Putting The Pedal To The Metal
September 04, 2023 | Football, Joel Coleman
Arnett and his Bulldogs turn focus to improving in a hurry.
(NOTE: Click the image above to watch head coach Zach Arnett's full Monday press conference.)
STARKVILLE – With a season-opening win now behind them, the Bulldogs are loaded up and trucking.
But when head coach Zach Arnett stepped to the podium on Monday for his weekly press conference, he quickly let it be known what has to happen if his team is to keep racking up victories and possibly accomplishing things some say can't be done as the season rolls along.
"It's very evident on the tape [from last Saturday] there are a number of areas we need to improve and improve in a hurry," Arnett said. "To quote the famous country song, we've got a long way to go and a short time to get there."
You have to love wisdom from the soundtrack of 'Smokey and the Bandit,' and Arnett's reference to it showed how he fits in more and more as the leader at Mississippi State with each passing day.
And Jerry Reed's classic tune perhaps does provide the best summation for where the Bulldogs find themselves. Being 1-0 is great, but it'll mean very little if they can't build and build fast.
Already, the tests are getting tougher by the week. MSU goes from last week's tilt against an FCS foe, to this week's Power Five matchup against Arizona. And while the Wildcats are the current focus, right behind them comes last year's Southeastern Conference Western Division champion, LSU. Then there's the season's first road game at South Carolina. Then there's perineal power Alabama. It goes on and on and on.
Last week, quarterback Will Rogers emphasized the Southeastern Louisiana game couldn't be any type of finish line for State. It had to be the starting point. Well, there's certainly no danger in Arnett letting up. He's all gas and no brakes when it comes to pushing the Dawgs forward. The pedal is to the metal.
"I'm not going to be the coach very long if we don't get better," Arnett said. "If you don't get better from Week 1 to Week 2, you're not winning a lot of football games. If you don't win a lot of football games, we all know what the consequence of that is. So, we better get better."
Arnett is seeking improvement across the board, too. He's not letting a dominant 48-7 win hide any blemishes. Sure, he saw good things from his group all over the field last Saturday. However, good isn't good enough with the slate that's in front of MSU.
"There were some things that showed up in field goal protection that we have to clean up," Arnett said. "We'd like to have all touchbacks so we don't have to cover kicks…There were things that showed up in punt return that we can do a better job at to get a return started…Offense, we've got finish better. Execution is at a premium on the offensive side because every guy needs to do their 1/11th in order for a play to be successful…Defensively, we've got to run harder to the ball, and we've got to tackle better. We've got to play harder."
Summed up, Arnett wants more from his guys. The Bulldogs are going to have to give more. Once that happens, they'll then have to reach even higher. There is no ceiling when it comes to getting better.
But there are checkpoints. This Saturday against the Wildcats is the next one.
There's a long way to go, a short time to get there and time is ticking.
"If you're not constantly improving, well, your opponent sure is," Arnett said. "We better improve a lot as a football team if we're going to sing the fight song in the locker room and have a good time in the locker room again [postgame]. That's what's required at this level."
