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)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/7e5b0a572fa29fe60d29cd2dd5df929870a4279f8604ac4cc3ce40b66c24c3c8.jpg)
4 – The number of sacks allowed by Mississippi State
Look, it’s generally not a good thing when the Bulldogs have a mobile quarterback and he still finds himself pressured and sacked on a number of occasions. And while Arkansas has a strong defensive front, it’s concerning that Mississippi State’s offensive line continues to struggle regularly.
Especially when the Mississippi State football team is already down to its backup quarterback because the starting quarterback is hurt. So yeah, it’d be great to see the Mississippi State Bulldogs keep their quarterback upright.
MSU is about to head down the final stretch of the season and much of Mississippi State’s offensive scheme (when it’s fully able to operate without any sort of issue) tends to rely on plays that take a little bit to develop and plenty of protection. And if the Bulldogs can’t deliver on that protection, play action passes might be difficult to pull off (unless Kevin Barbay is able to roll Wright out of the pocket).
And that might be something the Bulldogs have to do a bit more as they try to secure bowl eligibility over their coming games.
Talented defensive lines and complex SEC pressure packages are up ahead. The Bulldogs will need to figure out how to keep their quarterback healthy.