Mississippi State Football Offensive Film Study: Scoring Optional
Mississippi State football found a way to get a win against Arkansas, but the offense didn’t exactly do much to contribute. Why did they struggle so much?
Mississippi State football picked up a badly needed victory over Arkansas. It’s a win that keeps bowl hopes realistically alive for the Bulldogs, who are now 4-3 with five games remaining that suddenly seem a bit more winnable after an outstanding defensive effort. But despite the win, there was still plenty concerning with MSU’s performance in Fayetteville. Specifically, their offense was abysmal.
State won this game scoring only seven points. They managed one strong drive in the first half to put a touchdown on the board. The only other time they managed to get beyond Arkansas’ 41-yard line came after the Hogs turned the ball over on downs deep in their own territory late in the fourth quarter. State still failed to get points out of that after missing a chip-shot field goal.
Mississippi State finished with just 205 yards of total offense. They passed for just 85 yards and averaged only 3.3 yards per rush. They went 1/10 on third downs. Allow me to do the very simple math. That’s a 10% conversion rate. 10%! That was the worst third down conversion percentage by a MSU offense since going 1/13 (7.7%) against Alabama in a 24-0 loss in 2018.
Not ideal.
The major storyline was Will Rogers’ absence. The longtime starter was injured late in the game against Western Michigan, and since that point, there had been heavy speculation that he would miss time. Sure enough, he was out against Arkansas, and transfer Mike Wright got the start.
How the offense would look with a dynamic runner like Wright taking over was a big topic of discussion. Many fans have been long convinced that State would be better off with a mobile QB, specifically when it comes to avoiding sacks but also because it seems the offensive staff would prefer to lean more on a run game. Some were optimistic that even with Wright’s limitations as a passer, we’d see a more consistent offense and a more settled scheme.
That was not the case.
Obviously there was a very different approach with Wright under center than Rogers, but MSU still could not get into a rhythm offensively for more than a few plays at a time. Arkansas was able to keep State’s run game in check and force long-yardage situations that they were incapable of converting. The Bulldogs played incredibly conservatively, and the game ultimately came down to the defense, who fortunately, did their jobs.
What are the plays that stand out from Saturday?