Mississippi State (1-7) concludes its three-game homestand Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium against Massachusetts (2-6) for a 3:15 p.m. kickoff on SEC Network. The Minutemen are coming off a decisive win over Wagner last week, although like the Bulldogs, they have not defeated an FBS opponent this season.
Here are five keys to victory for MSU as the Bulldogs look to snap a seven-game skid.
Contain Taisun Phommachanh
MSU had all kinds of trouble last week against Arkansas’ mobile quarterback, Taylen Green, who torched the Bulldogs for 393 total yards and six touchdowns. He put safety Hunter Washington through the spin cycle en route to a rushing touchdown early in the game, but he only had the opportunity to do so because MSU allowed him to get outside the pocket.
Phommachanh, like Green, is a dual-threat quarterback and would be UMass’ leading rusher by far if not for sacks. The Bulldogs are dead last in the country in sacks and haven’t recorded one since late September at Texas, but the Minutemen have allowed three sacks per game. MSU needs to keep Phommachanh inside the pocket and get him on the ground, because he is dangerous with both his arm and legs.
Run the ball
UMass is actually sixth nationally in passing yards allowed per game, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that the Minutemen’s opponents are usually leading and therefore don’t put the ball in the air much. And UMass has not been good against the run, ranking outside the top 100 in yards allowed per rush.
Davon Booth had his best game as a Bulldog last week, rushing for 93 yards on 17 carries and also taking a screen pass 54 yards for a touchdown. Johnnie Daniels should also be able to find some running room against the Minutemen’s undersized defensive line. And freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren showed more willingness to take off and run last week than he had in the past, too.
Pick up the blitz
Minutemen head coach Don Brown loves to bring pressure — it’s what helped make him a successful defensive coordinator at Michigan and other stops. UMass is averaging barely one sack per game, but MSU has had problems protecting Van Buren, who does not seem to have that mental timer in his head yet that tells him to either escape the pocket, scramble or get rid of the ball.
The Bulldogs need to keep their quarterback upright in this game, and their receivers also need to win their matchups downfield in single coverage against a solid Minutemen secondary.
Start fast
Slow starts have been a huge problem for MSU, which has just two opening-drive touchdowns all year (and one of those came against Eastern Kentucky). Head coach Jeff Lebby pointed to the first five drives for each team last week as where the game got away from the Bulldogs, who drove inside Arkansas’ 25-yard line on four straight possessions and came away with three total points.
If MSU finds itself trailing early or is unable to pull away, UMass will start to smell an upset, which is the last thing the Bulldogs want considering how desperate they are for a win. A multi-score lead at halftime is a must.
Play the kids
A number of true freshmen have already made significant impacts for MSU this year, and with bowl eligibility already out the window, it can’t hurt to get more players on the field. This is a lost season, and with the transfer portal a factor, it makes less sense than ever to preserve players’ redshirts.
Running back Xavier Gayten touched the ball three times for 38 yards against Arkansas and looks like he could be the real deal. There’s no reason not to give him the ball more and see what he can do. Same goes for some of the young players on defense who haven’t played much — after all, it’s hard to play worse defensively than the Bulldogs have through eight games.
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