Scrimmage Showcases State’s Offensive Depth
August 13, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
Up and down the depth chart, Bulldogs made plays Saturday evening.
STARKVILLE – Over the course of a long, grueling football season, offenses are at their strongest when contributions come from all around. If Saturday night's first scrimmage of the Mississippi State preseason was any indication, the Bulldogs certainly aren't lacking when it comes to finding potential playmakers.
Up and down the depth chart, MSU's offensive attack displayed flashes of promise. Was it without flaw? Not at all, thanks to a stout Bulldog defense that showcased its ability as well. However, State's offense absolutely made an early statement.
"I thought it all looked pretty good," quarterback Will Rogers said. "There were definitely some things to work on from the scrimmage. [Offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay] was saying after practice he's been coaching for 20-plus years, and he's never been satisfied after the first scrimmage. But I definitely think we saw some bright spots tonight.
"Ones, twos and threes all made some solid plays."
Highlights came from every position group.
One of the evening's biggest statements was made by receiver Creed Whittemore. The freshman made his presence felt throughout the scrimmage, from an acrobatic, 20-yard grab early on, to a highlight-reel-worthy catch against tight coverage from an MSU defensive back later on in a play that netted 34 yards.
.@c_whit115 going to work ⚠️#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/K1xpL3PlHg
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) August 13, 2023
That latter pass was tossed by Rogers, who continues to be impressed by the young wideout.
"Man, he made a play," Rogers said of Whittemore's fantastic grab. "He actually made several plays. He has such a bright future."
Other State quarterbacks would surely agree. Rogers, Mike Wright and Chris Parson all benefitted from Whittemore's hands throughout the night. In fact, multiple receivers had the chance to showcase their skills thanks to the talents of State's stable of signal callers.
Jacoby Bellazar hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass on a perfectly-thrown ball from Wright. Wright led the offense to paydirt a few other times as well, including on a 12-yard pass to running back Keyvone Lee and on a four-yard run off a read-option play.
In fact, Wright made several plays with his legs, which comes as no surprise to those aware of his remarkable speed.
"Man, he's fast," Rogers opined about Wright.
Not to be outdone by his position mates, the young gun Parson made sure to make his presence known. One of the aforementioned receptions by Whittemore – the 20-yard acrobatic catch downfield – that came from the arm of Parson. The freshman quarterback made several other fine throws as well and even showed his own mobility a time or two.
"[Parson] is coming along well," Barbay said of the freshman. "He's a really talented kid that's got a really strong arm and he tries to learn and invests a lot of time learning from Will and Mike and how they're doing things. He's just got to get enough experience and reps in team [drills] where the game can slow down a little bit for him…But I'm pleased with the progress he's making."
Receivers made waves. Quarterbacks showed promise. How about those running backs? Well, they were maybe the most impressive overall position group.
"I think we did really good," Jo'Quavious Marks said. "It's a deep room. Any of the guys in there can make plays, and you saw that [Saturday]."
Sure did.
To no one's surprise, Marks led the charge doing a little bit of everything. In one situation, with the offense's back to the goal line, Marks gave his team breathing room with a powerful four-yard carry ahead of another strong first-down run out of a pistol formation.
Later, he showcased his versatility when he scored on a seven-yard swing pass from Rogers.
The rest of the running back room put good plays on film, too. Simeon Price – who earlier in the week could be seen on social media showcasing his dance moves – brought that shiftiness to the field Saturday for multiple strong runs.
The Penn State transfer, Lee, found the end zone a couple of times. In addition to his 12-yard touchdown reception, he also battered his way over the goal line on a one-yard run.
Junior college transfer Jeffery Pittman made plays, including one 20-plus yard reception. Late in the scrimmage, freshman Seth Davis got in on the action with a 20-plus yard reception of his own, followed up by a 16-yard touchdown run.
Davis' score was essentially an exclamation point to a night that could certainly be used as a springboard moving forward for the Bulldog offense.
"It's very exciting to know we have so many weapons at receiver, in the running back room and even up front on the offensive line," Marks said. "Then you have our quarterbacks that can air it out and even use their legs. It's really exciting."
It's exciting indeed, and all of this without even mentioning other big plays from the night.
There was an early 40-yard gain by Zavion Thomas as he swept across a formation and caught a quick shovel pass before blazing his way down the field.
Then, there were multiple significant gains by Lideatrick Griffin – an individual who obviously continues to stay on track to be one of MSU's most looked-to offensive threats.
Despite everything, it'd be completely inaccurate to think this was a perfect night for the State offense. It was far from it in fact.
Maybe that's the most exciting thing of all is that despite Saturday's offensive success, everyone knows things can get much, much better.
"We just have to get more consistent offensively," Rogers said. "It's an every down thing for us to get better, whether it's getting the running back in space, or sometimes it's taking the first completion the defense is giving you and not trying to hit the home run every time. There's definitely things to work on offensively. That starts with me. I look forward to learning from this film and trying to get better."
Or as Marks so eloquently put it: "Now, it's back to work."
