In Mississippi State’s last two games against Arizona and LSU, explosive plays through the air have hindered them on the defensive side of the football.
Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura and LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels were constantly hitting their dynamic receivers down field for some game altering plays, combining for 703 passing yards in the two games.
Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan had eight receptions for 162 yards and scored the game tying touchdown in the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs came away with an overtime victory. LSU’s Malik Nabers was even better than McMillan, hauling in 13 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. He torched the Bulldogs over the top numerous times, including one on a crucial 4th and 6 in the first half.
“A couple were getting beat over the top in coverages you shouldn’t get beat in. A couple were a lull in concentration. A couple of times you get beat in man coverage,” head coach Zach Arnett said. “That’s the risk of playing man versus a very talented wide receiver. That’s the risk you take when you blitz and play man. On the 4th and 6 touchdown, we hit him, but you can get the ball off early enough to beat the pressure. Credit to them, perfectly thrown ball. Hindsight, I wish we would have played zone there. But you open yourself up to other things then too.”
Mississippi State will face a similar challenge Saturday night in South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, who currently ranks 2nd in the SEC with 318 passing yards per game. Rattler, despite his top receiver Juice Wells being limited early in the season, has made a formidable connection with Xavier Legette, who is second in the conference behind Nabers with 367 receiving yards.
Legette is a versatile 6-foot-3 fifth year senior who can high point the football on the outside and create mismatches out of the slot. He went off for 178 yards through the air against North Carolina and followed it with 118 yards against Furman. Even against the stout Georgia Bulldog defense, he put up seven catches for 71 yards.
Legette typically lines up on the left side, which would match him with Decamerion Richardson. The Mississippi State senior was a perfect #2 cornerback to compliment Emmanuel Forbes last season, but struggled as the #1 against LSU, allowing 121 yards through the air when targeted. When Legette lines up in the slot, Hunter Washington will be the one shading him. Washington is another guy who had a rough game against LSU, giving up 109 yards and two touchdowns when targeted.
Nabers may be the best wide receiver the Bulldogs face this season, so its hard to point the finger at these guys too much, but they'll need to have a better performance against South Carolina to be successful.
An issue just as big for the Bulldogs is the pass rush struggling to get home. When the Mississippi State defense has gotten pressure, they've struggled to contain the quarterback. Rattler has similar attributes to de Laura and Daniels, in that he's an athletic quarterback that can extend plays outside the pocket.
"He can make every throw on the field. He can pull it down, run and escape pressure," Arnett said. "He’s a very talented quarterback. He’s thrown for 318 yards per game, that’s pretty impressive."
The good news for Mississippi State is that South Carolina's offensive line, despite Rattler's mobility, has given up the most sacks in the SEC this season. The Gamecocks have been sacked 14 times, nine of which came in the season opener against North Carolina. They were sacked twice in their FCS matchup with Furman and three times last week at Georgia.
If the Bulldogs are able to get Rattler under pressure, they'll have a chance to create some turnovers. Rattler, like de Laura, is a quarterback who looks to extend plays downfield which sometimes results in some questionable passes. The Bulldogs managed to intercept de Laura four times despite him hitting some big plays, and that could play a factor against Rattler who led the conference with 12 interceptions in 2022.
"The offense goes through him. Our #1 job this week is to affect the quarterback," Arnett said.
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