Mississippi State spring game recap
Do the Bulldogs have a question mark at QB now? Abraham performs well while Rogers stumbles.
By: Bossman Slim
Photo: via @HailStateFB
That was pretty tough to watch, I won’t lie. Yes, it’s spring ball, but that was sloppier than a sauced-up sandwich from The Shed. Normally when you think Mike Leach, you think offense. In the Mississippi State spring game, it was mostly defense with few and far between flashes on offense. The Pirate was so displeased with the offense that he extended the game well beyond double zeros on the official-unofficial game clock to keep getting reps. It was like watching European soccer where the ref gives “extra time,” except it wasn’t five minutes it was more like 20.
Quarterback is the most important position on the field, and the Bulldogs spring game left us with more questions than answers. Presumed starter Will Rogers had a rough day, going 25/41 for 255 yards and a TD. The stats don’t look too bad, but all stats look inflated in the Star Wars offense, even when someone has an off day. His lone TD came on a 33-yard dime to Makai Polk, but the rest of the day Rogers looked out of sync and out of sorts and was outperformed by a wide margin by Southern Miss grad-transfer Jack Abraham. Abraham finished the day 23/34 162 yards and 2 TDs. He made three stellar throws in the red zone, two of which resulted in touchdowns (one was a TD but was called back). He also made a few solid longer throws of 20+ yards. Abraham showed out and probably put some questions in the minds of State fans as to whether he might be the best option in the shotgun.
The offensive line, while giving up a few sacks, held up pretty well in pass protection, the most important blocking aspect in this offense. That’s a good early sign for the Bulldogs, who must allow for time for whoever starts at QB if they’re to be successful this year. The dozers upfront provided good pockets and time most of the day, the QBs just weren’t able to consistently capitalize at a level expected from the Air Raid. That QB-WR timing should come with more work before the fall.
The worst thing to come out of this game was a big injury, every coach’s worst nightmare in preseason scrimmages. Sophomore WR Jaden Walley had his leg rolled up on while blocking during a run play early in the game. The scene afterward was not good - Walley was helped off the field and could put no pressure on his injured leg. Walley was a first All-SEC Freshman last year and is expected to be a big part of the Bulldogs offense this year, so a significant injury would be a big blow. According to Walley’s mom, he suffered a sprained MCL, which means he could be back in roughly six weeks depending on the damage. Either way, Walley continued to endear himself to State fans with his post-treatment outfit.
The best thing to come out of the game was video of Mike Leach being Mike Leach. Apparently there is a pond in Leach’s backyard that really looks like a lake. The Pirate decided he wasn’t spending enough time on the water, his natural habitat, so he decided to acquire a mode of transportation to patrol the high seas. Check out Leach maneuvering his SUP schooner:
Maybe Leach can solve his QB issues on the tranquility of his paddleboard. After watching that game, State has some work to do. Plenty of time left before kickoff against Louisiana Tech for Mississippi State to tighten things up.