A Constantly-Burning Fire
August 12, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
Zach Arnett emphasizes there’s always room to get better.
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State preseason football camp is now a little more than a week old. In that time, head coach Zach Arnett has had several practices to instruct, watch and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of his team.
On Saturday, the fiery leader of the Bulldogs was asked whether he was pleased with things he's seen so far. Arnett's response provided a brief glimpse at just how driven he is and how he sees absolutely no time to celebrate or revel in any moment, no matter how exciting it might be for any one player or position group.
"If the offense throws the ball over the top for a touchdown, hey, that's great; but that means we just gave up an explosive [play] on defense, so we've got an issue there we have to clean up," Arnett said. "Vice versa. Hey, we call a blitz. Boom. Sack. Whether the guy comes completely free, or whether he just beats a guy, well we've got an issue on offense. Same thing on special teams. Gigantic momentum swings either way – positive or negative – can happen in the kicking game.
"So, you're constantly trying to expose the weaknesses and flaws and things that can show up on gameday and get you beat. You're trying to focus in on and eliminate those. That continues on through the whole season."
It's certainly far from a novel thing to have a football coach that finds satisfaction hard to come by. Few come across as hungry for success as Arnett though.
In a program that emphasizes how actions mean more than words, Arnett sets the standard. His comments in press conferences and interviews are backed up on the practice fields. He leads with an urgent style that makes it readily apparent each rep, every single moment, is vital.
If there's a drawback to that, it's that no matter how many good practices the Bulldogs have this preseason, it's likely Arnett himself will never be able to be able to enjoy the personal peace of readiness.
"I don't know if a coach ever truly feels that," Arnett said. "At some point, it's kind of nice whether you're ready or not, [the season opener on] September 2 isn't moving. So, you play the game. You line up and play the game."
Once toe finally hits leather and the season begins, there are no guarantees. Except for one. There won't be a single area of Mississippi State's game that Arnett won't have analyzed, emphasized and done his absolute best to make sure it's as prepared as possible.
For more from Arnett, watch his full Saturday press conference as well press conferences with defensive coordinator Matt Brock and offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay by clicking the image above.
