Midseason Progress Report: Evaluating Mississippi State Football On The Open Date

At the season's midpoint, what has MSU done well, what can be improved upon and how?

The Bulldogs have wrapped up the first half of the regular season as they enter an open date, coming off of a 41-28 victory over Western Michigan in an unexpectedly competitive game against a non-conference opponent.

Holding a 3-3 overall record, MSU has left a lot to be desired, but there are a few positives. Let's delve into these issues and some of the small reasons for optimism in what's been a tough year for the Maroon and White.

Positives

The negatives far exceed the positives, but one positive this year for MSU is the special teams. They have been one of the best groups in the SEC this year.

Freshman kicker Kyle Ferrie has been a breath of fresh air for Bulldogs fans after years of inconsistency in the kicking game. The freshman has been good for 8 of his 10 tries on the year with a long of 49 yards.

Freshman punter Keelan Crimmins has also done well this year. Zavion Thomas and Tulu Griffin are the best-returning tandems in the country. Although they have yet to return a touchdown this year, they are always a threat.

Another point, thought admittedly a real reach for a positive, offense has shown some signs of life. Against Alabama, the Bulldogs posted the most points against the Crimson Tide they've put up since 2017.

There are a plethora of issues to take into account on both sides of the ball, but the point total against Alabama and the competitive 37-30 loss to South Carolina that was something of a shootout are some of the bright spots with the bar set this low.

Negatives

Let's start with the most obvious, which is the defense. The Bulldogs returned four key starters from last year's defense: Nathaniel "Bookie" Watson, Jett Johnson, Decamerion Richardson, and Jaden Crumedy.

This experience has not helped the Bulldogs, as they have consistently put an awful product on the field. The last four quarterbacks the Bulldogs have faced have thrown 14 incompletions while completing 85.

To make matters worse, the Bulldogs can get no pass rush and leave receivers wide-open all over the field. This is not a good recipe for a successful defense. MSU has long been known for hard-nosed defenses, and with a defensive-minded coach, it is puzzling why they have struggled so much.

Players appear to be slow and often out of position. The biggest issue is unknown, but we will try to figure that out next.

So, what's the issue on defense? As mentioned, players have looked slow and out of position. While the first part is on the players, the latter is on coaching.

Zach Arnett took over as head coach and promoted former linebackers coach Matt Brock to defensive coordinator. Arnett has made his confidence in Brock clear, but a change needs to be made at some point.

Will the change make a difference? Maybe so, or maybe not, but clearly there are tweaks needed for the Bulldogs' betterment.

Brock's defense has looked lost for the past month, and Arnett needs to remember the meaning of insanity if he hopes to right these wrongs in the second half of the season.

Looking on the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Will Rogers holds nearly every passing record in MSU history, but there's no denying he has played poorly this season.

Rogers played his best game against South Carolina, where he threw for 487 yards. Besides that game, Rogers has left much to be desired in every other SEC game, throwing for just 210 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions.

Rogers has had a very successful career at MSU, but his lack of mobility, issues with throwing under pressure and arm strength have caught up to him. He has had his struggles in previous years, but they were masked with gaudy stats in the Air Raid system.

It is a complicated conversation for any coach to have with a four-year starting quarterback, but it is in the best interest of the team to give Vanderbilt transfer quarterback Mike Wright a chance.

The Bulldogs still have six games left and a bye week to fix some issues, but there's a long list of things to be done to salvage what seems to be a lost season.