. The Gamecocks’ offensive line has improved its pass protection since then, allowing a combined four sacks in their last two games, but the blueprint for bringing down Rattler is there.

MSU’s defense is averaging two sacks per game, and with a three-man front, generating pressure may be difficult without blitzing. But the likes of Nathan Pickering, Jaden Crumedy and Deonte Anderson will have a lot riding on their shoulders Saturday.

“They’ve rotated some different bodies on the offensive line,” defensive coordinator Matt Brock said. “(Rattler) has the mobility to break the pocket and hurt you. Their rushing yards are a little bit skewed because of those sacks early, but they’re very capable in all areas of their offense.”

Make South Carolina run the ball

Rattler is one of the most prolific passers in college football, and while he is certainly capable of hurting defenses with his legs, he does not have the mobility of Arizona’s Jayden de Laura or LSU’s Jayden Daniels. And the Gamecocks are thin at running back — leading rusher Dakereon Joyner has just 75 yards through three games on 2.7 yards per carry.

Turning South Carolina into a running team will be tough for a Bulldogs secondary that will not have starting safety Shawn Preston Jr. until the second half due to a targeting suspension. But if the rest of the defensive backs can contain Xavier Legette and the Gamecocks’ receiving corps, that would play to MSU’s strengths and South Carolina’s weaknesses.

Keep the defense guessing

When working, the beauty of offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay’s system is that it utilizes a lot of pre-snap motion and keeps the defense on its toes. The Bulldogs were too reliant on the run at times in the Arizona game, and were forced to throw most of the time against LSU because they quickly fell behind by multiple scores.

MSU has struggled to generate explosive plays the last two weeks, in part because the offense has become too predictable. The Bulldogs have worked hard to get the ball to speedsters like Zavion Thomas and Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin in space, but more balance could open things up for chunk plays in both the running and passing game.

Force South Carolina into pre-snap penalties

The Gamecocks were flagged 11 times last week against Georgia and have been flagged 8.33 times per game, tied for ninth-most among 130 FBS teams. South Carolina moved early on offense five times, and while a false start isn’t the most damaging infraction, defenses can goad offensive lines into pre-snap movement by showing blitz or changing up their looks.

Rattler is certainly able to overcome those mistakes with his arm, but MSU’s defense will be able to settle in better if the Gamecocks’ quarterback is forced into obvious passing situations. An untimely flag can kill a drive quickly, and could help the Bulldogs’ offense see more time on the field.