Three questions MSU must answer vs Texas A&M
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State’s offense hit a low point in its passing game against No. 5 LSU last week. Senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald’s measly 59 yards and four interceptions ultimately doomed the Dogs.
What must head coach Joe Moorhead’s team do to get back on track against No. 17 Texas A&M at Davis Wade Stadium this week? The Bulldogs need to answer these three questions.
Will the running backs get more touches?
There’s a correlation between State’s tailbacks getting the ball more and Mississippi State winning. The team is undefeated when MSU running backs get 15 or more carries per game. It’s 0-3 when they don’t.
Sophomore Kylin Hill and senior Aeris Williams combined for 14 carries against LSU. Those rushes went for 5.0 yards per carry.
Moorhead’s remained steadfast in his claim that Hill’s six carries at halftime were a reasonable amount. For State to be successful, though, that 30minute total should probably be doubled.
In the Bulldogs’ win over Auburn, Hill had 23 carries by the end of the night and racked up 126 yards in the process. Averaging 6.8 yards per carry on the season, there’s no reason Hill should get fewer than 10 carries in any game.
Moorhead said the circumstances of the game dictated Hill’s usage – even though it was never more than a two possession lead for LSU until the fourth quarter.
“As it got to the latter stages of the second half, they were sustaining drives, and we were behind. That took the air out of the ball a little bit,” Moorhead said. “We had to throw it more than we normally do, particularly on the last drive.”
Can the Mississippi State defense do even more?
It’s another indictment on the offense that this question is even asked. The Bulldog defense is a championship caliber unit by multiple measures.
The Dogs have the second-best scoring defense in the conference and the best total defense in the conference. They rank No. 4 and No. 6 nationally in those respective areas, too.
But backed by an anemic offense that has averaged 220 total yards in its four SEC games, the MSU defense has the burden of doing even more than it already has.
“Defensively, for all the things we are doing very well there, Coach Shoop and I have challenged them to elevate the unit from great to elite, and the way that we can help get that done is by creating more turnovers,” Moorhead said.
Mississippi State is tied for 105th in the country in turnovers forced. The Bulldogs also haven’t scored a defensive touchdown all year, something defensive coordinator Bob Shoop has been looking for from his guys for weeks now.
How much will sophomore quarterback Keytaon Thompson play?
After senior Nick Fitzgerald failed to throw for 100 yards for the third-straight game, Moorhead said Monday that Thompson will make his way onto the field this week. But for how long?
Moorhead said the possibility of putting Thompson in for a series or two has been discussed, so it certainly doesn’t sound like he’ll start. And if Fitzgerald somehow leads a touchdown drive or two in the first quarter, then will Thompson play at all?
Moorhead sounds adamant that Mississippi State’s inadequacies through the air come down to more than just Fitzgerald’s inaccuracy.
But by hinting that Thompson could get a chance this week, it’s clear that Moorhead realizes that his offense is desperate for a spark.
“We certainly can't turn the ball over four times and convert two-of-14 thirddown opportunities and expect to win,” Moorhead said. “Obviously, scoring three points isn’t going to get the job done and it is my job to get it fixed.”
Will he try to fix it by changing the quarterback? Time will tell.