Greg Knox believes return of Will Rogers energized Mississippi State

Star Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers has missed time this season with an injury. Luckily, he was able to return against Southern Miss, helping interim head coach Greg Knox and the Bulldogs get a win in the process.

Now, ahead of the Egg Bowl, Knox explained that he believes Rogers has given Mississippi State a spark and energized the team.

“What Will brings to the table, his attitude, his effort, his work ethic, his motivation, his enthusiasm,” Greg Knox said. “He is energy in the team. Every day in every meeting he’s there, he sits up front and, again, that young man is special.”

Rogers has more than proved he’s a special player during his time in Starkville. He’s already smashed Dak Prescott‘s record for passing yards, throwing for 12,108 yards at this point in his career to Prescott’s 9,376. He also broke Prescott’s passing touchdown mark, with 94 to the previous record of 70.

Those marks are also third and fourth in SEC history respectively going into the Egg Bowl. There is a good chance Rogers moves into second all-time in SEC passing yards during the Egg Bowl. He is just 85 yards behind Drew Lock for second entering the game.

“I love his leadership and everything he does,” Knox concluded.

On the other side of the Egg Bowl, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin knows that his defense is going to have to step up to compete with Rogers, even amid Mississippi State’s struggles as a team.

“We know the player that he is – how he has pulled out games before, thrown for huge numbers in games,” Kiffin said. “I’m sure him getting back and having a game under his belt last week probably will help him.”

Will Rogers, Mississippi State adjusting to short week for Egg Bowl preparations

Mississippi State needs to get ready for Ole Miss on a short week of game preparation. That’s never easy, but in a heated rivalry where the Bulldogs are playing for bowl eligibility, it’s incredibly important that preparation goes well.

Rogers knows that and recently addressed the quick turnaround.

“Yeah, quick turnaround obviously for both teams. You got to be ready and the game plan comes at you pretty fast but that is for both teams. That’s a challenge in itself,” Rogers said.

“So, we really have to make the most of our time this week when we are out there practicing, meetings. We got to be locked in. Obviously, it is a challenge but like I said, it is a challenge for both sides with the game on Thursday.”