Following a bye week, Mississippi State is back to Southeastern Conference play and back on the road Saturday as the Bulldogs (3-3, 0-3 SEC) travel to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium to take on Arkansas (2-5, 0-4). The game will kick off at 11 a.m. on ESPN. Here are five keys to victory for MSU.
Win the line of scrimmage on offense
The Razorbacks’ line is the strength of their defense. Landon Jackson is coming off a monster game last week against Alabama in which he overpowered one of the best offensive lines in the SEC en route to 3.5 sacks on a highly mobile quarterback in Jalen Milroe. Trajan Jeffcoat, a graduate transfer from Missouri, is also a load with three tackles for loss the previous week against Ole Miss.
The Bulldogs have found consistency in the interior of their offensive line with Nick Jones at left guard, Cole Smith at center and Steven Losoya III at right guard, but the tackle spots are still in some flux. It will be up to the combination of Kwatrivious Johnson, Percy Lewis and Kameron Jones to set the edges to protect MSU’s quarterbacks and open holes for the running backs.
“Their defensive line is what you want to look like in the SEC. They’re big guys,” offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay. “They’re violent. They don’t really have a huge drop-off when one guy is injured; somebody else comes in.”
Take care of the football
The Bulldogs turned the ball over five times in their last two SEC games against South Carolina and Alabama, and next up is an Arkansas team that is tied for second in the conference with 11 turnovers forced. The Razorbacks have taken three interceptions back for touchdowns, tied with Michigan for the most in the entire Football Bowl Subdivision.
If quarterback Will Rogers is healthy enough to play — he sustained a left (non-throwing) shoulder injury in the fourth quarter against Western Michigan — he will need to stay in sync with his receivers and throw the ball away when necessary. Backup Mike Wright offers a much greater ability to escape pressure, but is far less proven as a passer.
Get KJ Jefferson flustered
Jefferson, in his third season as Arkansas’ starting quarterback, has established himself as one of the SEC’s most dynamic offensive players. His passing and rushing numbers this season are on pace to be well below his 2022 totals, but a matchup with MSU’s reeling defense could be just what he needs.
Even when they blitzed against Western Michigan, the Bulldogs struggled to generate pressure. For more than a month now, the defensive backs have had a hard time winning their matchups in man coverage and have allowed receivers to find soft spots in zone coverage. It will fall on the likes of Nathan Pickering and Jaden Crumedy to make Jefferson uncomfortable, while Shawn Preston Jr., Decamerion Richardson and company must slow down the Razorbacks’ receivers. MSU could also use a linebacker to spy Jefferson, as the Bulldogs did with Jett Johnson against Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
“You have to make sure you keep leverage on him,” defensive coordinator Matt Brock said. “If you’re going to spy and you’re going to rush three and the fourth guy is the spy, how are you going to do it? And obviously that dictates coverage as well. Pressures are pressures; you just have to make sure you understand your rush lanes and how things should fit together.”
Force Arkansas to become one-dimensional
Last year, the Razorbacks enjoyed the services of one of the best running backs in all of college football in Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, who rushed for 1,443 yards while averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Sanders has battled injuries this fall, having played in just three games, and will be out Saturday against MSU.
Arkansas’ other running backs, led by AJ Green, are not nearly as explosive, and yet the Razorbacks have still been a run-heavy offense, throwing the ball less than 46% of the time. If the Bulldogs can limit Arkansas’ production on the ground and make Jefferson beat them with his arm, this MSU defense has a chance to string together some stops.
Make an early statement
Saturday will be the Razorbacks’ first home game since Sept. 16, following a brutal four-week stretch of road trips to LSU, Ole Miss and Alabama plus a neutral-site game against Texas A&M. Arkansas will be desperate, looking to avoid its sixth straight loss, and so will the crowd.
Morning kickoffs, though, often favor the away team. By scoring an early touchdown or coming up with a first-quarter turnover, the Bulldogs can sap some of the energy from both the Razorbacks’ sideline and the stands. And don’t forget that MSU, also searching for its first SEC win, will be playing desperate football as well.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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Mississippi State offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay (left) and defensive coordinator Matt Brock
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