Starkville - Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers' status for Saturday's game at Arkansas is in question due to an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. If the senior is unavailable, the Bulldogs will be starting a new signal caller for the first time in 39 games.
Vanderbilt transfer Mike Wright has served as the team's backup quarterback this season while also having various packages in place for him to create chaos with his legs. Wright's role on Saturday could be much larger, and should he get the start, Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett expects the offense to be similar on Saturday to what it's been with Wright behind center.
"I think there are things we do with Mike in there that are structured more for him," Arnett said. "When he’s in there, we’re gonna play to the strengths of the players in there. It will look very similar to when he’s in there any other time."
So what exactly does that look like?
Wright is a quarterback that tends to do more damage on the ground than he does through the air, and the Bulldog offense has catered to that. The senior has been on the field for 66 plays this season, and 53 of those have been running plays.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay has dialed up plenty of option plays for Wright to showcase his speed, and he's carried the ball 20 for 138 yards. He leads MSU with 6.9 yards per carry (min. 10 carries) and has been effective in the red zone with three rushing touchdowns.
It’s safe to expect the game plan to be focused on Wright and Mississippi State's stable of running backs, but the passing game is still going to be an important factor for the Bulldogs to have success against the Razorbacks.
When Wright was in at quarterback, the Bulldogs ran mostly play action and run/pass options for their passing plays. The defense must account for Wright's ability to take off on any given play, so any confusion they can create on play action or RPOs will be helpful to Mississippi State moving the football.
If Wright is indeed the starter on Saturday, he'll be no stranger to the moment. He was named Team Captain at Vanderbilt and started six games for the Commodores last season. Vanderbilt has been a program that has sat at the bottom of the barrel in the SEC East in recent years, but Wright led them to victories over division foes Florida and Kentucky after they had combined for just one SEC win over their previous three seasons.
Wright's accuracy can be a bit underwhelming, but his decision making is one of his biggest strengths as a passer. He threw 12 touchdowns to four interceptions last season despite completing only 57.4% of his passes. He connected with his receivers for three touchdowns in the win over the Gators, and was a true dual threat against Kentucky with 184 passing yards and 126 rushing yards, scoring a touchdown through the air and on the ground.
When Wright saw extensive action in the maroon and white against Western Michigan, he completed 7-10 passes for 57 yards. He most notably hit Tulu Griffin on an RPO down the sideline for a 29-yard gain and nearly connected with a wide open Jaden Walley for a 28-yard touchdown up the seam, but the ball bounced of the senior receiver's hands.
Barbay liked what he saw from Wright against the Broncos. He's developed well in the offense, which means we could possibly see more than the standard read options and RPOs we've seen from him thus far.
"I’ve got a ton of confidence in Mike Wright. During the Western Michigan week, we had planned on to let him have some drives to run more than just situational stuff because we felt like he’s earned it, deserved it," Barbay said. "It is hard when you have two good quality quarterbacks. But Mike, I think each week is getting more and more comfortable in this offense. The things that we can do with him, I think we will continue to expand. I was really pleased with his performance against Western Michigan and I got a lot of faith in him."
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