Mississippi State football: Bulldogs seek consistency, finished drives vs. Aggies

After struggling against the Kentucky Wildcats, Zach Arnett’s Mississippi State football team is looking to bounce back against Texas A&M.

A rough Mississippi State football season continued to be painful as the Mississippi State Bulldogs lost last Saturday when they hosted the Kentucky Wildcats in what should have been a winnable game.

Now, Zach Arnett and the Mississippi State football team are trying to get a road win against the Texas A&M Aggies. Fresh off of a 24-3 loss to Kentucky, MSU offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay discussed his offense’s struggles and the issues the Bulldogs have had when it comes to finishing drives and finding consistency on offense.

Mississippi State football: Kevin Barbay and Bulldogs’ offense still searching for rhythm

“We’ve been poor scoring touchdowns in the red area right and, you know, it felt like we we had some opportunities down there that you know we just didn’t capitalize on,” Barbay explained.

Barbay’s offense has been up and down all throughout the season. Early on in the season, it never felt like he had full control of play calling and the freedom to operate the offense as he saw fit. But, against South Carolina, with Barbay in the booth and a healthy roster, we saw Will Rogers light up the Gamecocks’ defense.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that sort of offensive performance. The Bulldogs only managed 218 total yards against Kentucky’s defense.

And that defense is something Barbay described as the “best defense that we’ve played in quite a while.”

But that doesn’t excuse his offense’s inability to capitalize and execute.

“We didn’t have enough explosive [plays]. “We only had four real explosive [plays] on the day, we’ve got to find a way to create explosive [plays] and and just do a better job of executing throughout the game plan,” Barbay explained.

Here’s everything Barbay had to say about this game:

Mississippi State Bulldogs need an answer at quarterback

Which quarterback will the Bulldogs start on Saturday? Well, great question. I don’t have that answer. But whoever starts, Barbay and Mississippi State will need to ensure that the offense is fully tailored to their strengths.

If Will Rogers is healthy enough to go, then hopefully we see the Bulldogs light up Texas A&M’s secondary a bit. Keep him upright and let him chuck it downfield a bit. If it’s Mike Wright, then let’s incorporate plenty of option concepts. And if it’s Chris Parson, then maybe just truly give him as many opportunities to make plays as you possibly can.

Mississippi State needs to snap its two-game losing streak and find a way to get some a win. Barbay knows that.