STARKVILLE — Zach Arnett stepped off the sideline and flexed toward his oncoming defense.
Having stopped Auburn on one of its two fourth-down attempts in Saturday’s 24-10 loss to the Tigers in Starkville midway through the second quarter, Arnett’s energy along the MSU bench in that split second and throughout the contest offered a further glimpse into the Bulldogs’ gruff-talking defensive coordinator whose unit continues to overachieve.
“This is a bold statement, but he’s probably the best defensive coordinator I’ve had,” senior linebacker Erroll Thompson said of Arnett.
On paper, Saturday stood to be a coming out party of sorts for long maligned Auburn quarterback Bo Nix. A five-star recruit and top-35 recruit according to the 247 Sports composite rankings, Nix has been anything but consistent through his first season and change on The Plains. But boasting a talented receiver trio in Anthony Schwartz, Eli Stove and Seth Williams and facing a depleted MSU secondary, Nix, at least on paper, had a chance to make things happen downfield Saturday in Starkville.
Instead, Arnett’s shorthanded bunch gave Nix all sorts of fits. Play after play, the former all-world prospect retreated as far as 25 yards back behind the line of scrimmage as the Bulldog linebacking corps led by senior Erroll Thompson and sophomore Aaron Brule danced all through the Tiger backfield. On the back end, sophomore safeties Shawn Preston and Collin brought earthquaking hits with each ensuing snap, daring receivers to run in their air space so as to afford them a chest full of shoulder pads.
Duncan delivered perhaps the most crushing blow of the night as he flattened an Auburn receiver minutes after Tiger defensive back Ladarius Tennison delivered a seemingly egregious hit on MSU running back Jo’quavious Marks that was initially called targeting but was later reversed.
“If you give me $10,000, I’ll give you the best explanation in your entire life,” MSU head coach Mike Leach quipped postgame.
While the Bulldogs faded down the stretch in Saturday’s contest — a fatigue Leach attributed to being below the “national limit,” likely in reference to his COVID-19 affected scholarship numbers — the Bulldog defense gave MSU chances when it needed it most. It held Auburn to just five of 16 on third down, allowed just 165 yards through the first three quarters and forced Nix to misfire on 11 of his final 14 passes.
“I think he’s done a tremendous job,” Leach said of Arnett. “I think our defense continues to grow, as well.”
Entering Saturday, MSU sat No. 54 nationally in total defense — a nearly 20-spot jump from last season under the direction of Bob Shoop. For Arnett, the marked improvement is sure to bring other suitors.
Speaking with the media during his weekly availability, Arnett, who was nominated as a finalist for the Broyles Award honoring the top assistant coach in college football earlier this week, was asked about his future at MSU and whether he’d given any thought to what his future plans might look like. But like most coaches annually asked the “What’s next?” question, he largely dodged it. Arnett spoke on the Southern hospitality he’s received and how appreciative he was of his neighbors welcoming him to the community.
“I’ve absolutely loved it here,” he said. “First of all I get to work with an absolutely fantastic head coach who’s a future Hall of Famer, obviously. So for a young coach to get to learn from (Leach) and the other guys on the staff who’ve had a lot more years experience and a lot more knowledge — the opportunity to learn from those guys is incredibly invaluable.”
Whether Arnett remains in Starkville beyond this year remains to be seen and given his work this fall, as magnified Saturday night, others will be hot on his trail. But for the time being, he’s giving MSU chances in games when its high-flying air raid offense falls to Earth.
“He comes in; he puts the time in,” Thompson said. “He won’t tell you that, but he really puts in the work and the time in behind the scenes. We’re really just feeding off of him, and we’re kind of like the finished product.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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