5 questions for a Mississippi State beat writer

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5 questions for a Mississippi State beat writer

By Nubyjas Wilborn | nwilborn@al.com

3-4 minutes

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Bryan Harsin wanted to play in meaningful games in November during his first season on the Plains. His wish is still valid despite Auburn losing last week at Texas A&M. If the No. 16 Tigers (6-3, 3-2) want contests against South Carolina and Alabama to maintain relevancy, they must get a win Saturday against Mississippi State (5-3, 3-2) 11 a.m. at Jordan-Hare.

Auburn has to worry about stopping Bulldog quarterback Will Rogers, who has a 75% completion rate. Rogers puts up big-time stats in Mike Leach’s offense adding intrigue to the matchup against the Tigers’ stingy defense.

We reached out to Mississippi State beat writer Andy Kostka of the Clairon-Ledger for insight into the Bulldogs. You can follow Kosta on Twitter at @afkosta for more intel on Mississippi State.

1.) What makes Will Rogers special?

Any quarterback who throws the ball as frequently as Will Rogers does in Mike Leach’s Air Raid will put up passing yards. Rogers has already broken Mississippi State’s single-season completion record. But what makes him unique is how he takes care of the football. Barring the three interceptions against Alabama and two against Vanderbilt, Rogers has thrown three interceptions compared to 19 touchdowns in his other seven games.

A lot of that comes from Rogers opting to take what the defense gives him. Most teams drop plenty of defensive backs in zone coverage, leaving the underneath open. But when he does take shots downfield, Rogers has been dangerous — according to Pro Football Focus, Rogers has thrown eight touchdown passes in 33 attempts with a depth of target longer than 20 yards downfield.

2.) Is MSU the team Bama beat by 30 points or the team that beat Texas A&M?

That’s a great question and something we won’t know the answer to until Saturday. But it seems as if this Mississippi State team is closer to its Texas A&M self than its Alabama self. The defense struggled to stop Arkansas’ running game, though, which doesn’t bode well for facing Tank Bigsby.

3.) What is covering Mike Leach like on a day-to-day basis?

You never really know what Mike Leach might say. After last week’s game, he announced an open tryout for kickers. That was the centerpiece of Monday’s press conference, too, which prompted Leach to mention five million Mongol soldiers on horseback.

4.) Did you try out for kicker?

Would that I could, harkening back to my soccer-playing days. Mike Leach said the team has heard from about 40 students and Mississippi State plans for an open tryout next week. We’ll learn more after that tryout if any kickers are particularly impressive enough to hang around on the team.

5.) Name a player on offense other than Rogers that Auburn fans should know and one on defense?

Auburn fans should watch for Jo’quavious Marks. He’s a running back in a pass-heavy offense, but Marks is a dual-threat. He can make defenders miss on carries or catches, and he is second in the SEC behind Mississippi State wide receiver Makai Polk in receptions.

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