Zach Arnett opens up on Will Rogers' deep pass ability

Will Rogers is going to be one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the SEC next season as a senior. That should give him quite the advantage at Mississippi State and, with his talent and production, Zach Arnett wants to see him let it rip in 2023.

Arnett commented on Rogers’ ability to throw deep balls following the Bulldog’s spring game this weekend. He said there are plenty of statistics that suggest that MSU’s QB is one of the best when sending the football deep. Still, although it’ll be part of their offense, he also wants him to understand when to rein it back in.

“It’s interesting. If you dig into the numbers from last year? He’s actually one of the most accurate passers of Power Five quarterbacks when the ball was pushed or targeted 20 or more yards downfield,” Arnett pointed out. “So, obviously, if you can run the ball effectively? And you build some play action off of that? That allows your quarterback to set up and have time to push the ball down the field.”

“He’s a real accurate passer when he pushes the ball down the field. And we’re encouraging him to be aggressive and not reckless,” said Arnett. “That should be his mindset as a quarterback when throwing the ball. Be aggressive, just not reckless.”

You don’t accumulate over 10,600 career passing yards solely by dinking and dumping in the passing game. Rogers has done his fair share of that in Mississippi State’s air raid offense as he holds the league record for completions. Even so, he has also cranked more than a few downfield in his time in Starkville with more than decent success.

Rogers has the green light from his head coach to make things happen through the air next year. As long as he does so responsibly, Arnett sounds more than willing to let his senior quarterback use his arm to get the Bulldogs downfield in chunks again.

Arnett satisfied with the professional approach from Rogers

Mississippi State is going through a lot of changes this spring. The unexpected loss of Mike Leach is at the center of the transformation in Starkville and has trickled down to decisions from a new head coach to a new system and philosophy. However, amidst all the shifts, Zach Arnett says senior QB Will Rogers and his professionalism have provided a calming feel to the program as they work themselves through everything together.

Arnett applauded Rogers for his impact during his press conference to end last week. He says his quarterback has taken it upon himself to be ultra-prepared for everything that’s coming with the new playbook. It’s obviously making a difference too considering what he sees Rogers doing with it already.

“Will is such a professional in his approach,” Arnett said. “I bet you he probably goes through the install three or four times. (That’s) before he ever even steps out on the field and does it.”

“He’s having absolutely no problems. He’s already checking plays at the line of scrimmage and seeing how the defense is aligned. Might be changing run schemes, might be changing to a play action pass or a drop back game,” said Arnett. “He’s done a great job of approaching the instillation and learning it. We really like where he’s at.”