With five minutes left in the first quarter last Saturday, Arkansas faced a third-and-1 on its own 29-yard line.
The Razorbacks hustled to the line of scrimmage, snapping the ball before Mississippi State’s defense could get set. Arkansas ran the “tush push” or “two-cheek sneak” made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles, using two backfield players to push quarterback KJ Jefferson forward. With the Bulldogs caught off guard, Jefferson used his 247-pound frame to barrel ahead for seven yards, easily enough to move the chains and keep the possession going.
The play had worked like a charm the first time the Razorbacks used it, so they went to it again on the first drive of the second half on a fourth-and-1 at their own 46. Arkansas sprinted to the line and quickly snapped the ball, and although Jefferson initially was stopped cold, a second effort appeared to get him the necessary yard for a first down. But MSU freshman cornerback Brice Pollock punched the ball out, and linebacker DeShawn Page came up with the recovery.
“Brice did a great job coming in, and you can’t really see it until you watch the tape, but he punches and the ball comes out, and DeShawn does a good job getting on it,” defensive coordinator Matt Brock said. “College football is a momentum game, and that was a huge momentum swing.”
The Bulldogs’ defense overwhelmed Arkansas at the point of attack all day long, a drastic change from much of the first half of their season. MSU blitzed regularly in the Western Michigan game on Oct. 7, but the Broncos’ offensive front was able to pick up the pressure and give their quarterback time to make plays down the field. Jefferson, whose greatest asset is his mobility, looked flustered by MSU’s pressure and averaged barely five yards per completion.
Schematically, head coach Zach Arnett said MSU did very little differently against Arkansas than in the previous four games, when the Bulldogs allowed an average of 433 yards and 36.5 points. But the bye week allowed several key players to rest up and get healthy, including linemen De’Monte Russell and Jaden Crumedy. It also gave the defensive leaders who were already at full strength the chance to take it easier in practice.
“We got a couple other guys freshened up and healthy. The bye week came at a really good time for us,” Arnett said. “The defensive coaches did a really nice job of self-scouting, identifying who are the guys consistently playing the best and what are we executing the best. It’s always about us. What do we do well, what can we control?”
Veteran linebackers Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson and Jett Johnson were as solid as ever through the first six weeks, but with so much of the defensive game plan riding on their shoulders every Saturday, the bye week gave that dynamic duo time to take a back seat in practice and focus on both further improving their own performance and helping out their younger teammates.
Johnson made 11 tackles in the Arkansas game, including one for a five-yard loss when he tripped up running back Rashod Dubinion on a third-down screen pass. But it was Watson who stole the show with 14 tackles and two sacks, and after being named Southeastern Conference co-Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, he was honored Tuesday as the Bednarik Award Player of the Week, given to the best defensive player in college football.
“It’s been too long. If it was up to me, he’d get it every week,” defensive tackle Nathan Pickering said. “He’s just a guy that you want behind you playing linebacker calling out the plays.”
Both of Watson’s sacks were on blitzes, one in which he burst straight through the middle and one in which he came from Jefferson’s left side. And it wasn’t just the linebackers who were effective in the pass rush. Prior to Saturday, MSU did not have a single sack from a defensive back, but the secondary delivered twice against the Razorbacks.
Safety Corey Ellington, making his third consecutive start in place of Hunter Washington, nearly gave the Bulldogs a takeaway late in the first half. He blew past Dubinion and had a free shot at Jefferson, knocking the ball out as he hit him, but Dubinion jumped on it to avert disaster for Arkansas. Cornerback Decamerion Richardson recorded the first sack of his collegiate career in the fourth quarter, also racing past Dubinion before bringing down Jefferson.
“We brought in a little bit more DB pressure here and there because they had struggled with it,” Brock said. “We got the production we needed from those pressures. (Ellington) played with more confidence in coverage, in the run game and on blitzes. He’s a big, strong athlete, so we need him to play confident to uphold his end of the bargain.”
The Bulldogs’ next opponent, Auburn, is far more adept at running the ball than throwing it, so heavy pressure could again be in order. Both of the Tigers’ quarterbacks, Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford, are capable of escaping the pocket and making plays with their legs, but MSU did well to contain Jefferson in such situations, so the blueprint is there for Brock and company.
“With them, you’re not getting traditional personnel (from Auburn),” Brock said. “It’s more like two-back formations with split receivers and split tight ends. They do a lot of things (with) personnel that maybe aren’t typical when you hear those numbers. We have to do a good job of understanding what formations we’re getting and adjusting accordingly.”
You can help your community
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.
You can help your community
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.
Join the Discussion