Mississippi State’s secondary locked down Arkansas’ wide receivers in Saturday’s 7-3 win over the Razorbacks and one of the catalysts of K.J. Jefferson’s 97-yard passing performance may come as a surprise.
Over the past two games, freshman cornerback Brice Pollock has established himself as a mainstay in the Mississippi State secondary. Pollock had seen only 24 snaps in the first five games of the season, but his hard work has pushed him into the starting lineup, playing a combined 107 snaps against Western Michigan and Arkansas.
“That’s why you see increased snaps. You take advantage of your opportunities, you play well when you are out there and you get to see more time on the field,” head coach Zach Arnett said. “We’re really happy with his development. Old guys play good and young guys who are getting increased reps have to step up and play even better. Happy for those guys.”
The Snellville, GA native was a late addition to Mississippi State’s 2023 recruiting class, flipping his commitment from Pittsburgh. It’s easy to see why the Bulldogs recruited him as his long 6-foot-1 frame is similar to that of former MSU cornerbacks Cameron Dantzler and Martin Emerson.
Pollock has a long way to go to get to the level of those two NFL Draft picks, but the early reviews are positive. He dropped back into coverage 67 times during the Western Michigan and Arkansas games and has allowed just three receptions for 28 yards when targeted which is certainly a positive for the future of the Bulldog secondary.
“He’s got the talent to do it. We’re going to coach you hard and push you, because we don’t need you to be a good player in two years, we need you to be a good player tomorrow,” defensive coordinator Matt Brock said. “That’s the urgency level we have as coaches. You see the potential. He’s shown that. He’ll take some lumps but he’s done a nice job of accepting that and developing.”
Pollock’s impact has not only been made in coverage. He’s shown a willingness to get after at in the run game. He made five tackles in each of his last two games, including a crucial stop on a Jefferson 3rd down scramble, catching the 247-pound Razorback quarterback from behind.
Arkansas’ opening drive of the second half came down to a 4th and 1 situation, and with a quarterback as big as Jefferson it was pretty easy to tell that a sneak was coming. The Razorbacks weren’t quite as effective as the Philadelphia Eagles, however, as the Bulldog front got enough push to slow down Jefferson. Pollock wasn’t afraid to get in the scrum, knocking the ball out of Jefferson’s grasp for a Shawn Preston fumble recovery.
“Huge. Another critical situation, conversion downs. Brice Pollock did a nice job coming in, punches, and the ball comes out. Shawn does a nice job getting on it,” Brock said. “College football is a momentum game and that was a huge swing.”
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