Kevin Barbay provides key for players to get on the field early in new system

The Mississippi State offense is going to look very different come this fall. With new offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay in the fold, the Bulldogs are pivoting away from the Air Raid scheme popularized by the late Mike Leach.

Barbay comes from Appalachian State and brings an offense built upon running, specifically outside zone schemes. And in going from countless reps of pass protection and basic run looks, Barbay knows there’s a lot for his players to learn.

And the guys who pick up on the new scheme and learn the landmarks and movement patterns to get wide will have the clearest path to playing.

“I think, schematically with running some of the pin and pull stuff and running some outside zone, it’s really just learning landmarks and how do I get there and the communication piece for those guys. Obviously they’re talented players that are going to help us. But it goes back to the fundamental piece and the things that we’re asking them to do are a little bit different,” Barbay said in April.

The Bulldogs finished No. 130 (out of 131 FBS teams) in rushing offense in 2022, tallying just 81.7 yards a game and 12 total rushing touchdowns. They were the only FBS team to have fewer than 300 rushing attempts in 2022. Win or lose, rain or shine, Mississippi State was coming out and passing on offense.

That’s going to be different this season. It might not be a perfect balance, but there will be a steadier dosage of running the football in Starkville. And between now and the start of the season, there’s only one thing to ensure the Mississippi State offense gets the new system down: Reps.

“It doesn’t mean that they can’t do them, but we’ve got to just get it over, and over, and over, and over. And make it a repetitive learning for those guys,” Barbay said.

Quarterback Will Rogers says he has to take leadership in new offense ‘by the horns’

Rogers explained that being the leader of this offense means that he needs to understand the new system better than anyone.

“Yeah, I think I kind of have to take it by the horns, you know?” Will Rogers said. “Take the bull by the horns and obviously we’re all learning a new offense. We’re all learning a new scheme. So, I have to be the one up there before everybody else and I have to know the playbook.”