Mississippi State offense suffers more inconsistency in setback to Kentucky
Even inside the home comforts of Davis Wade Stadium against Kentucky, Mississippi State’s season-long struggles continued. The offense failed to establish any kind of rhythm and had just 218 yards of offense. State also gave points to Kentucky’s defense via a pick six and the Bulldogs were flagged nine times, as
All in all, it spelled a 24-3 defeat for the Bulldogs, which has been a rarity for Mississippi State againste Kentucky inside Davis Wade Stadium. Saturday’s win was the first for Kentucky in Starkville since 2008, snapping an eight-game road losing streak to Mississippi State.
In order to reach a bowl for the 14th straight season, the Bulldogs have to win two of their last three games, which includes matchups on the road at Texas A&M next week and against Ole Miss on Thanksgiving night.
“We know that if you want to get to postseason play, you got to get to at least six victories,” said head coach Zach Arnett. “The guys are all competitors and you have to come out and try to give yourself the best chance.”
While the defense played decent most of the night, the offense could never find any consistency. The Bulldogs were just 6 of 17 on third down and averaged 3.3 yards a play against Kentucky.
“You got to go to work, work harder,” Arnett added. “That is what you do in this sport. I am confident our guys are going to come to work. You have to play this game with emotions but you lose emotional control. You give the other offense 15 yards or set your offense back, you are only hurting your team.”
Quarterback Mike Wright was just 11 of 21 passing for 78 yards with one interception. It was his third straight start for the Bulldogs in place of Will Rogers, who has not played since injuring his shoulder against Western Michigan.
“Will has progressed really well,” Arnett noted. “Obviously, he is practicing with us. Unfortunately I am not qualified to make that call. When the doctor says he is available to play, he will play.”
One of the lone highlights for Mississippi State’s offense was when true freshman Chris Parson entered the game in the fourth quarter. Parson was making his first appearance of the year and finished 6 of 14 passing for 67 yards.
“Chris has been available for emergency purposes the entire time Will has been out,” said Arnett. “He did have a minor setback and as he progressed and was able to run the entire offense, he was able to get his opportunity (tonight).
“I thought he did a really nice job when he came in and provided a spark. He had a couple of drops in there, too, or he would’ve had close to 100 yards passing. He will be able to learn a lot from this film.”
Mississippi State senior Cole Smith was also impressed with Parson’s demeanor despite it being his first action of the season.
“I think (he gained) confidence, showing everybody else he can do it,” Smith mentioned. “I think that’s what he did and he did a great job. He’s got that mojo about him and that swag the way he carries himself and that confidence. He carries himself almost like a veteran already.
“None of us are surprised by what he did. If he was nervous, none of us noticed it. He kept his composure regardless of circumstance and I think he did a great job.”
Making the loss even more disappointing for State is the fact it was homecoming and the program was honoring the 1998 Mississippi State team that won the SEC Western Division.
“I can’t thank our fanbase enough for the environment they have created,” mentioned Arnett. “The Western Division champs were back and honoring them. I am disappointed we did not have a better outcome to celebrate.”
