RoWINg to Mississippi State – Opponent Preview
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The Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-0) will host a Big Ten-SEC showdown at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sep. 12, when they welcome the Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-0) to Huntington Bank Stadium.
Can they score on offense?
Second-year quarterback Kamario Taylor is the real deal. The sophomore signal caller saw action in 11 games — and started two of them — for the Bulldogs last season and finished 43-of-77 (55.8%) for 629 passing yards with 5 touchdowns and one interception. His arm talent was on display in Mississippi State’s 62-13 season-opening demolition of Louisiana-Monroe, in which Taylor threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns. He was making accurate throws all over the field, including a ball that traveled 60 yards in the air and hit the receiver in stride for a 70-yard touchdown pass. What makes Taylor even more of a challenge is his athleticism. He’ll step up in the pocket when he needs to, but he can also escape and punish defenses with his legs. Taylor tallied 82 carries for 458 rushing yards and eight touchdowns last season.
Defensive coordinator Danny Collins has his work cut out for him. He will need to do two things when it comes to Taylor: Confuse and contain him. Saturday’s game at Huntington Bank Stadium will only be Taylor’s fourth career start. If Collins can disguise his coverages and pressures pre-snap, the Gopher defense stands a better chance of putting a young quarterback on his heels. And once you have Taylor on his heels, set the edge and keep him in the pocket. You can’t let Taylor get loose and pick up easy yards.
Former Georgia transfer Anthony Evans III is Taylor’s top target in the passing game. The fourth-year receiver led the team with seven receptions for 118 receiving yards and a touchdown a week ago. Outside of Evans, Taylor completed at least one pass to seven different pass catchers in Week 1. So even if the Minnesota secondary pays special attention to Evans, look for the Bulldogs to spread the ball around.
On the ground, leading rusher Fluff Bothwell returns, though he barely broke a sweat against the Warhawks a week ago. He had only nine carries for 52 rushing yards, with true freshman J.J. Hill stealing the spotlight and leading the team with seven carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns. But don’t let Bothwell’s quiet season-opening performance — or his first name — fool you. He is a bruiser whose physical style of play is predicated on punishing defenders and grinding out tough yards.
Please tell me the Gophers will be able to score
The Mississippi State defense was a disaster a season ago, ranking 115th nationally in run defense (186.3 rushing yards allowed per game), 78th in pass defense (223 passing yards allowed per game), and 106th in scoring defense (30.2 points allowed per game).
Head coach Jeff Lebby fired defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler and brought back Zach Arnett, who was hired by former head coach Mike Leach to serve as defensive coordinator from 2020-22 before he was thrust into an interim head coach role (and later permanent head coach for 11 games) after Leach died.
Arnett favors an aggressive 3-3-5 defense that relies on heavy stunting, disguised pressures, zone blitzes, and match coverages to confuse quarterbacks and disrupt the opponent’s run game.
Up front, the Bulldogs feature three new starters on the defensive line, with fifth-year nose tackle Jaray Bledsoe the most experienced of the three linemen. He made four starts a season ago and finished the year with 28 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and two quarterback hurries.
The defensive line will look to create opportunities for Florida State transfer edge rusher Amaree Williams and linebackers Zakari Tillman and Jalen Smith to be aggressive and make plays in the backfield. The linebacker duo combined for 104 total tackles last year. Tillman was inactive for the Bulldog’s season opener this year, opening the door for second-year linebacker Tyler Lockhart to make his second career start.
In the secondary, fourth-year safety Isaac Smith is one name to know. He is entering his third year as starter and was a key piece of the Bulldog defense last season, finishing fourth on the team with 50 total tackles. The other name to be aware of is fourth-year cornerback Kelley Jones. The All-SEC cornerback has been a menace for opposing quarterbacks the past two years, with 63 total tackles, 12 pass break-ups, and two interceptions.
Mississippi State has plugged in LSU transfer Jardin Gilbert and Rice transfer Marcus Williams at the other safety spots, and former East Central Community College transfer Jett Jefferson is the starting cornerback opposite Jones after missing most of last season due to injury.
But who will score more points on Saturday?
The Gophers have lost three straight regular season non-conference matchups against Power 4 opponents, and Saturday’s game against Mississippi State sounds an awful lot like last year’s 27-14 loss to Cal as Minnesota once again faces a talented young quarterback and a retooled defense led by a new coordinator. The Gophers hung tough for three quarters of that game before melting down in the fourth. Is this year’s team made of stronger stuff? We won’t have to wait long to find out. As for my prediction, it’s too early in the season to be cynical. I’ll give the edge to the home team. Minnesota 27, Mississippi State 24.
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