Pass defense pinhole exists against blitzing, bruising Bulldogs

SCOTT CAIN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Trying to throw passes against Mississippi State's defense can be a health hazard.
Quarterbacks start out scanning the field for receivers but often wind up on their backs, crumpling under blitzes in defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn's sadistic schemes.
But there's a new wrinkle this season. Big plays. Offenses have gouged MSU's secondary for more passing yards than any other SEC defense, and that's what Arkansas hopes to do against the 13th-ranked Bulldogs today at Scott Field.
Winning is a must today and next week against LSU if the Razorbacks (4-5, 1-5 SEC) are to qualify for a third consecutive bowl. They have lost five consecutive conference games and nine consecutive SEC road games.
Mississippi State (7-2, 4-2), which has won 16 consecutive home games, can claim the SEC West title if it wins out against Arkansas and Ole Miss.
Both teams will try to attack the Bulldogs' secondary.
Mississippi State ranks 112th nationally in pass defense, allowing an average of 271.9 yards per game.
But it hasn't been a free ride for opponents, who have been intercepted 15 times and sacked 27 times, second most in the SEC. That says nothing of the dozens of other hits that have been delivered as the quarterback throws.
The interceptions and a 49.5 opponent completion percentage explain why the Bulldogs rank 35th in pass efficiency defense, a category that combines several statistics.
So quarterbacks know two things about going against the Bulldogs this season: They're going to get hit. But they might also hit some big plays.
"When they come after us, we've got to make plays," Arkansas sophomore quarterback Robby Hampton said.
Hampton is one of three quarterbacks that Coach Houston Nutt has said he will use today. True freshman Zak Clark and junior walk-on John Rutledge are the others.
Each quarterback has a strength that Nutt hopes can keep the defense off balance. But with Hampton's sprained shoulder still delicate and Rutledge not being a strong passer, Clark likely will see more time.
None of the quarterbacks has appreciable experience -- Hampton has the most with eight starts -- and that's a disadvantage against Dunn's defense.
"It's tough," Mississippi State Coach Jackie Sherrill said of young quarterbacks facing Dunn's schemes. "Tim Couch [now with the Cleveland Browns], when he came in here his sophomore year, had a good game but it's awful tough for any freshman quarterback to have success. What Arkansas will do is give him [the quarterback] help."
Eight-man protection will be used at times, leaving just two receivers. But the Razorbacks also will line up in the I formation and run tailback Fred Talley, who has rushed for 517 yards the last three games, and spread the field to throw, too.
The players who stay in to block have to be aware of who's coming and from which direction.
"You've got to play a numbers game," Nutt said. "You've got to count. You're going to have to do a little bit more [play changing at the line] than you'd like a young quarterback to do, but our guys can handle it."
Even experienced quarterbacks have trouble against the Bulldogs. Alabama's Andrew Zow completed 13 of 31 passes for 281 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions last week.
Four teams have completed less than 50 percent of their passes against MSU.
But to beat Mississippi State, an offense has to throw to open up the run. Dunn's defense ranks third nationally against the run.
"First of all, they tackle very well and play real hard, they play very aggressively, full-speed," Florida Coach Steve Spurrier said. "You don't find anybody loafing around on his defensive teams. I think that's the first thing you see. Then they scheme up some blitzes for your protections. They've usually got one flying in there that you can't block.
"The main thing is they're sound and when they blitz they're usually going to have a guy running free. They don't rush him just to run into a blocker sometimes like a lot of teams do when they blitz."
Two weeks ago, the Bulldogs forced seven turnovers in dismantling Kentucky's high-flying passing attack.
"Joe Lee Dunn is a great defensive coordinator and they have a great defensive unit," Kentucky Coach Hal Mumme said. "We did make some plays against Joe Lee's defense that we couldn't in the past. But he just does a great job of forcing quarterbacks to throw interceptions and make those mistakes."

ARKANSAS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE
WHERE Scott Field (cap. 43,656), Starkville, Miss.
WHEN 1:30 p.m. today
RECORDS Arkansas 4-5, 1-5 SEC; Mississippi State 7-2, 4-2
COACHES Arkansas, Houston Nutt; Mississippi State, Jackie Sherrill
SERIES Mississippi State leads 5-4-1 but Arkansas has won four of the last five meetings. The Hogs are 1-3 in Starkville, their only victory coming in overtime in 1996.
LINE Mississippi State by 17

TV None
RADIO Arkansas Razorback Sports Network on 73 stations, including KARN-AM, 920, and -FM, 101.7, KKRN-FM, 102.5, and KABZ-FM, 103.7, in Little Rock; KXOW-AM, 1420, and KLAZ-FM, 105.9, in Hot Springs; and KEZA-FM, 107.9, and KREB-AM, 1390, -FM, 96.7, and -FM, 99.5, in Fayetteville-Springdale.

This article was published on Saturday, November 18, 2000

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