Mississippi State Coach Zach Arnett Previews 'Challenging' Matchup with Texas A&M Aggies

Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett took some time during his weekly presser to discuss the Bulldogs' upcoming bout with the Texas A&M Aggies, including his own team's shortcomings and the expected road environment.

The Texas A&M Aggies have three more chances to salvage their season. 

Sitting at 5-4, they have their sights set on a bowl game and — at best, an 8-4 season reminiscent of the years leading up to coach Jimbo Fisher's hire. 

Escaping subpar seasons of that nature was a big to-do when the former Florida State national championship-winning coach came to Aggieland, but in the past two years with the Aggies, Texas A&M has underperformed even those years.

Last year, Fisher and company missed out on a bowl game and didn't earn their fifth win until the very last game of the season. This season, they've got their fifth — and barring another Appalachian State-type loss to Abilene Christian — will get their sixth. 

But doing so against another SEC opponent would only sweeten the pot.

Luckily, the Aggies have their chance to do so against Mississippi State. And as seriously as they'll be treating the home matchup, so too will the Bulldogs.

"We're facing a very good football team," Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett said. "They have really good players and really good schemes to complement it and go with it. It's certainly going to be a challenging game." 

Oct 28, 2023; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Zach Arnett cheers on his players against the Auburn Tigers during the first quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium / © John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

A week ago, the Bulldogs dropped its third home game of the season, and second straight, to the Kentucky Wildcats. Mississippi State's starting quarterback, Will Rodgers, has been unavailable for the last three games after suffering a shoulder injury to Western Michigan over a month ago and is likely to remain out for the Bulldogs' matchup against the Aggies.

But despite Rodgers being missing from the offense, Arnett didn't mention it when discussing the loss during his weekly press conference, instead focusing on what he saw from the players that were out there.

"We needed to make a few more plays," Arnett said. "That's the difference between winning and losing. If we can play with that level of spirit and competitiveness for four quarters ... then we'll give ourselves a better chance to win." 

Sound familiar? Whether it be making "a few more" plays or finding "a couple of inches," both teams know what formula they should be following to earn victories. 

That only makes Saturday's bout even more important. 

The Aggies will be playing for a bowl game, while the Bulldogs will be doing the same — just a game behind. Both teams will enter Kyle Field ready to win, and Kyle Field will be ready to provide the noise, which some of the Bulldogs' current upperclassmen have already experienced before. 

But first time or not, Arnett understands what his team is about to face. It'll just be up to the Aggies to capitalize. 

"They always show up with a heck of a crowd," Arnett said. "It's a great environment. We've got a decent number of guys on the team who were there two years ago. I'll leave it to them to explain what it's like playing in that environment. 

"[Our players] should be excited for that."