Bulldogs Back At It
March 07, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
Spring football practice began for Mississippi State on Tuesday.
(Click the image above to watch full post-practice interviews with quarterback Will Rogers, defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy, linebacker Nathaniel Watson and running back Jo'quavious Marks.)
STARKVILLE – Just a little over two months since Mississippi State was down in Florida polishing off a nine-win season with a win over Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the Bulldogs were back on the practice fields Tuesday. Spring football has officially arrived.
There was a noticeable energy all around the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex, and it wasn't just because the guys had returned to the gridiron. It was also because the success of last fall has put a hunger within the Dawgs for more.
"It put a big boost on what we've got to do for this spring, to the fall, to the season," running back Jo'quavious Marks explained after Tuesday's practice. "[We can] keep building off that momentum."
So, the building has begun. No contests are won in March obviously, but the groundwork for future victories and big moments can absolutely be laid. Of course, for this year's State squad, part of that whole process is simply getting acclimated to change.
Zach Arnett is building towards his first season as head coach. The Bulldogs are certainly used to Arnett after his three seasons as an incredibly successful defensive coordinator for the Maroon and White, but there's no denying life is different for both Arnett and MSU now that Arnett sits in the program's big chair.
So far though – from the bowl win in January to now – Arnett has gotten nothing but rave reviews from his guys on how he's managing his new responsibility.
"He's done a really good job," State quarterback Will Rogers said of Arnett. "He's kind of brought [to the head coaching role] that same mojo [he had] as a defensive coordinator – kind of a fiery guy that really gets after it and really coaches hard. I think if our whole team can have that attitude then we're going to be a really tough team to beat."
Tough. That word was uttered or alluded to several times on Tuesday. It's likely to become a descriptor that's synonymous with the Arnett era in Starkville.
Some teams talk about being tough. Others want it. Arnett demands toughness.
He demanded it on defense as a coordinator, and that hasn't changed.
"With [Arnett] moving up, it just still feels like how the defense has been," defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy said. "We've just got a really hard demeanor to us, and we're just going to keep fighting every day."
Arnett is bringing his style to the offensive side of the ball as well.
"He brings a toughness over there," Marks said, before cracking a little joke. "Gotta get everybody tough on the offensive side because quote-unquote, 'Defensive players are harder than offensive players.'"
While Arnett continues the process of shaping the Bulldogs in his image this spring, his staff – with some new faces as well as some familiar ones – will aid in the process. Meanwhile, the newest Dawg players will begin proving themselves. Some guys are learning new positions.
There's much to be done, and the time has finally arrived to do it.
"Everybody's been looking forward to the first day," Crumedy said.
Well, it's now on to day two. It's time for the Dawgs to start stacking successful days. That's what spring is all about.
