Mississippi State Vs. Arizona: 3 Keys To The Game

Mississippi State football (1-0) looked sharp in many areas of its Week 1, 48-7 win over the Southeastern Louisiana Lions to open the season.

However, there were still some evident areas for improvement as the Bulldogs initially sputtered a bit on offense and allowed an FCS opponent to stay in the fight longer than they should have been able to. That was well-reflected by the way Southeastern Louisiana was allowed to remain in the fight with the Lions down 20-7 at halftime before the Bulldogs really kicked things into gear in the final two quarters.

Here's a look into three keys for the team to get a victory over Arizona in Week 2:

1. Start fast.

It was evident that there were some blunders to be overcome particularly in the first quarter for the Bulldogs against Southeastern Louisiana.

With the team up just 3-0 after the first, there was tension to be felt in Davis Wade Stadium before the team was able to settle in and turn on the jets. This may be just some first-game rust to knock off for both the players and the coaching staff, and there was a learning curve to be expected with the type of transition the Bulldogs had to make heading into the Zach Arnett era.

With stiffer competition coming on the horizon, MSU must get off to a better start if it wants to remain undefeated for a significant stretch.

2. Working out some kinks in the offensive line.

There was a lot of rotating going on along the front five for the Bulldogs this past Saturday.

With the new offensive scheme, the offensive line needs to win the line of scrimmage, which requires chemistry along the front. While having depth is always a good things, establishing a consistent starting five after the team showed some weakness within its line that affected overall offensive production is critical in this game and all games going forward.

3. Containing the quarterback.

Getting a rush on the quarterback is essential in every game, but in this particular contest, MSU needs to get a rush and stay in their lanes to keep Arizona's quarterback, Jayden De Laura, inside the pocket. MSU has learned its lesson with quarterbacks of this nature after LSU's Jayden Daniels made the team pay with his legs. De Laura presents a similar type and is athletic enough to beat you with his legs and his arm.

If MSU can successfully do all of these things when the action gets going against Arizona at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, the Bulldogs should come out of it on the right side of the win column.