STARKVILLE – The job is off to a good start, but there’s work to be done.
Mississippi State’s first game with Zach Arnett back at defensive coordinator was solid. The Bulldogs allowed just 13 points, 278 total yards and kept Louisiana-Monroe 3 for 16 on third downs.
Advertisement
The Warhawks came into the game rushing the ball 59.5% of the time over the last two years, but MSU held them to 138 yards on the ground. Of the 10 highest-rated Bulldogs against the run by Pro Football Focus, three of them were safeties, including Rice transfer Marcus Williams.
“Credit to our defensive line, credit to our coaches calling the right plays. We rely on them, they rely on us, and the same thing is going to happen. Not just Minnesota, but every game,” Williams said. “When they do their job up front, we’re able to go out, drop in the back end, and vice versa.”
However, when the defense looked back at the tape from Saturday’s game, it saw a handful of things that needed to be worked on.
“First, we want to be tighter in coverage. We don’t want to give up too many easy-access throws,” Williams said. “And then just play faster, with more effort, and then get to the point where we’re not thinking, so that we can play faster. Getting ahead of stuff, being able to anticipate what’s going to happen, what might not happen, so that we’re not thinking when we get out there.”
Advertisement
Mississippi State’s defense has just a few days to get those things sorted out before heading up to Minnesota for Saturday’s game at 2:30 p.m. It will be one of two straight road games, the next one being the SEC opener at South Carolina on Sept. 19.
Road games, to Williams, are an opportunity to lean on preparation, which is something this team really values.
“Leading up, that’s what we’re focused on, and then by the time Saturday rolls around, we’ve already prepared,” Williams said. “We’ve done everything we need to do the right way. We go out there. We’re not worried. We’re not overthinking things. We just go out there and do what we do by the time Saturday comes.”
Saturday’s game will air on CBS.
