Mississippi State survived Pac 12 After Dark this past Saturday, traveling to Tucson and leaving with a 39-17 win over Arizona. The Bulldogs showed some positives and negatives, and here is a breakdown.
THE GOOD- Offensive Efficiency
For the second-straight week, State’s offense was efficient, particularly at the beginning of the game. The Bulldogs scored on their first three possessions—two touchdowns and a field goal —in addition to finding points on some critical drives later in the game.
State’s run game was potent on Saturday, totaling 21 carries for 115 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and a touchdown among the three running backs. Arizona’s run defense was a massive weakness a year ago, and State was able to exploit it.
Will Rogers, in what is becoming routine at this point, was very solid in the desert. He completed 39 of 49 passes (80%) for 313 yards and four touchdowns. Unfortunately for Rogers, his stat line is slightly stained with an interception on a drop by the wide receiver. His yards-per-completion average was 8.0, a step below what it was week one against Memphis, but it was enough to get the job done.
All in all, it was another good day for the Bulldog offense, something that will have to continue heading into SEC play
THE BAD- Mistakes
Despite an overall solid performance, State’s offense did make some mistakes.
The Bulldogs committed three turnovers on Saturday, an interception and two fumbles. The pick wasn’t caused by Will Rogers, but instead, it was a ball that went straight through the hands of Caleb Ducking and into the hands of an Arizona defender.
Furthermore, sloppy ball security was on display with two fumbles after receptions. The Wildcats were able to put 10 points on the board after turnovers.
Overall, State has turned the ball over five times this year. As they enter conference play, it is imperative that turnovers are limited, if not completely eliminated. For reference, State beat three ranked teams a year ago—#15 Texas A&M, #12 Kentucky, and #17 Auburn. In those games, State did not commit a single turnover while forcing six.
Emphasis on the turnover battle will be especially prevalent as MSU travels to Baton Rouge on Saturday. A clean game from the offense is critical.
THE UGLY- Extra Points
One of the significant downsides of Saturday’s victory was the kicking game.
After finding the end zone on their first two drives, Mississippi State couldn’t turn six points into seven on either occasion, as Coastal Carolina transfer kicker Massimo Biscardi missed both extra points.
Interestingly, Biscardi now has missed more extra points in his career than he has field goals— 13 missed PATs to 11 missed field goals. Regardless, if Biscardi were to resume place kicking duties for the Bulldogs, extra points will have to be a point of emphasis.
Beyond that, State’s kicking was solid with the insertion of Ben Raybon. He made all three of his extra-point attempts, as well as drilling two field goals from 39 and 22 yards, respectively. After State struggled to kick the ball in the end zone against Memphis, Raybon booted all of his kicks for touchbacks.
It was a hot-and-cold day for State special teams, but after the disasters that occurred in the kicking game last year for State, it is extremely important that special teams are cleaned up entering the meat of the schedule.
