Following a 27-13 loss at Auburn last Saturday, Mississippi State is back home for the first time in nearly a month as the Bulldogs (4-4, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) welcome Kentucky (5-3, 2-3) to Davis Wade Stadium. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network. Here are five keys to victory for MSU.
Establish the run early
Even without lead running back Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks, the Bulldogs rushed for 184 yards and averaged more than five yards per carry against the Tigers. The Wildcats are among the SEC’s most vulnerable teams against the run, ranking 12th in the conference with 248 rushing yards allowed per game. If Marks is able to play, so much the better for MSU, but even if not, the Bulldogs should get Jeffery Pittman and Seth Davis involved early in the game. Quarterback Mike Wright’s ability to run the ball makes MSU’s offense that much more dynamic as well.
Make Mike Wright’s life easier as a passer
Assuming Will Rogers is still out and the Bulldogs don’t turn to true freshman Chris Parson, Wright will make his third consecutive start for MSU on Saturday. Against Auburn, the Bulldogs trailed for every single play their offense was on the field, so Wright was forced to go deep more often, resulting in an inconsistent stat line. MSU needs to set Wright up with easy throws, perhaps getting the running backs involved in the passing game, to get him in rhythm. Speedy receivers Zavion Thomas and Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin are more than capable of racking up yards after the catch, too.
“We sit down and we try to go through my call sheet and make sure that he’s comfortable with each of those throws,” offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay said. “He’s got a strong enough arm and he can accurately place the ball. I’ve got to do a better job of giving him some concepts (where) he can get it out quicker.”
Don’t sell out to stop the run
It may be tempting for the Bulldogs to throw all their chips into stopping Kentucky running back Ray Davis, the SEC’s leading rusher. Tennessee did exactly that last week against the Wildcats, so Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary torched the Volunteers for 372 yards while completing 28 of 39 passes.
Davis is undoubtedly the centerpiece of the Wildcats’ offense, but given MSU’s ongoing struggles preventing quarterbacks from completing a high percentage of passes and making plays deep down the field, the Bulldogs will absolutely need to account for Leary and his sophomore receivers — Dane Key, Barion Brown, Jordan Dingle and Josh Kattus. MSU committed to stopping the run against Auburn as well, so Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne delivered his best performance of SEC play.
Kick the ball away from Barion Brown
The Bulldogs have done well to limit big special teams plays from their opponents this season, but Kentucky’s Brown is arguably more dangerous than any returner they have faced so far. He is averaging more than 30 yards per kickoff return and took one back for a touchdown against Ball State.
MSU kickoff specialist Nick Barr-Mira has been close to automatic when it comes to kicking touchbacks, but punter Keelan Crimmins had a rough day against Arkansas before bouncing back nicely against Auburn. If Brown is back deep for the Wildcats, Crimmins would do well to punt the ball out of bounds or otherwise make it difficult for him to break off a big return.
“He’s an issue in every phase of the game. He impacts everything,” head coach Zach Arnett said Wednesday. “He’s an electric, dynamic receiver and obviously he is a special, special return man. You always have to be aware of where he is and all the different ways that he can touch the football and affect the game.”
Feed off the energy of the home crowd
Saturday night is the Bulldogs’ Homecoming game, it’s their first home game since Oct. 7, and MSU is honoring the 1998 team that won the SEC West title. The crowd will understand how important this game is for the Bulldogs’ bowl prospects, and after Arnett called his team out for lacking intensity early in the Auburn game, MSU will need to play with intensity and desperation for 60 minutes against Kentucky. If the Bulldogs are not emotionally prepared, they may still be sitting on one conference win by season’s end.
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