MSU Coach Zach Arnett on Alabama: 'They Don't Have a Weakness'

First year Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett knows his Bulldogs face a tall task on Saturday night. The Alabama Crimson Tide heads to Starkville for its first SEC road game of the year, but rolls into Davis-Wade Stadium a double-digit favorite.

"We need everyone out. We need Davis-Wade rocking and we need a great environment because we've got a great opponent coming in here," said Arnett on the SEC Coaches Teleconference Wednesday. "Alabama's obviously one of the premiere programs in the country, have been, and they're a tremendous football team, very talented. They do everything well and so we have a big challenge ahead of us. A top-notch opponent coming in here so we need a top-notch environment for that game."

The Crimson Tide has settled on its starting quarterback and Arnett knows his ability to hit the deep pass makes him incredibly challenging to defend.

"Well he's [Jalen Milroe] got an extremely strong arm so he can launch it over your head in the secondary. At some point, far enough down the field all pretty much all coverages turn to man-to-man at that point. They have great speed, Burton, number three, has tremendous speed. So he can take the top off of coverage, quite a few others receivers who can too and Milroe can let it fly."

Alabama's Jermaine Burton is the most veteran receiver on the Crimson Tide offense and he's made several big time receptions through the first four weeks.

"Yeah, I think when it comes to receivers the biggest thing that defensive coaches and DBs fear is speed. A guy who can run by you, obviously you've got to stay on. You've got to preach all week, 'hey stay on top, the ball can't be thrown over your head'. Obviously when a guy can run at you fast it forces you to play softer and stay on top, then that opens up all the other routes that are not verticals," said Arnett. "Curls, comebacks, digs, every other break, because you're so threatened by the speed and having to stay on top of the route that now it makes all the other shallower routes harder to defend. So he [Burton] has tremendous speed, they have a whole receiver room full of tremendous speed. That's kind of the number one skillset in my opinion at wide receiver. When you can run really fast and then you can change directions well. That's a good foundation for a receiver."

Not only has the Alabama offense begun to find its identity, but the Crimson Tide defense has begun to impose its will, allowing just 13 points through the last two weeks, with eight sacks and forcing three turnovers.

"First off it starts with tremendous players, they don't have a weakness. They have a big, strong, physical defensive line. They can eat and swallow up blocks if they want to play that style. They can penetrate and get in the backfield if they want to play more of an attacking style. They have linebackers who read and react phenomenal, can cover routes. Edge rushers who are second to none in the country. Secondary that's extremely talented. They tackle well and get downhill and support the run very well. They play all their pattern match coverages and man coverages really good."

"When you combine all those things together you have a really good defense. Executing any scheme. They can rush three and drop eight and everyone do that about as good as any team in the country can do that. They can rush four and play pattern-match coverage as good as any team in the country. They can blitz, sending five or more and play man coverage as good as any team in the country. The foundation always starts with players and then they have maybe the greatest defensive mind in the history of college football as the architect of their scheme and then they've only grown on it as time goes. All that is a good recipe for having a lights out defense, which they certainly do have."

Alabama and Mississippi State will kickoff at 8 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 30. The game will be aired on ESPN and can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with pregame coverage beginning at 5 p.m. CT.

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