Opponent Film Review: Mississippi State's Defense

South Carolina's Football team will face a unique challenge this week in the form of Mississippi State's defense.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are coming into Columbia for a night game against the Gamecocks. The Gamecocks are coming off a gut-wrenching loss against Georgia and are looking to get back into the win column this weekend; Same with the Bulldogs. What exactly will Carolina have to contend with in regard to Mississippi State’s defense?

The Bulldogs will seemingly have a 3-3-5 defensive formation but will sometimes slide a linebacker down, changing to a 4-2-5 defense. Mississippi State’s defensive strategy is peculiar yet effective in some cases, as they are comfortable giving up short yardages while preventing themselves from being hurt by explosive plays. This approach aims to keep the game in check, limiting the opportunities for their opponents to make significant gains or scores on multiple drives. While this may not appear as an aggressive strategy, it is a calculated risk, a gamble that depends significantly on the opposing quarterback’s ability and poise.

However, the Bulldogs’ defense is not wholly passive. They recognize when to shift gears and apply pressure. They typically send pressure out of a ‘Cover 1 Man’ defense, deploying an extra rusher or two to pressure the quarterback while putting their defensive backs and linebackers in man coverage and keeping one safety in zone coverage over the middle-third of the field. This setup, however, could provide Xavier Legette and the Gamecocks’ talented receiving room with opportunities to make big plays.

Adding to their tactical prowess, the Bulldogs often incorporate disguised stunts and blitzes into their strategy. These blitzes are cleverly concealed to confuse the offensive line of their opponents, creating opportunities for Mississippi State to disrupt plays and change the complexion of a drive.

Doing this requires a keen eye from the offensive line to pick up these disguised moves efficiently, forcing them to pick it up and react quickly, and if they can’t, it could cause issues for Spencer Rattler. This was evident in their game against Georgia, where the offense line’s performance in the second half demonstrated the need for improvement in recognizing and countering these disguised stunts and blitzes, especially when they’re on a delay.

Mississippi State’s defensive strategy combines patience and aggression with their willingness to trade short yardages to prevent explosive plays. It’s an approach that may seem counterintuitive to some but proves effective when clicking on all cylinders. The explosives can be made for South Carolina, but they must be patient and find a way to succeed in the run game.

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