Mississippi State has two more opportunities to attain bowl eligibility, starting with an interesting road test against Missouri.
The Bulldogs (5-5, 1-5 SEC) head to Columbia to face a Tigers team experiencing a big change of pace on offense after losing starting quarterback Beau Pribula. Freshman Matt Zollers is at the helm now, but is still looking for his first win under center after limited production in losses to Vanderbilt and Texas A&M.
MSU is having its own quarterback worries, with starter Blake Shapen’s status in question after leaving the game against Georgia with an injury. Head coach Jeff Lebby may have to trust his own freshman at quarterback against one of the top defenses in the country.
Here are three keys to victory for the Bulldogs in their road test against the Tigers.
Don’t let Matt Zollers find rhythm
The Bulldogs face the Tigers at an interesting time, with Mizzou having lost three of their last four games and having to bring a third-string quarterback up to speed.
However, that does not guarantee victory.
“He’s incredibly talented, he’s athletic, he can extend and keep things alive,” Lebby said of Zollers. “A guy who can make every single throw. For him, I’m sure they’re talking nonstop about finding ways to take care of the football. He’s a young guy who is just incredibly talented, and they’ve got this incredible run game, and they’ve done a great job of finding ways to utilize the run game at all times this year, so that to me is something that will create the stress for us. At quarterback, they can extend and make throws, but they’ve got this great run game with it.”
Lebby knows plenty about the trials of a midseason quarterback change and having to rely on a freshman. It’s a challenging setback, but the process for Eli Drinkwitz and his staff is remedied somewhat by a talented supporting cast on offense.
The Bulldog defense has had to rush the quarterback by committee since Will Whitson went down with a season-ending injury in Week 2, but it’s more important than ever to dial up pressure and keep the quarterback uncomfortable.
Zollers has been safe with the ball, and he has quality playmakers out wide, but he hasn’t carried the offense on his shoulders yet. The Bulldogs can make him uncomfortable and force him to win the game by limiting the Tigers’ opportunities on the ground.
Stop, or at least slow down, the run
The Tigers have two running backs who average more than six yards per carry, and the team’s lead back, Ahmad Hardy, already has 1,046 yards and 12 touchdowns from nine games, making him the fourth leading rusher in FBS.
Hardy, an Oma, Mississippi, native, transferred to Mizzou after an impressive freshman campaign with UL Monroe last season. He finished with 1,354 yards and 13 touchdowns, and hasn’t slowed down at all since moving up to the SEC.
The Bulldogs face Hardy a week after getting battered both through the air and on the ground against Georgia. The visitors ran for more than 300 yards at Davis Wade Stadium, with Nate Frazier accounting for 181 yards on just 12 carries. It was the latest in a series of big-play breakdowns by MSU’s defense, and it’s something they have to correct before facing one of the best backs in FBS.
“We’ve got to play much cleaner,” Lebby said of the defense. “Way too many mental errors last week from an alignment standpoint. Our gap integrity’s got to be better as we go to fit this football team up. That’s a huge piece of it, and we have to find ways to strike, shed and get off of things, to be able to have the ability to make a play and get more hats to the ball. It’s all encompassing, and we’re going to need every bit of it to give us a chance to go do what we want to do.”
Protect whomever is at QB
Mississippi State’s offensive line woes have been a particular issue in pass protection. Blake Shapen is the third most-sacked quarterback in FBS, with 31 sacks. The most recent hit taken against Georgia on Saturday may keep him out of action in Columbia, and true freshman Kamario Taylor is on standby if Shapen isn’t “truly healthy” for action.
Taylor has had positive performances in relief of Shapen over the past two games, tallying four rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown in that time. Still, he faces a daunting defensive front against Mizzou, one that will force him to think and act quickly.
The Tigers rank 10th in total defense in FBS and are one of just 14 defensive units to average fewer than 300 yards against per game. The Tigers have also tallied 14 sacks on the season, led by Damon Wilson II with 6.5 and Zion Young with 5.
“A very complete defense at all three levels,” Lebby said of the Tigers on Wednesday. “The thing that jumps out is their ability to create negatives, and the amount of sacks that they’ve created, that’s going to be a huge stress for us. We’ve got to play as well as we’ve played all year up front with that challenge.”
MSU ranks 127th in FBS in sacks allowed, with an average of 3.2 sacks per game.
Whether it is Shapen or Taylor under center in Columbia, the team has to do a better job of giving them a chance.
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