1. Mississippi State won.
Yes, you read that right. The biggest takeaway from going on the road and winning against the Arizona Wildcats is winning. I am not so sure that last year’s Mississippi State Bulldogs would have won that game. Everything about that game was weird and a long trip for the Mississippi State football team. For Mike Leach and the Mississippi State Bulldogs to find a win and be 2-0 is huge.
2. Being a passing team makes the run available.
There were several drives vs. the Arizona defense where Mike Leach ran the ball more than five times because it was open. Dillon Johnson and Woody Marks combined for 18 carries and 113 yards. The available run seemed to be due to Mississippi State being a passing team, and Arizona prepared for the ball being passed 50+ times.
3. The defense regrouped and played well.
After the Arizona Wildcats went down the field and scored with ease on the first drive of the game, I was nervous. It looked as if Arizona knew exactly what they needed to do to put points on the board, but Zach Arnett and the defense regrouped. Mississippi State held Arizona to 17 points and had 3 interceptions.
4. Will Rogers did what he needed to do.
313 yards passing, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Those stats are just what Mississippi State needed Will Rogers to do on the road vs. Arizona. He was not as flustered as the Will Rogers I watched play in the 2021 season. He looks way more seasoned and poised. Through two games, Rogers has 763 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
5. Great road test to prepare for this Saturday.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are headed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on the LSU Tigers this Saturday night. Last week’s game vs. Arizona could not have been a better way to prepare the Bulldogs for their first SEC game of the season. No, Arizona Stadium is not Death Valley, but it was a great test to see how the Bulldogs could handle a little bit of adversity.