In what seems as impossible as it does, the bye week is here for Mississippi State with a 3-3 record; the bye week comes at the perfect time for Coach Arnett and his Bulldogs. So far, Mississippi State has been one of the most challenging teams in the Southeastern Conference to figure out. Despite starting the season 2-0 with wins over Arizona and Southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi State lost three straight Southeastern Conference games to LSU, South Carolina, and Alabama before returning home for a struggle win against Western Michigan on Saturday. However, Coach Arnett and his Mississippi State Bulldogs are three wins away from a postseason trip, and with the favorable schedule remaining, the attitude toward the program is one of crossroads and confusion.

Mississippi State, no different than other programs in the Southeastern Conference, will likely use the week to fine-tune the mishaps that have plagued the team through the first six games of the 2023 season. With an average record combined with a 0-3 record in the Southeastern Conference, the Bulldogs have an uphill climb waiting on them on the other side of the bye week.

First, Mississippi State has an issue with the offense. Some have tried to sugarcoat how bad the offensive unit has been for Coach Arnett and his offensive coordinator, Kevin Barbay. Last season, the Bulldogs ran the air raid to perfection. Once Coach Barbay took over, the offense never looked the same and has been overhauled into a system that doesn’t work. A simple solution would go back to a hybrid method to allow for the personnel on the team to feel comfortable, giving Mississippi State a better chance at putting points on the board. It feels like a broken record, but the playmakers Mississippi State has on the offensive side of the ball should be given the green light to make plays and run the offense the personal is intended to run. Then, leave the door open for backup quarterback Mike Wright to make plays for the Bulldogs with his legs.

Second, on the defensive side of the ball. Coach Arnett and his staff have a week to figure out an identity of the defense before the remaining five Southeastern Conference games plague the Bulldogs, costing them a trip to the postseason. All off-season, we heard how physical the Bulldogs’ defense would be in 2023; except for a couple of Bulldogs, we have failed to see Mississippi State dominating teams on the defensive front this season. Just last week, the Mississippi State defense gave up 28 points to Western Michigan, putting the pressure on the offense to score 41 to get past the Broncos. In the three losses, the Mississippi State defensive unit gave up 118 points to three teams that didn’t have the explosive offensive units to put a combined 118 points on the board.

Overall, it feels as if everything is bleak for the Mississippi State Bulldogs heading into the second half of the 2023 season. However, Mississippi State controls its destiny. With winnable road games coming up after the bye week against Arkansas on the 21st and Auburn on the 28th, the season has a chance at being reborn with a win in both games. Mississippi State will return home against Kentucky on November 4th before the final three games against Texas A&M, Southern Miss, and Ole Miss. Right there in front of them for the taking is a successful season where Mississippi State wins a combination of seven or eight games to earn the chance to play in a decent postseason bowl game.

Mississippi State has the potential on the roster to make the second half of the 2023 season a special one filled with victories and a postseason bowl trip. Excuses get thrown out the door, and the focus gets an overhaul to focus on the controllable aspects of the season.

Mississippi State will return to action next Saturday, the 21st, against the Razorbacks of Arkansas in Fayetteville.