Setting The Routine
August 18, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
Bulldogs transitioning from camp mode to season mode.
(NOTE: Click the image above to watch head coach Zach Arnett's full Thursday media session.)
STARKVILLE – Since August 4, back when Mississippi State preseason camp started, pretty much all the Bulldogs have had to think about is football.
That all changed this past Wednesday when MSU classes began. The 'student' part of student-athlete came back into focus, which means two things for head coach Zach Arnett's bunch.
One, there's a quick adjustment period.
"[At Thursday's practice], you kind of noticed a little bit of a transition because [the players'] minds spent half the day on academics," Arnett said. "It's not just football all day, every day."
But also, a return to class means the season is nearing.
Only about two weeks remain before Mississippi State kicks off the 2023 campaign when the Dawgs host Southeastern Louisiana on September 2. That leaves just over a week of what could be deemed as the preseason before game week arrives.
Arnett and company won't wait to set their season-long routine though. For the Bulldogs, they'll go ahead and get in a groove starting next week.
Next week will be a mock game week for State. Everything from practice times, right up to a Saturday scrimmage in Davis Wade Stadium will prep the Bulldogs for what they can expect on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis throughout the fall.
"[Next week we'll have] full scout team [at practice], schedule exactly the same and everything the same [as a regular game week]," Arnett explained. "We'll go to the hotel next weekend on Friday night. You try to get essentially a dress rehearsal of what it's actually going to really be. That way, if there are any kinks, you work them out beforehand instead of having to deal with the distractions and issues on your game [week]."
While the routine is changing as the season approaches, one thing is staying the same. Competition is continuing all over the practice fields.
"We've still got a ways [to go] there [to nail down starters]," Arnett said. "I mean, some of the returning positions [we know]. I can tell you [Nathaniel Watson] is going to be a starter. I can tell you [Jaden Crumedy]. I can tell you Will Rogers and [Jo'Quavious Marks], right?
"Some of those battles, you know. But the other ones, they'll play out all the way through mock week."
And even beyond next week if Arnett has his way.
"I kind of like [the competition] to play out all through the season," Arnett said. "You want a hungry football team. You want hungry football players.
"That's how it works, too, if you win the starting job and then you don't play good in the games. Bet you there's a good chance someone else is starting the next week. The reality of it is competition is always ongoing."
The competitions rage on a couple of more times this week. State will practice on Friday afternoon ahead of the second scrimmage of the preseason on Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldog players will take Sunday off – as they'll do every Sunday this fall – before beginning the routine they'll follow essentially every week through Thanksgiving.
For more from Arnett, click the image above to watch his full Thursday media session.
