Zach Arnett previews this Saturday's game vs. LSU

Zach Arnett was hired as Mississippi State's defensive coordinator back in 2020. After the passing of Mike Leach, Arnett was promoted to take his role as the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

In his first season as head coach at any university, Arnett has led the Bulldogs to a 2-0 record with wins against Southeastern and an overtime win against Arizona. On Saturday, Arnett will get his first taste of an SEC game as a head coach.

We're excited for SEC conference play starting. We got a hard challenge in front of us, one of the most talented teams in the league in LSU. Obviously, every year they're one of the most talented and athletic teams in the league, so we got our hands full. We're happy to be 2-0 and we're excited to get into conference play. Like every game, we'll know more about ourselves and as a program after this one."

Zach Arnett

While this is Arnett's first stop as a head coach, he's witnessed his fair share of SEC games. As State's defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, he's familiar with LSU and the talent they put out on the field each and every week.

He watched last years matchup against LSU where his team was up by six heading into the final quarter, but then had the game ripped out of their hands by the Tigers who stormed back and score 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

In that game, Arnett watched as LSU tore through their offensive line and sacked Will Rodgers four times and limited State to 3.4 yards per carry. The Tigers always have a physical defensive front that's able to get after the quarterback, and he knows most games are won and lost at the line of scrimmage.

"Football is a game that's won and dominated at the line of scrimmage. They're as talented as there is in the country at the line of scrimmage. They have a big front seven, so like I said, we have our hands full. It's going to be quite the challenge and we'll know more about ourselves and how we stack up to them after this one."

Zach Arnett

In Mississippi State's season opener, the Bulldogs faced off with Southeastern. Despite forcing three punts and a fumble in the first half, Arnett wasn't too pleased with the Bulldogs effort. On the second to last drive of the half for Southeastern, Mississippi State let the Lions drive 79-yards down the field in 16-plays in which they picked apart their defense.

Since then, Arnett has challenged his team to play harder, faster and more aggressive, and he feels the players have responded to his call.

"I'm pleased with how our team has competed. I mean, we challenged them that we need to play harder, faster, more aggressive last week, and our guys did that. I was a little dissappointed we didn't have more of a lead at halftime [against Southeastern], but I've already addressed that I think most of that is about decisions I made as head coach. As a coach, you have to hold yourself accountable, so I'm very pleased with how our team shows up to work everyday, how they come out and the physicality and speed in which we play the game."

Zach Arnett

One player in particular who's been under a watchful eye with the changes to State's offense is quarterback Will Rodgers. He's always been asked to air the ball out almost every single play, but with the new regime, the offensive scheme has changed completely.

Now, Rodgers is asked to use his arm a lot less, but in return he's seen his efficiency increase through the start of this season. His completion percentage has jumped from 68% all the way up to 72% and his average yards per completion has increased from 6.5-yards in 2022 to 8.5-yards through two games in 2023.

When asked about how Rodgers has been adjusting to the new offense, Arnett had just a few words in response.

"He's doing fine."

Zach Arnett

The Tigers are in for a much different game than they're used to when facing Mississippi State. This team is now predicated on running the football and playing sound defense. Zach Arnett will have his team prepared to face the No. 14 ranked team in the nation, and fans in Starkville will have those cow bells ringing at an all-time high. LSU should be able to come out of this game victorious, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's closer than many think.