The Mississippi State Bulldogs were always known for their air-raid offense under former head coach, Mike Leach.
But this season, following Leach’s death, the Bulldogs have been operating in a different way under new head coach, Zach Arnett.
“Zach Arnett has done a very good job in his short time of being a head coach,” Brian Kelly said. “They’re really well coached.”
This season, Mississippi State has relied heavily on their run game instead of their pass game. The Bulldogs currently sit second in the SEC for rushing yards per game at 221.5 yards.
“Offensively, there’s quite a different change there, going away from the air-raid offense to a much more traditional offense,” Kelly said. “It’s one that many see in college football, but they’ve got some really good players.”
Their workhorse has been Jo’Quavious Marks, who leads the SEC with 250 rushing yards on 43 carries and has scored three times. His numbers in his first two games are almost at half his production of all of last season. In 2022, Marks finished with 582 rushing yards on 113 carries with nine touchdowns.
Marks has clearly been their go-to running back. The next running back the Bulldogs have used most has been Seth Davis, who has only run the ball seven times.
Mississippi State quarterback, Will Rogers, has just 389 passing yards in the Bulldogs’ first two games. He’s completed 33 of 46 attempted passes along with five passing touchdowns. Last season, Rogers attempted 49 passes with 450 passing yards with five touchdowns in their season opener against Memphis.
“Will Rogers is probably one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the SEC,” Kelly said. “When you’ve got experience at the quarterback position, it’s a really good thing.”
It’s an unfamiliar look from Mississippi State, a look Brian Kelly hasn’t seen from the Bulldogs during his time in Baton Rouge. Yes, that time has only been about a year, but for this team, it will come down to run defense.
One thing the LSU defense succeeded at in their loss to Florida State was that they limited the Seminoles’ run game to a minimum. They held the Seminoles to a team 135 rushing yards, just above what Marks averages per game thus far. This being said, stopping the run game will be imperative in controlling the Bulldogs.
When it comes to the passing game, Rogers and the Bulldogs might not be at the point where they could flip a switch and rely on that if their run game is seized. Out of Mississippi State’s four leading receivers last season, only one returned this season. So developing that chemistry on the fly would be tough.
The run-heavy offense isn’t something foreign in college football, but it will evidently present a challenge when the SEC leader in rushing yards is on the other side. If LSU controls him early, they’ll have a good chance of coming out in the winner’s column.
