Transcript: Everything Mississippi State Head Coach Zach Arnett Said About The Team's Upcoming Matchup Against South Carolina
Mississippi State football (2-1) suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday as the team fell 41-14 to the visiting LSU Tigers.
Up next, the Bulldogs continue SEC play against the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road.
Here's a look at everything head coach Zach Arnett had to say ahead of the matchup:
Opening statement: "Credit to coach Kelly, his staff and their team. The executed at a high level and played a very good game Saturday. We have a choice how we want to respond, how we decide to show up. You never waste a fail. We have to insure that one loss doesn’t bleed into the next week and create a second. That’s the challenge in front of us. We’re going on the road for the first time this season, playing at one of the most energetic atmospheres – particularly a night game – in all of college football. Hopefully, our players are excited for that opportunity. Your attitude is your best friend or your worst enemy. I think they are very similar to us. We get to learn something about ourselves. Coach Beamer has done a tremendous job in his short time there. They are physical and fast on defense. Very athletic on offense. Returning veteran quarterback who has thrown for a lot of yards and can make every throw on the field. Credit to Coach Beamer and his staff for the job they have done there. We know we’re facing a very talented football team. Both teams are excited to get back on the field and improve. It should be a hard-fought, four-quarter game."
Question: "Have you determined whether Saturday was lack of execution or right position?"
Zach Arnett: "Any time you look over the course of a game, you’re going to have plays on each side of the ball – wish I had a different call on, but there were certainly a number of plays where we don’t execute either – you don’t give the play a chance."
Q: Is there a sense of urgency to find the same five on the offensive line?
ZA: It depends on the game too. If you can rotate a couple of guys, you keep more guys fresh. As soon as we solidify who the definitive five are, it’ll be those five full-time. Until we do, you’ll see guys given the opportunities to be in those five.
Q: Any more thought about going to a four-man defensive line?
ZA: "We evaluate that every week. But it’s determined by the health of your roster too. That’s a week to week determination."
Q: "What is the cause for explosive plays against the defense?"
ZA: "A couple were getting beat over the top in coverages you shouldn’t get beat in. A couple were a lull in concentration. A couple of times you get beat in man coverage, that’s the risk of playing man vs a very talented wide receiver. That’s the risk you take when you blitz and play man. On the 4th and 6 touchdown, we hit him, but you can get the ball off early enough to beat the pressure. Credit to them, perfectly thrown ball. Hindsight, wish we would have played zone there. But you open yourself up to other things then too."
Q: "What about explosive plays on the offensive side of the ball?"
ZA: "The more plays you run, the more opportunities you have for explosive plays. Staying on the field, converting third downs, keeping drives going, leads to more plays which leads to more opportunities for explosive plays. On both sides of the ball, that’s the challenge today – getting our opponent off the field and sustaining drives and staying on the field. Needs to be a big area of improvement for us. You look at the tape, when Woody breaks the long run, we have that play on the second play of the game. Exact same look. But we have an assignment error on blocking – double pullers – instead of an ideal look, we missed an opportunity there."
Q: "Where is Shawn Preston’s appeal…and Simeon had a boot Saturday?"
ZA: "Simeon…short term thing. I imagine he will be full-go today. Shawn, got the email this morning, the appeal was denied, so he’ll have to sit the first half."
Q: "What did you think of Mike Wright's performance?"
ZA: "Mike did a nice job. That last touchdown…we called an RPO…they overloaded pressure, he was able to pull it, get around pressure and dump it to Harmon for a walk-in touchdown. I’m sure there’s some missed execution on their end. When he got his opportunities, he was good. That’s the kind of guy Mike is. We’re gonna do whatever it takes to win, so we’ll always have a package for Mike."
Q: Does the Preston suspension open some opportunities for others, including Isaac Smith?
ZA: "Isaac got some live experience against one of the most talented teams in the country. That’s great for his development. He will see increased playing time in the first half this week. Also opens opportunities for other guys in that safety room. I expect Jordan Morant compete with Isaac for the starting job there this week. We had three guys handle the other safety position. It’s the next man up mentality, whether injury or targeting penalty. We have some true freshmen getting exposed to the high level of football that is played in this league earlier than you would like. We’ve got Malik Ellis playing on offense. Sometimes you learn things the hard way. They will be better players for it in the long run."
Q: "What was the situation with Jaden Walley?"
ZA: "He was a little banged up. We were back to full strength. Zavion was out Week 1, was in a limited snap role in Week 2, this was his first week back feeling really good. Which was good because Walley was a little banged up. Now, we should have no issues in the receiver room from an injury standpoint."
Q: "What are your impressions of Spencer Rattler?"
ZA: "I was coaching in San Diego when he was coming out of high school in Phoenix. We had two big passing tournaments every year. You got all the big passing teams from Arizona. It got them out of the heat and to the beach. I saw him three years in a row. He was a top quarterback recruit in the country, goes to Oklahoma, now he’s found a home in South Carolina. He can make every throw on the field. He can pull it down, run and escape pressure. He’s a very talented quarterback. He’s thrown for 353.7 yards per game, that’s pretty impressive. The offense goes through him. Our #1 job this week is to affect the quarterback."
