Mississippi State Three Keys: Arkansas

The Bulldogs rolled to 4-1 on the season with a convincing win over Texas A&M. Now they come up against an Arkansas team that was right with Alabama before a fourth quarter implosion sent them to 3-2 on the year.

By Steve Wright
Follow @14powerscom

Here are the three keys to a Bulldog win:

The Health Of KJ Jefferson

There is nothing as key to this game as the health of Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson. Jefferson means as much to this team as any quarterback does to his squad in the nation. He is effective with his feet, and his ability to sling the ball deep will be huge against this MSU defense. Jefferson, however, banged his head while being tackled in the fourth quarter against Alabama and didn’t return. The Hogs are not the same team without Jefferson – backup Cade Fortin is a walk-on transfer from South Florida with basically no college experience – and it is simply a different game if Arkansas’ regular starter is unable to suit up.

Keep Being Opportunistic

Some marvelous opportunist plays keyed the 42-24 win over the Aggies. The Bulldogs not only scored on a 50-yard blocked field goal return thanks to Deamerion Richardson but also returned an interception for a score. Just as crucial – if a little less flashy – were the four total turnovers of Texas A&M, with three coming with the Aggies in the red zone. Turnovers are always huge, but late drive turnovers are killer. More of those would be massive here,

Efficiency Matters

Mike Leach’s offenses are sometimes all show with no go. That is not what is happening in Starkville this season. Will Rogers is third in the country with 1,715 yards and tied for first with 19 touchdowns, but it doesn’t feel like anything is being forced. Rogers has thrown just three interceptions and is completing his passes at over 70%, hitting those mid-range connections for backs and receivers to do their thing. In the past, a lack of efficiency has been masked by monster yardage totals from some of Leach’s quarterbacks. In 2022, Rogers is as effective and efficient as anyone in the country.