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Mississippi State football: 7 worrisome stats from win vs. Arkansas

By Ethan Lee

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - OCTOBER 21: Mike Wright #14 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs runs the ball in the second half and avoids the tackle of Alfahiym Walcott #13 of the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on October 21, 2023 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks 7-3. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - OCTOBER 21: Mike Wright #14 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs runs the ball in the second half and avoids the tackle of Alfahiym Walcott #13 of the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on October 21, 2023 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks 7-3. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Jo'Quavious Marks #7 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs runs the ball
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS – OCTOBER 21: Jo’Quavious Marks #7 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs runs the ball in the second half of the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on October 21, 2023 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks 7-3.(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

2.5 – Woody Marks’ yards per carry vs. Arkansas

I’m very concerned about how healthy Woody Marks actually is and why he’s not being given more time to rest on the sidelines. This is something that continues to baffle me as he is visibly limping while he’s on the field.

And it’s not a surprise that Marks is averaging 2.5 yards per carry right now because he simply doesn’t look anywhere near 100 percent. And yet, the Bulldogs still turn to him over the other running backs for *gestures wildly* reasons.

For his sake, more than anything else, Marks deserves a chance to rest and recover. On 17 carries against Arkansas, Marks gained 42 yards.

That’s concerning.

It’s also worth noting that there are more factors than just Marks’ injury that could be at play here. Arkansas has a strong front seven that can crash in on the line of scrimmage and cause headaches for opposing offenses.

As MSU tries to commit to running the ball, the Bulldogs will need to win the line of scrimmage. Miss. State will also need a mostly healthy running back to help in this area.

And if that’s not possible, then bring out guys like Seth Davis, Jeffery Pittman, Keyvone Lee or Simeon Price at running back. Or if those guys aren’t fully healthy, then maybe look at incorporating Creed Whittemore and Tulu Griffin in this part of MSU’s offense based off of sweeps and motion and misdirection.

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