What We Learned: Mississippi State Versus Northwestern State

Sep 19, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive tackle Chris Jones (98) and defensive lineman A.J. Jefferson (47) sack Northwestern State Demons quarterback Stephen Rivers (13) during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

The Defense and Special Teams will be a work in progress

For the most part, the defense looked fine on Saturday. But there are still some areas which are big time causes for concern.

Northwestern State came out and had a really nice drive on the first series of the game. It ended on a really bad fake field goal. If this were the only time the Demons moved the ball, I could have chalked it up to a team playing inspired and trying to make a statement in a game it had no chance to win.

But it wasn’t the only time. At the start of the second half, Northwestern State ran the ball at will. It ate up about 8 minutes of the clock. In a game Mississippi State was going to win easily, it really wouldn’t matter that much. However, Mississippi State was trying to get their freshmen quarterbacks and running backs in the game, so to eat up that much time was less than ideal.

If it were a scheme problem, I would think Manny Diaz could look at it on film and correct the problem. The issue is tackling. The number of missed tackles against the Demons was just atrocious. Coaches in the SEC aren’t supposed to spend time in practice working on tackling. It’s just sloppy football.

The special teams weren’t as bad as they have been, but this game featured the second fumble by Fred Ross on a punt return. And there were times it looked like Fred Ross wasn’t sure about where he needed to catch the ball.

Overall, it was a good game, but there were some things to improve on. And speaking of teams with things to work on, the Bulldogs head to the Plains next week to take on Auburn. Need to get a win there and head to Texas A&M 3-1.