Marty Smith, the ESPN and SEC Network personality, was on hand at Faurot Field with the “SEC Nation” crew prior to Missouri’s season opener against South Dakota.

During the pregame show, Mississippi State came up. It’s the first full season of the Zach Arnett era for the Bulldogs, with the defensive coordinator elevated to the head coaching role following the death of Mike Leach.

And the centerpiece of the Bulldogs’ offense will be Will Rogers, who threw for 3,974 yards and 35 touchdowns versus just 8 interceptions in 2022. That garnered him 3rd-team all-conference honors heading into the 2023 campaign; meanwhile, the media vote picked the Bulldogs to finish last in the SEC West.

Smith, a native of rural Virginia, is as Southern as they come, accent and all. So his description of Rogers’ toughness is both humorous and completely on-brand:

We’ll see if Rogers and the Bulldogs can hammer out some wins this year and truly turn some heads nationally in what could be his final season in Starkville. They open the season on Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana at 4 p.m. ET, with the game set to be shown on the SEC Network.