Mississippi State's Zach Arnett Praises Texas A&M's 'Most Disruptive' Front Seven

Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett believes his offensive line has "quite the challenge in front of them" on Saturday.

Texas A&M's 5-4 record isn't too menacing, but its pass-rush is a challenge to anybody.

The Aggies lead the SEC in total sacks this season with 34 and only trail Penn State (38) for the most in college football. When they aren't bringing quarterbacks to the ground, the front seven is taking down the running backs behind the line of scrimmage, as no other school in the nation has more tackles for loss.

Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett is fully aware of this, as Texas A&M is next on the schedule, and he praised the defensive stoppers during Wednesday's SEC coaches teleconference.

"I think they have the most disruptive front seven in all of college football," Arnett said. "I really like watching the schemes that (defensive coordinator DJ) Durkin employs. He's aggressive. They bring overload pressure, drop into fire zones and they only need to rush four to get home. The best teams in college football have great personnel and a coordinator that maximizes the players' abilities and has really good schemes."

The Bulldogs offensive line has allowed the eighth-most sacks in the SEC this season, which is in the better half. Arnett said that his front five has learned from every game, but Saturday's will be much different than their previous opponents.

"Our offensive line knows they have quite the challenge in front of them this weekend, but that's what this league is—front dominant," Arnett said. "These guys are probably at the top of the list in terms of size, physicality, athleticism and talent. Competitors like those opportunities to play against the best. It should excite and fire you up."

The quarterback that Arnett's offensive line plans to fully protect is still uncertain, as starter Will Rodgers hasn't received the green light from the medical experts yet. Rogers has been out with a shoulder injury since Oct. 7, and Mississippi State is 1-2 throughout that span. Nevertheless, he's been practicing for a while and Arnett considers him day-to-day.

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