It’s About Us
September 14, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
State players and coaches focused on doing their individual jobs headed into showdown against No. 14 LSU.
STARKVILLE – With a game coming up like this weekend's, it'd be easy for Mississippi State to get lost in the challenge.
The Dawgs will be facing a nationally-respected LSU program – a group that's No. 14 in the country and the defending Southeastern Conference Western Division champions.
Without a doubt, come 11 a.m. Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium, State will be staring down its biggest test to date. However, over the last few days, the focus hasn't been on the guys that'll get off a bus wearing purple and gold. Instead, it's been on the individuals in the mirror wearing Maroon and White.
"Obviously you know the opponent," State quarterback Will Rogers said. "You know they're great. You know they're extremely talented and well-coached and will come ready to play Saturday. But at the same time, it's about us. We have to get better as a team."
To outsiders, such a viewpoint might seem radical. After all, LSU features threats all over the field on both sides of the ball.
Dual-threat quarterback Jayden Daniels orchestrates a dangerous Tiger offense.
"They have tremendous personnel," MSU head coach Zach Arnett said of LSU. "Their offensive line is big and physical and athletic. They have a tight end room that looks the part. They have tremendous speed and athleticism in their skill positions. Running backs are hard to tackle…And to top it off, you have a quarterback equally adept throwing it as running it."
The Tiger defense is equally as tough to deal with.
"LSU is really talented," State offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay said of the unit his guys will face. "[Defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo] is a great player inside. They've got [defensive tackle Maason Smith] back – [who is] 6-foot-6, 315 [pounds] and really talented. Their linebacker corps really runs exceptionally well. They're well-coached. They're detailed. They have some transfers in the back end, but those guys have played well. Defensively, they're solid and it will be a great challenge for us."
Again though, for as difficult of a task that LSU presents, the Bulldogs aren't so much looking at that as they are minding their own Ps and Qs. It only makes sense to approach it that way.
After all, in the SEC, every week is a grind. The only thing that changes are the colors on the other side of the field. Considering that, a frequent internal audit is paramount.
The good teams are the ones that can be honest with themselves and get better week to week. That's what MSU is committed to – not being consumed by the logo on any other squad's helmet and that particular team's skillset.
Such a method is made easier by the fact State's core is made up of seasoned veterans like Rogers and Jo'Quavious Marks and Nathaniel Watson and Jett Johnson and the list goes on and on.
"We've played against the Alabamas and LSUs," Rogers said. "We've played them every year. We've played Georgia twice since I've been here. If you just threw a bunch of freshmen out there Saturday, they might be like a deer in headlights when they see LSU get off the bus…Now obviously, I have a tremendous amount of respect for LSU and [head coach Brian Kelly] and how they do things and how they play hard. At the same time though, it's about us…We need to get better, and we need to do our job. We need to do our job every play."
Do that, and the chips can fall where they may. As long as all 11 Bulldogs on the field at a given time are locked in, performing at their peak and showing they've improved since last week against Arizona, State is in business this Saturday, or any Saturday.
"We improved in a lot of ways [from Week 1 to Week 2] and there are areas where we can still improve," Arnett said. "If we improve in those areas we highlight, we can line up and play versus anybody."
Anybody. That includes the mighty Fighting Tigers or anyone else. And it all starts with every single Bulldog making sure he's doing his part when his number is called.
"We can't be worried about LSU too much or anything like that," Rogers said. "We have to be worried about us."
