College Station, Tex. - The quarterback carousel keeps spinning for Mississippi State.
As the Bulldogs prepare to travel to Texas A&M on Saturday night, Mississippi State will be without starting quarterback Will Rogers for a fourth consecutive game. Mike Wright has started in place of the injured Rogers for the past three games, but was benched for true freshman Chris Parson late in the third quarter of last week's loss to Kentucky.
Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett didn't rule out a return for Rogers earlier this week. The senior has been practicing with the team since injuring his non-throwing shoulder against Western Michigan early last month. He was listed by Arnett as day-to-day, but ultimately is unable to go.
"In reality, we’ll see what Will’s availability is this week. He’s practicing and he’s doing more and more. If he’s able to go, he’s our starting quarterback. No doubt about it," Arnett said earlier this week. "We have a few days for that to get sorted out. If he’s unavailable, I have no doubt you’ll see both quarterbacks in the game. The reps will reflect that accordingly in practice all week. The final game plan will determine who is in there. It’s too early to name a starting quarterback."
In the three games Wright started at quarterback the Mississippi State offense left a lot to be desired. The Bulldogs averaged 7.67 points per game during that stretch and went 1-2 with the only win coming in a 7-3 defensive battle at Arkansas. Wright completed only 53.8% of his passes and threw two touchdowns with three interceptions.
When Parson saw his first college action against some Kentucky, he flashed his talent but also had some freshman moments as expected. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound signal caller completed 6/14 passes for 67 yards, which was highlighted 34-yard completion to Tulu Griffin down the right sideline and a 3rd down conversion in the red zone to Zavion Thomas.
The downside was that Parson showed some inconsistency with his accuracy. Two drops on sure first downs by Antonio Harmon didn't help his completion percentage, but he missed Griffin on a deep crosser that could've have been another big gain. Parson's athleticism was put on display on a first down scramble, but it also got him in trouble as he was flagged 16 yards for intentional grounding on a play from 2-yard-line.
"There are some real positives there that you can point to. When you read the defense properly and the ball comes out on time…you want it to time up…it looked really good," Arnett said. "Being able to move around and extend plays, but a lot of times that can get you in trouble. He got a lot of valuable experience. I like the confidence he plays with. Other people gravitate to that. He saw some clips where he knows he can do better."
If Parson does indeed make his first career start in Aggieland, he'll be doing so against a tough Texas A&M defense that ranks fourth in the SEC with 21.56 points allowed per game and first with 34 sacks. It'll be a difficult test for the talented freshman, but offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay believes he's well prepared for the matchup.
"Chris is a very smart, intelligent player," Barbay said. "he’s done a really great job of preparing each week like he’s going to be the starter and really asking Mike and asking Will questions.”
While risky, starting Parson could ignite a Bulldog offense that's been struggling since Rogers went down. The Bulldogs currently sit at 4-5 and will need to win two of their final three games to clinch bowl eligibility.
Kickoff between Mississippi State and Texas A&M is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST.
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