A Little Extra Motivation
November 02, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
State faces Kentucky on a special homecoming night.
STARKVILLE – Jett Johnson has been a Bulldog all his life. So, it should come as no surprise that the Mississippi State linebacker seems to be pumped up about having the chance to wear a throwback uniform honoring one of the greatest MSU teams of all time on Saturday for State's 6:30 p.m. homecoming battle against Kentucky.
"Those are cool," Johnson said of the vintage look that'll feature the iconic interlocking MSU logo worn by State's 1998 Southeastern Conference Western Division championship squad. "That team obviously had a lot of success [and was] a really good team to win the West. It's a big accomplishment, and [honoring them] should give us some extra motivation. Those guys will be there, I'm sure, and you want to put on a good show for them and move in the right direction."
Johnson's two-part objective would be an ideal scenario Saturday for Mississippi State. A victory would surely put smiles on the faces of the '98 legends in attendance, but it'd also be a strong positive step forward for the current bunch of Bulldogs as they look to get back over the .500 mark.
A triumph against the Wildcats would be huge. Aside from the positive vibes winning brings, it'd also put State just one win away from bowl eligibility with three opportunities left to get it. The Dawgs would be in a strong spot to extend their bowl streak to 14 consecutive seasons with a postseason game. State is currently one of only seven programs in the country that have gone to a bowl game every year since 2010, and MSU has the third-longest bowl streak in the SEC, behind only Alabama and Georgia.
The desire is obviously strong to remain in that elite company and a good start would be taming the Wildcats. However, that's much easier said than done.
Kentucky comes to Starkville on a three-game losing streak, yet all three defeats came at the hands of Top-25 teams. Before that, Kentucky opened the year with five consecutive wins.
The Wildcats are a strong team, and MSU head coach Zach Arnett knows his Dawgs will have their hands full.
"I cannot say enough about [Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops] and what he has accomplished there," Arnett said. "I have admiration for their program. They know exactly who they are – physical and incredibly fundamentally sound. Running back [Ray Davis] leads the league in rushing. He is as electric a back as I've seen all year. He's as explosive a runner as we have faced to this point. The quarterback [Devin Leary] is coming off a tremendous game. We faced him when he was at North Carolina State. He has a big arm, can make all the throws and he has really talented guys on the outside. Every year they are in the upper echelon of the league defensively. Should be a great match up and hopefully a great environment here."
It almost assuredly will be a special feel in the air given the events of the evening.
Homecoming. Members of the '98 squad in the house. The interlocking MSU logo back on Scott Field. The scene will be set for a potentially special night.
The key to making it a successful one for State will reside largely in not getting caught up in the moment, channeling any extra motivation and locking in on simply getting the job done by any means necessary.
"We need to do everything we can to control what we can control and show up prepared as best as possible," Arnett said.
