Mississippi State was stifled in Starkville against Kentucky losing 24-3 on Saturday. The two-game losing streak will hurt, but there is still hope in reaching a bowl berth.
This team continues to struggle with Will Rogers out. Mike Wright was pulled for freshman quarterback Chris Parson, who gave the offense a spark.
While Parson gave the offense life, the Bulldogs were still held to 218 yards on offense. With a decision to make at quarterback, Mississippi State looks ahead to Texas A&M.
Here’s how the Bulldogs’ stock looks with a road trip to College Station up next:
Player of the Week: Jett Johnson
The offense couldn’t find any way to get going, but there were a couple performances on defense that stood out. One of those was Jett Johnson.
Johnson accounted for 8 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in the defeat. The veteran linebacker has looked the part this year and leads Mississippi State with 92 total tackles and 11 tackles for loss.
Johnson was all over the place in a good way Saturday. The Bulldogs should be feeling good about their linebacker corps despite some recent struggles on offense.
Freshman of the Week: Chris Parson
It isn’t easy coming off the bench at quarterback, especially in the SEC. Parson was subbed in for the struggling Wright at QB during the third quarter.
Parson drove the offense down the Kentucky 2-yard line and while Mississippi State couldn’t score, it’s worth noting they looked much better on that side of the ball with him in.
Parson hit Lideatrick Griffin for a 34-yard pass and finished the game 6-of-14 for 67 yards passing.
There’s no telling if Parson will be the starter until Rogers returns from injury, but the freshman QB showed promise.
Biggest Surprise: Bulldogs’ lack of composure at home
Mississippi State has been one of the least penalized teams in the SEC this season. The Bulldogs were called for 9 penalties totaling 68 yards.
Whether it was a different person under center or something else, there was a lack of composure on the Mississippi State side.
The offense wasn’t really able to get going until Parson came in, but the penalties didn’t do Mississippi State any favors.
This is an issue that will need to get cleaned up before heading to College Station.
Biggest Concern: Mississippi State offense without Will Rogers
Rogers’ injury was an absolute killer to the Mississippi State offense. Since Rogers last played against Western Michigan, it has been rough.
Wright has taken the most snaps behind center since the injury, but hasn’t looked great. On Saturday’s broadcast, Tom Hart said Rogers plans to play in the Egg Bowl, but it’s not certain if Mississippi State can survive until then.
Things are looking bleak at the QB position in Starkville. Parson may be the last hope for the offense.
Developing Trend: Running game struggles
There was another devastating injury on offense this season. Jo’Quavious Marks injured his hamstring injury during the Arkansas game.
Mike Wright and Seth Davis have had to try and make up the numbers during Marks’ absence, but it hasn’t been the same.
Wright led the team in rushing yards against Auburn, with 63 on the ground. Davis ran the ball 7 times for 62 yards.
Fast forward to the Kentucky game and both were held under 30 yards.
The rushing attack was not able to get moving again as Mississippi State was limited with 73 yards on the ground and 2.4 yards per rush.
Texas A&M has the second best run defense in the SEC (100 ypg). If Marks isn’t able to suit up once again things could get worse.
Key Stat: 15 first downs
Mississippi State managed to move the chains 15 times in the loss. What ended up killing the offense was its ability to not convert on 3rd downs.
As long as the offense didn’t get to 3rd down there weren’t any issues. Unfortunately, you’re going to see 3rd down at some point during the game.
Mississippi State ended up going 6-for-17 on 3rd down conversions in the game. The Bulldogs also went 1-for-3 on 4th down conversions.
Hopefully this will change before going on the road.
First Impressions about Week 11 at Texas A&M
Mississippi State plays Texas A&M in Week 11. The Aggies offense just went toe to toe with Ole Miss for 4 quarters and nearly sent the game into overtime barring a missed field goal.
Max Johnson has the innate ability to extend plays. The throws that Johnson is able to make are a wonder.
Ainias Smith stands out at wideout. He is a versatile player that can be used in many different ways. The running game splits carries between Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels.
The Bulldogs won the last time this game was in College Station. Things could be tough if the questions at QB and RB aren’t solved ahead of kickoff.
Grant Bricker was a former freelancer for The News TN in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. He now freelances for Saturday Football. Follow on Twitter @GrantBricker.
