Zach Arnett shares update on Will Rogers, timeline for return from injury

On Saturday, Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers missed his third consecutive game after going down with a shoulder injury last month.

Since his injury, the Bulldogs are 1-2 and sitting at 4-5 with three games remaining — bowl eligibility is in serious doubt. Rogers is doing all he can to make his recovery as soon as possible, but head coach Zach Arnett isn’t willing to rush his QB1 back onto the field. Nor is it even his call, for that matter.

“I think Will has progressed really well. Obviously, he’s practicing with us,” Arnett said after the 24-3 loss to Kentucky. “I have no doubt in his grit and determination to play in that game (Ole Miss). I know he wants to play before that too. I’m not qualified to make that call. So when the doctors say he’s available, he’ll be available and he’ll be out there.”

Rogers’ injury snapped a streak of 38 consecutive starts for the Bulldogs. Before hurting his shoulder, Rogers had 10 touchdown passes and threw for 1,275 yards. Those numbers are way down from the last two seasons, but that was expected as Arnett took over for the late Mike Leach, changing schemes in the process. In two seasons as the full-time starter, Rogers had thrown for 8,713 yards in Leach’s Air Raid.

Without their QB1, Mississippi State had to turn to veteran Vanderbilt transfer Mike Wright on Saturday against Kentucky, but Arnett turned to true freshman quarterback Chris Parson as the game got out of reach. He finished with 67 passing yards on 6-of-14 passes in his collegiate debut.

“I think he did a nice job when he came in and provided a spark,” Arnett said of Parson. “He pushed the ball down the field. His stat line — he had a couple of drops in there — he’s probably up there close to almost a hundred yards passing. He has some mobility too. So he’s able to keep plays alive when the pocket starts to break down.

“He’s going to be able to learn a lot from this film. When he got the ball out in time and took the free-access throws, he did a really good job.”

It’s unsure whether Arnett will choose to start Wright or Parson if Rogers is unable to go next weekend on the road against Texas A&M — who are one win away from becoming bowl-eligible for the first time since 2021.