STARKVILLE — Saturday morning will be an ideal opportunity for Mississippi State football.

Super Bulldog Weekend is the premier sports weekend on the spring calendar for the Bulldogs and part of the epicenter will be the Maroon and White spring football game, kicking off at noon inside Davis Wade Stadium.

It’s the first time this spring that Mississippi State will be back inside Davis Wade and it will be head coach Zach Arnett’s first time as head coach in Starkville.

“We’re going to try to get as much good on good competition as we can,” Arnett said. “We’ll split the roster into two teams: 1 offense and 2 defense on one team and 2 offense, 1 defense on the other. 1 offense against 1 defense … 2 offense against 2 defense. It’ll get mixed from there.  We’d like to make it as much of a fair matchup as we can. Let them line up and play a real football game.”

Saturday is the culmination of spring practice for the Bulldogs, who welcomed in a number of new transfers and coaches. 

Arnett, at the helm in his first season, brought offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay from Appalachian State and has newly elevated defensive coordinator Matt Brock in his fourth season with Mississippi State.

A combination of new and old faces and new schemes being thrown into the mix has thrown in a new learning curve, and Saturday is the time to gauge that progress.

“The reason we’re going good on good is to get a good evaluation of where we are,” Arnett said. “I hope there are positives and negatives on both sides of the ball. Hopefully, it’s evenly matched. …  Hopefully, there’s reasons to get excited about players making plays.”

A point of emphasis on Saturday will be the new-look offense, complete with tight end sets and a more balanced playbook with more running plays expected.

“It’s still a work in progress,” Arnett said. “By no means are we a polished ready group. Offensive line is getting more comfortable in the run schemes, there’s communication that goes with that. … I think Will Rogers is enjoying the mental challenge of what comes with running an offense like this. When you get multi-formational, it changes what the defense can do.”

Rogers has been sharing snaps this spring with Vanderbilt dual-threat transfer Mike Wright and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC transfer Asher Morgan.

That’s been one of the featured competitions for the Bulldogs as once the spring concludes following the spring game, all attention turns to summer training camp and preparation for the 2023 season.

Saturday is a time to see and be seen in Starkville, and Arnett and Mississippi State are taking full advantage of the opportunity.

“I don’t think there is a better weekend in the entire spring semester to get recruits on campus than this one,” Arnett said. “Starkville is a special place, it’s full of special people and they’re all here this weekend. I’ve heard the ticket sales for the baseball series. While I’m excited to have a lot of recruits on campus and people to show up for the spring game, I’m equally excited to see the environment there afterwards.”