Starkville, Miss. — Here's a look at Saturday's lineups and key matchups — and a prediction from Star reporter Justin Spears.
Arizona (1-0) at Mississippi State (1-0)
When: Saturday
Where: Davis Wade Stadium
Kickoff: 4:30 p.m.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Record: 1-0, 0-0 SEC
WHEN MSU IS ON OFFENSE:
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
WR 3 Justin Robinson 6-4 220 R-Jr.
TE 88 Ryland Goede 6-6 260 R-Sr.
LT 69 Kwatrivous Johnson 6-7 330 Grad.
LG 66 Nick Jones 6-3 300 Sr.
C 57 Cole Smith 6-3 305 Grad.
RG 64 Steven Losoya III 6-4 320 R-Sr.
RT 58 Kameron Jones 6-5 315 Grad.
WR 11 Jaden Walley 6-0 195 Sr.
WR 5 Lideatrick Griffin 5-10 180 Sr.
QB 2 Will Rogers 6-2 215 Sr.
RB 7 Jo'Quavious Marks 5-10 210 Sr.
WHEN MSU IS ON DEFENSE:
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
DE 9 De'Monte Russell 6-4 280 Sr.
NT 22 Nathan Pickering 6-4 305 Sr.
DT 94 Jaden Crumedy 6-5 305 Grad.
SLB 0 De'Shawn Page 6-2 235 Sr.
MLB 14 Nathaniel Watson 6-2 245 Grad.
WLB 44 Jett Johnson 6-2 230 Grad.
CB 3 Decamerion Richardson 6-2 295 Sr.
S 1 Marcus Banks 6-0 190 Sr.
S 7 Shawn Preston Jr. 6-0 205 Grad.
S 21 Hunter Washington 5-11 190 R-So.
CB 2 Esaias Furdge 6-0 185 Grad.
MSU 2023 schedule
September
2|SE LOUSIANA|W, 48-7
9|ARIZONA|4:30 p.m.
16|LSU|9 a.m.
23|at South Carolina|TBD
30|ALABAMA|TBD
October
7|WESTERN MICHIGAN|TBD
21|at Arkansas|TBD
28|at Auburn|TBD
November
4|KENTUCKY|TBD
11|at Texas A&M|TBD
18|SOUTHERN MISS|10 a.m.
23|OLE MISS|5:30 p.m.
Home games BOLD
Mississippi State running back Jo'Quavious Marks, right, had 19 of the Bulldogs' 39 rushing attempts vs. Southeastern Louisiana. MSU ran the ball more than it passed vs. the Lions, something that never happened under the late Mike Leach.
MSU 2023 STATS
Name |Comp-Att-INT|Yards|TDs|Long
Rogers |20-29-0|227|2|33
RUSHING
Name |Games|Carries|Yards|TDs|Yards per carry
Marks |1|19|127|2|6.7
Wright |1|5|95|0|19.0
Whittemore |1|2|57|1|28.5
Pittman |1|3|14|0|4.7
Davis |1|2|6|0|3
RECEIVING
Name |Games|Receptions|Yards|TDs|Yards per catch
Marks |1|4|59|0|14.8
Whittemore |1|4|59|1|14.8
Griffin |1|4|33|0|8.2
Robinson |1|3|26|0|8.7
Walley |1|2|9|1|4.5
DEFENSE
Name |Tackles|Sacks|INTs|FRs
Watson |8.0|1.5|0|1
De'Monte |7|0|0|0
Johnson |6|1|0|0
Richardson |5|0|0|0
Ellington |2|0.5|0|0
Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura (7) scrambles out of the reach of Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson (14) as the pocket collapses around him in the third quarter of their NCAA game at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., Sept. 10, 2022.
Arizona Wildcats
Record: 1-0, 0-0 Pac-12
WHEN ARIZONA IS ON OFFENSE:
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
XWR 4 Tetairoa McMillan 6-5 210 So.
FWR 2 Jacob Cowing 5-11 175 Sr.
LT 77 Jordan Morgan 6-5 325 Sr.
LG 72 Wendell Moe 6-2 340 R-Fr.
C 75 Josh Baker 6-3 305 Jr.
RG 58 Sam Langi 6-5 320 R-Sr.
RT 71 Jonah Savaiinaea 6-5 330 So.
TE 84 Tanner McLachlan 6-5 245 R-Sr.
ZWR 5 Montana Lemonious-Craig 6-2 200 Jr.
QB 7 Jayden de Laura 6-0 205 Jr.
RB 6 Michael Wiley 6-0 215 Sr.
WHEN ARIZONA IS ON DEFENSE:
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
KAT 90 Isaiah Ward 6-5 225 R-Fr.
DT 92 Tyler Manoa 6-5 315 Sr.
NT 45 Bill Norton 6-6 325 Sr.
DE 11 Taylor Upshaw 6-5 270 Grad.
WLB 59 Jacob Manu 5-11 225 So.
MLB 15 Daniel Heimuli 6-0 230 Jr.
STAR 13 Martell Irby 5-9 200 Sr.
CB 7 Ephesians Prysock 6-4 190 So.
CB 3 Dylan Wyatt 6-1 190 R-Sr.
