Mississippi State’s Identity Provides Taxing Challenge for Kentucky

No. 22 Kentucky’s two-game skid has the Wildcats’ backs towards the wall in the midst of the season. 

A highly-encouraging begin to the yr has shortly was a 4-2 report, with projections for the remainder of the 2022 marketing campaign shortly declining. The highway is not getting any simpler, both. 

The Cats will welcome the No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-1, 2-1 SEC) to Kroger Area this Saturday, in what has turn out to be a must-win scenario for Mark Stoops’ crew. 

“Transferring on to Mississippi State. Superb staff,” Stoops mentioned. “Clearly, any time you’re enjoying Mike Leach, he can transfer the soccer. They’re excellent at what they do.”

Leach, who’s amidst his third season as head coach of the Bulldogs, has received his air raid offense up-and-running in Starkville, slowly however absolutely selecting aside SEC defenses. Mississippi State leads the convention with 354.67 passing yards-per-game. 

On the helm of that depraved passing assault is extremely touted junior QB Will Rogers. By way of six video games, the Mississippi native has accomplished 202 passes for a grand whole of two,110 yards. His 71 p.c completion charge and 22 touchdowns via the air each lead the SEC. 

“Their quarterback, Will Rogers, is enjoying at a really excessive degree, extraordinarily comfy and in whole command of that offense,” Stoops mentioned of the QB. “Will may be very, very comfy again there. It’s exhausting, as a result of as you stress, they’ve solutions. They’re very environment friendly getting the ball down the sphere, so there’s all the time that high-quality line while you play them.” 

The air raid is not as huge and unhealthy as it might sound. Rogers will not be slinging the soccer 50 yards down the sphere on each different play. As a substitute, he’ll dink and dunk his away across the protection, permitting his receivers to do some heavy lifting, tiring defenses, ultimately establishing these huge pictures. 

Six gamers have caught over 20 passes for the Bulldogs this season, proving simply what number of dependable targets persistently encompass Rogers on each drive. 

“They’ve two dynamic operating backs and all the time have playmakers on the perimeter,” Stoops mentioned. 

Leach is aware of tips on how to get his operating backs concerned in each side of the offense. Dillon Johnson and Jo’quavious Marks have totaled 647 dashing yards and eight touchdowns on the bottom. Within the passing sport, they’ve notched 50 receptions and 339 yards. 

The offense as a complete has put up not less than 30 factors in each sport this season, averaging 37.6 points-per-game in three contests towards SEC foes. 

However that is not the place it ends. The Bulldogs have developed a stable protection throughout Leach’s tenure, due to defensive coordinator Zach Arnett. 

In response to Soccer Outsiders, Miss State boasts a top-20 protection within the nation. Whereas it would not notably excel in any metric, the Bulldogs know tips on how to discover the soccer and get it again to their offense. Their eight interceptions, 4 of which have come through junior cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, are tied for the SEC-lead.

Miss State has allowed 30 or extra factors simply as soon as this season, in Baton Rouge towards LSU. The stout group is led by many, many veterans. 9 of the 11 starters on protection are seniors in some, manner, form or type, whereas the opposite pair are juniors. 

Stoops acknowledged that have on Monday at his game-week press convention. 

“Defensively, I believe they’re doing an excellent job. Zach Arnett (has) received these guys enjoying. Very skilled group, they’ve a bunch of men on their two-deep which have performed a boatload of soccer. I need to say perhaps eight returning starters and bunch of men within the two-deep which are juniors and seniors, so very skilled,” Stoops mentioned. 

Arnett’s success stems from an intriguing 3-3-5 defensive scheme, one thing Stoops says offers many groups complications. 

“They create lots of havoc on lots of people. They do a pleasant job with it,” he mentioned. “I believe they’re very comfy, they’ve nice expertise, I believe Zach (Arnett) mixes it up and I believe their staff can deal with it.”

That very same protection held Kentucky to simply 17 factors in Starkville a season in the past, in what was the worst offensive sport of the season for the Wildcats. QB Will Levis threw for simply 150 yards, one landing and three interceptions. 

“They modify and make calls based mostly on formation generally and what you’re doing,” Stoops continued. “They’re environment friendly at what they’re doing, so anytime they’re in that form of configuration they will carry lots of havoc in lots of other ways.”

Mississippi State has an id on offense and protection. Kentucky can not say the identical coming into its greatest sport of the season. It is anticipated that Levis will return underneath middle, however following a clunky 24-14 loss at dwelling to South Carolina, who’s throwing the soccer could also be certainly one of a number of query marks in Lexington this Saturday. 

The Bulldogs current a fork within the highway for UK: Get again on monitor and struggle for some respect down the stretch, or proceed to spiral downward.

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