Despite having the best environment on Saturday, Mississippi State laid an egg that left the Bulldog faithful with a bitter taste heading into the week four matchup with South Carolina. Mississippi State has a lot of ground to cover in a short time. Honestly, LSU dominated Mississippi State to no return on Saturday. There weren’t many positives from the loss, but the Bulldogs must shift, focusing on the task at hand on Saturday night against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams Brice Stadium. Saturday night will provide Mississippi State with the first road test of the Zach Arnett era, providing another opportunity to improve the brand.

Before moving on to South Carolina, one must face the demons of Saturday before turning the page to a brighter future.

First things first, the offense was terrible on Saturday. There’s no way around the performance. Will Rogers was off, the receivers were off, and Coach Barbay called an even worse game. Despite not having the flow needed to give Mississippi State the best chance to win on Saturday, the coaching elected to leave a potential spark on the bench. Fans were chanting for the Vanderbilt transfer, Mike Wright, to get a shot at quarterback. Yet, Wright didn’t get the chance to show his colors until garbage time, when he completed a touchdown pass to give Mississippi State a boost. As Mississippi State approaches the South Carolina game, the offense faces the challenge of turning the page and figuring things out on a quick turnaround. It’s South Carolina this week, and then Alabama will come to Davis Wade Stadium on September 30th for the annual showdown between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs.

Second, Mississippi can’t let one loss turn into two. Short-term memory is crucial in situations the Bulldogs find themselves in as they prepare for the Gamecocks. LSU happened, it was ugly, and there weren’t many positives from the loss. However, great teams determine how they respond to adversity. A win on the road against a solid South Carolina Football team would do wonders for the morale of the 2023 Mississippi State Football season. A win over the Gamecocks would ensure the Bulldogs an electric environment at Davis Wade Stadium on September 30th as they welcome Coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide to Starkville, Mississippi.

Lastly, Will Rogers confirmed with the media on Monday that he and a few other senior leaders decided to host a ” Player’s only meeting” to rally the Mississippi State team to compete at a higher level on Saturday against South Carolina. Word is the guys responded well and are ready to take the field of battle on Saturday against the Gamecocks. With the help of others, Will motivated the guys to play to the standard that Coach Arnett and his staff have challenged them to play. It’ll be interesting to see how the Bulldogs respond to being challenged by the leadership of the 2023 team.

Mississippi State and South Carolina will play under the lights at Williams Brice Stadium on Saturday night with a nationally televised audience on the SEC Network.