Theo DeRosa, a Mississippi State football beat writer and sports editor of The Dispatch in Starkville, Mississippi, joined ESPN Tucson earlier this week to provide insight on the Bulldogs.
He answered three key questions about Arizona’s Saturday opponent:
Will Rogers threw for 450 yards and five touchdowns against Memphis in the season opener. How would you assess Rogers and the threat he poses to the Wildcats’ defense?
A: “The stats are going to look like that when you’re in a Mike Leach/’Air Raid’ offense and you’re completing all of these short passes, but he had a great week and a great season last year. I don’t know if he’s superhuman, but he’s capable of doing what Mississippi State needs. He was impressive (against Memphis) and started airing it out a little bit more than we’ve seen in past seasons. He’s a junior now, so he’s mastered the ‘Air Raid’ scheme, and that’s bad news for opposing defenses. … It’s a tough task to stop a guy who can sling it all over the field — and sling it accurately. Rogers was the nation’s leader in completion at 73.9% and he threw about 78% in Week 1, so it’s tough to stop him from completing passes. I think your hope is limiting receivers to yards after the catch.”
Who are the best players on offense and defense for the Bulldogs?
A: “I think the best player on offense is probably Will Rogers. I know we just talked about him, but the offensive line lacks a star like it did with Charles Cross, who’s now the (Seattle) Seahawks’ first-round pick at No. 9. On defense, I’d say nose tackle Cameron Young. He’s a big guy up there at 6-6, 315 (pounds) in the middle. They have a lot of skill players on defense, and you can make an argument for linebacker Tyrus Wheat, Jett Johnson, cornerback Emmanuel Forbes — the defense is where they’re really experienced. The defense two-deep on the depth chart has six graduates, three redshirt seniors, six seniors, three redshirt juniors, two juniors and two sophomores, so you see a lot of returning production on defense.”
How do Mississippi State fans feel about this game against Arizona?
A: “I think they’re excited to play a Power Five team on the road, but I think they’re confident after Week 1 — and I think they have reasons to be confident about this team. I know some of them were given pause after Arizona’s big win over San Diego State, but I think a lot of people looked at Arizona when the schedule came, like, ‘Arizona went 1-11 last year; we can handle that.’ Some of them do fear the occasional Mike Leach flub-up, losing to teams they shouldn’t lose to, and I would say if you’re an SEC team, this probably isn’t a game you should lose, against a Pac-12 opponent. Leach has a knack for losing games like that. I think fans are worried about that, but overall, Mississippi State fans — despite being on the road, despite being a late game, despite it being a solid team — believe they’ll get things done.”
