Notebook: Mizzou facing unique test — on both sides of the ball
Mike Leach has always been an outlier, on the field and off. The 59-year-old head coach is known for his wacky personality and extremely pass-happy offense. When Leach arrived at Mississippi State last offseason, he brought both with him. The Bulldogs have thrown the ball more and run the ball less than any team in America, averaging about 54 passing plays per game compared to 16 runs.
That offense will, of course, provide unique challenges for a Missouri defense that has been gashed the past two weeks when the Tigers travel to Starkville Saturday for their regular-season finale. But in his weekly press conference Tuesday, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz talked more about preparing to face the Bulldogs on the other side of the ball. He said a defense led by first-year coordinator Zach Arnett “is going to be the most challenging front and defense we’ve played all year, not because of the players, but because of the scheme.”
“They're a little bit unconventional as far as what they do defensively,” Drinkwitz said. “A lot of movements, a lot of stunts and blitzes and pressures, creates angles for their defensive guys to create penetration, gets you off your tracks. Going to be a very difficult challenge, different than what we saw in the past couple of weeks.”
Arnett came to Mississippi State from San Diego State, where he learned the unique 3-3-5 base defense mastered by former Aztec head coach Rocky Long. With Arnett at the helm, Mississippi State ranks among the top 50 teams nationally in total defense. The Bulldogs have been particularly effective against the run (although Auburn did rush for 218 yards against them a week ago). Mississippi State ranks fourth in the SEC and No. 28 nationally in rushing defense. They’ve held four of nine opponents under 100 yards on the ground, including stifling Georgia. Georgia, which just racked up 316 rushing yards against Missouri, mustered all of eight yards on the ground against Mississippi State.
Missouri’s offensive line, which struggled last week, will bear the brunt of the challenge. Missouri ran for only 22 yards on 22 carries against Georgia’s nation-leading rush defense. Mississippi State may not have the same talent level as Georgia, but creating holes against its defensive front could be just as challenging. Drinkwitz said Mississippi State “makes you play ugly.”
“They’re moving, stunting and blitzing the entire time,” right tackle Larry Borom said. “So it’s nothing that we’ve seen before.”
Even though the defense Missouri faces will look different, quarterback Connor Bazelak said the key for the Tigers will be not reacting to the looks presented by Mississippi State, but playing to the unit’s own strengths.
“I think the biggest thing that we have to do is just play our game, we can’t wait around for what they’re doing and react off them,” Bazelak said. “We’ve gotta be able to attack their defense, and like you said, just gotta be able to execute in every situation.”
Missouri’s defense likely won’t have the luxury of keeping the same game plan this week. The sole focus will be stopping the pass. Mississippi State averages just 23 rushing yards per game — on pace to be the lowest total by an FBS school since at least 2009. Star linebacker Nick Bolton said Missouri, which plays predominately man coverage, will likely utilize more zone this week.
“Zone coverage, eyes on the quarterback,” Bolton said. “That’s really the biggest thing. The coaches have been preaching it all week, make sure we have good depth in our zones, proper alignment and stuff like that to help us out. But other than that, it’s up to everybody else to execute their assignments.”
Just because Mississippi State throws a lot doesn’t mean it’s always taking downfield shots, however. The Bulldogs rank No. 113 out of 130 FBS teams in passing yards per attempt. Drinkwitz said Leach makes up for his lack of a run game by throwing a lot of short, quick passes, such as tunnel screens, and getting the running backs involved in the passing game. Tailback Jo’quavious Marks leads the team with 53 receptions on the season. As a result, he said, making tackles in the open field will be key.
“We can't put in a new defensive scheme this week, that's just not possible,” Drinkwitz said. “We have to go out there, make some tweaks to what we do and rush the passer, affect the quarterback, hold up in our coverages and tackle in space. I think that’s the theme that shows up a lot is being able to tackle in space. … They get the ball to the running backs in space, and if you miss tackles, it’s a big gain.”
Mizzou battling long list of injuries
It’s actually a positive thing for Missouri that Mississippi State doesn’t run the ball, which Drinkwitz noted Tuesday. Not only has Missouri given up more than 600 yards on the ground across its past two games, the defensive line has been hit hard by injuries. Drinkwitz said that “pretty much the whole D-line will be questionable this week.”
“Probably won't know until tomorrow whether or not they're ready,” Drinkwitz said. “Kobie Whiteside, Markell Utsey, Trajan Jeffcoat, Chris Turner are all questionable as of right now.”
Whiteside missed the game against Georgia due to an unspecified injury. He also missed five games earlier this season with a hurt knee. If he and Utsey are both unable to play, Akial Byers would be the team’s only scholarship nose tackle, with true freshman offensive lineman Drake Heismeyer likely serving as his backup. Heismeyer, who played on both sides of the line of scrimmage in high school but is listed on Missouri’s depth chart as the backup center, played three snaps at nose tackle against Georgia. Drinkwitz said he would practice with both the offensive and defensive lines this week.