BS 43 Dalton Johnson 5-11 200 R-So.
FS 4 Isaiah Taylor 5-11 200 R-So.
UA 2023 schedule
September
2 | N. ARIZONA | W, 38-3
9 | at Mississippi State | 4:30 p.m.
16 | UTEP | 8 p.m.
23 | at Stanford | TBD
30 | WASHINGTON | TBD
October
7 | at USC | TBD
14 | at Washington State | TBD
28 | OREGON STATE | TBD
November
4 | UCLA | TBD
11 | at Colorado | TBD
18 | UTAH | TBD
25 | at ASU | TBD
Home games BOLD
Arizona’s Taylor Upshaw (11) gets a pat on the head from linebacker Jacob Manu (5) after coming up big against NAU in last year’s season opener.
UA 2023 STATS
PASSING
Name |Comp-Att-INT|Yards|TDs|Long
de Laura |18-24|1|285|3|38
Fifita |2-2-0|7|0|5
RUSHING
Name |Games|Carries|Yards|TDs|Yards per carry
Wiley |1|10|52|0|5.2
de Laura |1|3|47|1|15.7
Williams |1|6|38|0|6.3
Coleman |1|3|29|0|9.7
RECEIVING
Name |Games|Receptions|Yards|TDs|Yards per catch
McMillan |1|3|65|1|31.7
Coleman |1|3|59|1|19.7
Wiley |1|6|57|0|9.5
Lemonious-Craig |1|2|49|0|24.5
Cowing |1|3|38|1|12.7
DEFENSE
Name |Tackles|Sacks|INTs|FRs
Manu |9|0.5|0|0
Irby |7|0|0|0
Johnson |7|0|0|0
Prysock |6|0|0|0
Stukes |5|0|0|0
Head to Head
6 Michael Wiley vs. 0 Nathaniel Watson
Running back Michael Wiley signals fans after scoring during the first quarter of Arizona State at Arizona football at Arizona Stadium on Nov. 25, 2022.
In Arizona's 39-17 loss to the Bulldogs last season, Wiley had a 34-yard touchdown run on the Wildcats' opening drive. That was about the only notable run for a UA team that had a season-low 40 net yards. The versatile Wiley is the second UA running back to have over 100 career receptions, joining Vance Johnson.
Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson (14) during an NCAA football game against Arizona on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Watson ended last season second in the SEC in tackles (113). In last season's contest in Tucson, he had four tackles, one stop for loss and was one of three Bulldogs to intercept de Laura. In MSU's season opener, Watson had a team-high eight tackles, a pass breakup and 1.5 sacks. His performance last week put him at 250 career tackles.
5 Jacob Manu vs. 7 Jo'Quavious Marks
Arizona’s Taylor Upshaw (11) gets a pat on the head from linebacker Jacob Manu (5) after coming up big against NAU in last year’s season opener.
By this time a year ago, Manu was a scout-team superstar against Arizona's starting offense in practice. Against NAU, Manu had the most defensive snaps (53) of any Wildcat. When — or if — the Wildcats roll out their dollar package, a 3-1-7 scheme that was introduced during Pac-12 play in 2022, Manu's production as the lone roaming linebacker, stopping the run close to the line of scrimmage and dropping back in coverage, could be a difference-maker.
Mississippi State running back Jo'Quavious Marks, right, had 19 of the Bulldogs' 39 rushing attempts vs. Southeastern Louisiana. MSU ran the ball more than it passed vs. the Lions, something that never happened under the late Mike Leach.
Marks led Mississippi State in rushing (127) and receiving yards (59) yards to along with two touchdowns in the Bulldogs' win over Southeastern Louisiana last week. Marks had eight carries for 55 yards and a touchdown in the win over the UA last season. In Mississippi State's more balanced attack on offense, "Woody" is a do-everything workhorse under offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay.
The matchup
When Arizona has the ball …
Playing a clean game is crucial for the Cats. That means eliminating procedure and pre-snap penalties, especially in a rowdy stadium with thousands of cowbells rattling. That's in addition to limiting turnovers. The last time de Laura didn't commit a turnover, the Wildcats pulled off a win at No. 12 UCLA for arguably the biggest win of the Fisch era.
When Mississippi State has the ball …
Last season in Tucson, the Bulldogs dominated time of possession (36:57 to 23:03), but did so in the most typical Mike Leach way possible: The Bulldogs threw the ball nearly 50 times. Leach died in December, and the program has been in the hands of former defensive coordinator Zach Arnett since. Arnett's approach: well-rounded and less pass-happy.
Prediction
Arizona 31, Mississippi State 27
Pop quiz! When was the last time Arizona defeated an SEC opponent? That would be 1976, when the Wildcats took down the Auburn Tigers 31-19 in Tucson; Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch was only 4 months old. The Wildcats are 1-6-1 against the SEC, with the last contest being a 45-3 thumping from LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2006. Mississippi State lost seven defensive starters from last season — four in the defensive secondary. Expect a collaborative effort from Arizona's receivers, tight ends and running backs to potentially expose that. To complement the offense, Arizona's improving defense will bend but won't break. First one to 30 wins. Fisch adds another marquee triumph to his resume.
