5 Things You Need to Know About the Mississippi State Bulldogs

Maybe some time away from Lexington is what this Kentucky Football team needs. Calling it a spiral would be a bit dramatic, but it is fair to say things have not gone well of late for the Wildcats. After a 5-0 start they were punched in the mouth in Athens by #1 Georgia. That loss was expected, but the manner in which it was delivered was disappointing. Then, the ‘Cats went into the bye week following a collapse at Kroger Field against Missouri. Once leading 14-0 in the second quarter with the Tigers in punt formation, Missouri would come back to win 38-21. Last week, Devin Leary looked great but the defense just couldn’t get a stop as Tennessee came away with a 33-27 win. Now they must hit the road to play the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Three consecutive losses now has Kentucky staring at a 5-3 record without a clear win left on the schedule. Sure, the Wildcats could win in Starkville or Columbia. Yes, Kentucky has dominated Louisville of late. However, all of those games are on the road and the lone home game comes against a surging Alabama squad. In order to stop the bleeding Coach Stoops and company must win under the lights with cowbells ringing in their ears. That is a feat that has not been accomplished since 2008. A win would right the ship, get the program bowl eligible for an eighth straight season, and calm the fanbase. Another loss would officially turn the season into spiral mode. Saturday night’s contest is absolutely massive for the Kentucky Football program.

As always, we have all of your pregame needs right here on Kentucky Sports Radio dot com for the 7:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) kickoff on the SEC Network between the Kentucky Wildcats (5-3, 2-3) and the Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-4, 1-4). If you haven’t already, two must reads are Adam Luckett’s Scouting Report and Freddie Maggard’s goals for the game. Those are the in-depth, football-nerd previews. For those in search of a more surface level look at what to expect on Saturday night, you are in the right place. Let’s dive on in to five things you need to know about the cowbell loving ‘Dawgs.

Mississippi State Faces Questions at Quarterback

Going into the season the Mississippi State Bulldogs knew exactly what they had at quarterback. Will Rogers was back as the Southeastern Conference’s all-time leader in completions with 1,264. The senior also is the Mississippi State all-time leader in passing yards at just shy of 12,000. There was no reason to believe that they highly efficient passer would be anything besides his typical self in 2023. However, that is not the way things played out in Starkville.

Rogers was completing just 61.4% of his passes and had gone below five yards per attempt in a pair of SEC games. Through six starts, Rogers had thrown for 1,275 yards, 10 touchdowns, and four interceptions on 105-171 passing. Then, he missed the last two games and his stats remains uncertain for Saturday night against Kentucky. He has since been ruled out for Saturday night’s contest.

Without their veteran signal caller, the Bulldogs turned to Mike Wright. The former Vanderbilt starter has been even worse than Rogers though. His completion percentage dipped to 58.2% and Wright has completed just 32 passes for 307 yards. While the dual-threat quarterback does add a running element, it hasn’t helped Mississippi State’s offense. In his two starts the Bulldogs have just two offensive touchdowns. That has led to some rumblings heading into Saturday about Coach Zach Arnett turning to true freshman Chris Parson. In short, the ‘Dawgs don’t know what to do at the sport’s most important position.

Injury Bug Has Hit Bulldogs Running Back Room Too

There are serious questions about who the Mississippi State Bulldogs will trot out at quarterback. That is probably the biggest unknown in Starkville. However, the status of Jo’Quavious Marks is also up in the air. The senior is Mississippi State’s all-time leader in receptions with 209 while also closing in on 2,000 career rushing yards. Marks had racked up 500 rushing yards this season before missing last week’s contest. If he is unable to go the Bulldogs will turn to a true freshman in the backfield. He has since been ruled out for Saturday night’s contest.

Seth Davis has shown some explosiveness, gaining 6.4 yards per carry, but he isn’t yet the well-rounded talent of the veteran Marks. The Bulldogs might be more inclined to go with Mike White at quarterback to open up another option in the rushing attack if their primary running back can’t go. Either way, Coach Arnett has a couple of major questions to answer going into Saturday night’s game against the ‘Cats.

Potential Weapons Out Wide

Struggling to move the ball through the air has put a cap on what the receivers have been able to do this season. However, in recent weeks, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have been force feeding the ball to their two best playmakers. Lideatrick Griffin is the team leader in every primary receiving category including targets (45), receptions (35), yards (512), and touchdowns (3). Half of those yards came in his outing against South Carolina where the senior reeled in a Mississippi State record 256 yards. He is averaging just shy of 15 yards per catch.

Meanwhile, fellow senior Zavion Thomas was the top priority in the passing game last week. He received 12 target, which included lining up in the backfield some. In total, Thomas brought in nine catches for 112 yards and a touchdown against Auburn. Knowing where these two pass catchers are at all times will go a long way towards the Kentucky secondary having a successful night.

Struggling Defensive Unit

Any way you break it down this has been one of the worst defensive teams in the Southeastern Conference. The Mississippi State Bulldogs have allowed 25.9 points per game, 7.7 yards per pass, and a success rate of 43.4%. All of their defensive metrics are substantially helped too by the wild 7-3 victory against Arkansas. The secondary has been where the Bulldogs have really struggled. Opposing quarterbacks are posting a 151.60 QB Rating which is 123rd in the nation. They are also registering just 3.13 passes defended per game which is 115th nationally. Coming off of Devin Leary’s best game of the season, the Kentucky passing game should be licking their chops heading into Starkville on Saturday night.

Bulldogs Get Production From Linebacker Tandem

If you are looking for a bright spot from this Mississippi State Bulldogs defense you will focus your sights on their talented linebacker tandem. Jett Johnson and Nathaniel Watson, a pair of super seniors, both eclipsed 100 tackles last season and are on pass to blow past that mark this year as well. The duo is almost solely responsible for any havoc the Bulldogs create. On the season, Johnson and Watson have combined for 18 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two pass breakups. They have 84 and 80 total tackles respectively as well. Look for these two to fly all over the field and try to make up for what the line of scrimmage and secondary lack in talent.