Likewise, if Jeffcoat and Turner are unable to suit up, Missouri would be short on pass rushers. The Tigers already lost Tre Williams, who had been splitting time with Jeffcoat at the BUCK linebacker position this season, when he opted out prior to last week. Jeffcoat’s backup, Jatorian Hansford, missed the first four games of this season due to injury and has only played 83 snaps on the year. If Turner doesn’t play, Isaiah McGuire would likely split reps with former walk-on Cannon York on the other end of the line of scrimmage.
“I can't go to the waiver wire, so we got what we got,” Drinkwitz said. “… It's fortunate that we're playing a heavy pass, because I don't think we could sit in the trenches this week with as beat up as we are.”
Drinkwitz also revealed that a handful of players have already been ruled out for this week’s game. Safety Tyree Gillespie and cornerback Ishmael Burdine won’t be available, leaving the Tigers thin in the secondary. Starting cornerback Jarvis Ware missed last week’s game with an undisclosed injury and isn’t expected to be back against Mississippi State, as he wasn’t listed on the team’s depth chart. True freshmen Ennis Rakestraw and Jaylon Carlies will start at cornerback, with only one other scholarship corner, Chris Mills, available for the game. Redshirt freshman Jalani Williams will start for Gillespie.
The wide receiver room is also banged up. Senior Micah Wilson, who missed last week’s game, won’t play this week, Drinkwitz said. He classified junior Jalen Knox as questionable. Knox limped off the field in the second half against Georgia.
If there’s good news for Missouri, it’s that Sunday’s round of COVID-19 testing did not reveal any positives. Missouri had two players miss the Georgia game due to contact tracing, and Drinkwitz said he expects those players back this week. In all, Drinkwitz said Missouri is expected to have around 56 scholarship players available for this week’s game, although that number includes several players battling injuries.
“We played, since South Carolina, pretty much in the 50s, scholarship numbers,” Drinkwitz said. “So that's gonna be the last five games of the season. And I mean, that's not precedented. I don’t think that’s how this sport is designed, especially at this level. So our guys have shown a lot of fight, courage and heart, and our coaching staff has shown a lot of resiliency to just try to figure out a way each week to put the best plan forward.”
Drinkwitz takes issue with Georgia's hits on Bazelak
Bazelak, too, left last weekend’s game with an injury, although he returned after missing just one series. While sliding to the turf after a scramble, Bazelak took a knee to the back of the helmet from Georgia nose tackle Jordan Davis. Drinkwitz referenced the hit Tuesday, saying “apparently (Bazelak) took a legal hit,” his voice dripping with sarcasm.
That wasn’t the only contact on his quarterback that Drinkwitz took issue with, either. He said pointed to a play in the first half when Bazelak threw an out route to Damon Hazelton, which drew a pass interference flag. Drinkwitz said Bazelak took a shot to the head after releasing the ball, and it looked to him like the Georgia defender lowered the crown of his helmet, which would result in a penalty.
“There was several hits that, you know, you would have assumed that maybe a yellow flag falls out,” Drinkwitz said. “But they didn't. So he just keeps on rolling, and that's a requirement. It's happened several times throughout this season, and he does a really nice job. ... I think that’s just showing his toughness.”
Drinkwitz called the ability to take hits and stay in the game a “requirement” for playing quarterback. Bazelak, who said he played through a sore throwing hand after having it stepped on during the same play he took a hit from Davis, said he’s always considered himself tough.
“I’m a tough guy, I think I am, and I think that’s what the offense needs is a tough quarterback who can take hits,” Bazelak said. “It doesn’t matter how many times you get hit, just gotta keep moving forward.”
Shawn Robinson embracing new role
When Bazelak left the Georgia game for three plays, it wasn’t junior quarterback Shawn Robinson, who started the first two games of the season behind center, who replaced him, but true freshman Brady Cook. Robinson had missed the team’s past three games but was on the sideline Saturday, so the fact that Cook served as the backup quarterback raised some eyebrows.
Tuesday, Drinkwitz revealed that Robinson had shifted his focus to playing special teams instead. Robinson saw the field as a member of the kickoff coverage and punt return teams. Drinkwitz said he was partially responsible for Mason Pack’s blocked punt, which gave Missouri the ball on the Georgia one-yard line in the second quarter.
“I couldn't be any more proud of that young man,” Drinkwitz said. “I'll be shocked if he doesn’t play quite a bit this week. We only got a certain amount of scholarships, and that sucker has given us everything he’s got.”
In order to make the position switch, Robinson swapped out his usual jersey number of 3 for No. 12. Bolton called him “a true team guy.”
“He loves being here, he loves his role, he comes out here and is the most energetic guy,” Bolton said. “We missed him a couple weeks ago, but he came back, never missed a beat, always energetic around the team and just trying to help us win football games. Doesn’t care about his role. So just the ultimate team player, wants to go out there and have fun with us, and we love him for being here and I’m happy to see what he has in store for us.”
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