“The goal is to go 1-0 this week.” Those are the words on which head coach Zach Arnett would like to concentrate for Saturday. In essence, he would like to forget about the recent three losses in SEC play, the last one to Alabama 40-17. That is probably the right tone to set going into week six. The Mississippi State fan base may be of the same mindset. Social media has been conspicuously quiet. They seem more interested in MSU baseball and golf. Where the Bulldogs go from here is truly up to how they perform Saturday. A good performance should get the fans engaged and have Davis-Wade rocking on Saturday. The Bulldogs will host Western Michigan as they get to the halfway point in the season.
Bulldogs Host Western Michigan
This will be the third of the four non-conference matchups this season. This will be the first time State has played Western Michigan. They are in the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) and have an identical overall record to the Bulldogs, 2-3. In conference play they are 1-1, winning their contest with Ball State last week convincingly 42-24. The loss came at Toledo 40-31. Their other win came in their season opener with St. Francis. The other two losses came at the hands of Power Five teams Iowa and Syracuse. Mississippi State will be their third venture into those waters.
Arnett is quite pragmatic considering how to approach this game. “We’re facing a good opponent,” Arnett said. “Very explosive on offense last week in particular. They’ve had to face the defense one time already, playing Syracuse. We’ll have quite the challenge.”
Week six is the point of no return. Meanwhile, for Arnett, he is just getting his sea legs as a head coach, and so far, it has been a rocky voyage. After this game with the Broncos, it’s a bye-week before heading into the thick of conference play. If you’ve ever played the game and run that drill, you know how brutal it can be. After the bye, State goes on the road to Arkansas and Auburn. Considering the way those teams are playing, one can see what a hard road it’s going to be. It will certainly be a chance to bolster their character.
Healing All Wounds
The Bulldogs were not 100% healthy against Alabama. As they go into the game with Western Michigan, they have reworked the depth chart. While, the defensive line is the most affected area needing the most help, especially stopping the run. However, it’s not all gloom and doom. Stellar defensive end, De’Monte Russell missed the Alabama game. Arnett says he is “probable” for the game with Western Michigan. Russell was a standout before the Bama game with 20 tackles, 1.5 for a loss. His brother Donterry Russell had five tackles and 1.5 sacks in the game with the Tide. moves up in the depth chart, starting at strong-side linebacker.
Against the Crimson Tide, the Bulldogs already missed Trevion Williams. Arnett says he has undergone season-ending surgery. He will not be able to backup ace D-lineman Jaden Crumedy. Williams got six tackles, 1.5 for a loss in three of their games. Also missing from the D-line will be Kalvin Dinkins. He backed up Nathan Pickering at nose guard. Dinkins has three tackles so far this season.
Most defenses are keying on Tulu Griffin as the go-to wide receiver. Early on, Justin Robinson was a good distraction and had 12 receptions for 144 yards. He also missed the game last weekend. He is hopeful to return this weekend as a game-time decision.
Arnett has a matter-of-fact approach to the players and injuries. “You only have 12 opportunities to play. You work year-round for those,” Arnett said. “If a player can safely play, defend himself properly, not at risk of worse injury, I think you got to let that guy play. To hold a guy out, I think that’s unfair to the player,”
Start of a New Season?
It’s a new month, a bye-week coming, and the remainder of the conference schedule ahead of that. “Coming off September, we know where we’re at and we know where we want to be,” Arnett said. “The month of October is an incredibly important month for us. The road to redemption begins. The offense needs to become more consistent than it has been in the first five games. That means execution as they did against South Carolina with fewer turnovers and a complimentary defense.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay is well aware of that fact as he said in his Monday press conference. “A crucial mistake in the two-minute end of the half, a turnover there (against Alabama),” Barbay said. “You know, learning from those situations and making sure we’re not making the same mistakes twice and really understanding the flow of the game there.”
In the same press conference, quarterback Will Rogers said he is aware that it comes down to their execution. “Our coaches have said all week it’s about what we’re doing wrong, not necessarily what the defense is doing to us.,” Rogers said. “Everything we have not going for us is self-inflicted. Just need to clean some stuff up.”
Despite what some fans and social media may be saying, Rogers seems to continue to have the confidence of the team. “You want your team jacked up, playing angry, playing with a chip on their shoulder, but a quarterback’s not hitting anybody so you have to stay calm, stay composed, and do your job every single play, “Rogers said.
Playing angry is something Arnett kept alluding to and brought up repeatedly. “Do I think angry football teams play the game better, I do,” Rogers said. “I want an angry football team no matter the record. It starts by going 1-0 this week. We need to go to work, respond properly, go 1-0, and take advantage of the bye week, before the second half of the season.”
