Kentucky football: Five things to know about the Mississippi State Bulldogs

The series continues. Five things of interest about Kentucky football’s Saturday opponent, the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

1. Mike Leach’s successor is off to a rocky start

After the December death of beloved head coach Mike Leach, Mississippi State tabbed defensive coordinator Zach Arnett as Leach’s successor. So far, Arnett has had trouble filling those shoes. The Bulldogs are 4-4 overall, but just 1-4 in the SEC.

After opening with a 48-7 win over Southeast Louisiana and a 31-24 overtime victory over Arizona, the Bulldogs lost three straight. LSU routed MSU 41-14 in Starkville. State then fell 37-30 at South Carolina before being handled 40-17 at home by Alabama.

The Bulldogs bounced back with a 41-28 win over MAC member Western Michigan, before Arnett registered his first SEC victory, 7-3 at Arkansas. Last week, Auburn returned Mississippi State to the loss column with a 27-13 victory at Auburn.

The 37-year-old Arnett grew up in Albuquerque and played college football at New Mexico. He coached at San Diego State before Leach hired Arnett in 2021 to coordinate the defense at Mississippi State. Employing an unusual 3-3-5 alignment, State ranked 31st nationally in total defense in 2021 and 35th last season.

This year, however, the Bulldogs have dropped to 66th in total defense. They are 40th in scoring defense, 41st in run defense and 21st in pass efficiency defense.

2. More on that unusual 3-3-5 defense

Arnett’s calling card is a defensive alignment he learned from Rocky Long at New Mexico and San Diego State that features three down lineman, three linebackers and five defensive backs.

The late Joe Lee Dunn popularized the 3-3-5 when he was defensive coordinator at Memphis, Ole Miss and Mississippi State in the 1990s. Former UK head coach Hal Mumme was so impressed with the 3-3-5 he hired Dunn as his defensive coordinator at New Mexico State in 2008 and at McMurry University from 2009-2012.

What makes the 3-3-5 tough?

“It’s a pain in the butt,” said UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who coached against the 3-3-5 as Kentucky’s play-caller in 2021. “I have a lot of respect for those guys and what they’ve done defensively over the last few years, playing against them two years ago.

“It’s a defense you don’t see every week. Different structures every play. It truly tries to get you to identify one person in the run game and now they drop somebody else in hoping you don’t account for him. It makes your rules almost kind of get thrown out the window in some ways.”

3. State has ditched the Air Raid

After taking over as head coach, Arnett hired Appalachian State offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay as his play-caller. The 40-year-old Barbay was with Jim McElwain at Colorado State, Florida and Central Michigan before moving to Appalachian State. The Mountaineers were 26th nationally in total offense a season ago.

At State, Barbay has run a more balanced offense than Leach’s Air Raid scheme. Last year under Leach, Mississippi State averaged 48.76 passes per game. This year under Barbay, State is averaging 28.25 passes per game.

How’s it working out? Not all that well. State is 86th in scoring offense and 93rd in total offense.

4. Kentucky could see a familiar face at MSU quarterback

Will Rogers and Mike Wright have at least two things in common. Both play quarterback at Mississippi State. And both have beaten Kentucky as a starting quarterback. Rogers did it in 2021 when he threw for 344 yards in a win over UK in Starkville. Wright did it last year at Vanderbilt where he threw for 184 yards and rushed for 129 in a 24-21 win over Kentucky in Lexington.

Wright transferred to Mississippi State where he was Rogers’ backup until the MSU starter injured his shoulder in the victory over Western Michigan. That ended Rogers’ streak of 38 consecutive starts. Wright started the win at Arkansas and the loss at Auburn. He was a combined 24-of-44 for 246 yards passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions, while rushing for 123 yards on 25 carries in those two games.

Arnett indicated this week that if Rogers can’t go Saturday, he could start freshman Chris Parson at quarterback. UK knows Parson, as well. The Cats recruited Parson out of Brentwood, Tennessee, before he committed to Mississippi State.

5. State hasn’t lost to UK in Starkville since 2008

Not only is Mark Stoops 0-5 among the cowbells at Davis Wade Stadium as the Kentucky coach, the Wildcats haven’t won in Starkville since Rich Brooks and Company escaped with a 14-13 victory in 2008 over Sylvester Croom.

Joker Phillips’ only trip to Starkville as UK coach ended with a 24-17 loss to Dan Mullen in 2010. Texas A&M’s and Missouri’s 2012 addition to the SEC monkeyed with the league schedule, so UK did not return to Davis Wade Stadium until Stoops took over in 2013.

A late rally fell short as Kentucky lost 28-22 in 2013. Dak Prescott threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns while running for 117 yards and three more scores in State’s 42-16 win over Kentucky in 2015. State scored 21 fourth-quarter points in trouncing UK 45-7 in 2017. The Bulldogs led 21-3 at the half on the way to a 28-13 victory in 2019.

In 2021, State picked off Will Levis three times in a 31-17 victory. Rogers was 36-of-39 for 344 yards and one score through the air as Leach picked up his only win against his former employer. Wide receivers coach and then offensive coordinator under Hal Mumme at Kentucky in 1997-98, Leach was 1-2 as a head coach versus the Cats.

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