Know Thy Enemy: Sam Sklar of the Clarion Ledger previews Mizzou's SEC opener at Mississippi State

To get a better look at the Bulldogs, the Columbia Missourian spoke to Sam Sklar, who covers the team as a beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Here's what he had to say about the threats Taylor and the Bulldogs will present to the Tigers:

This interview has been modified for brevity and clarity.

Q: What have been Kamario Taylor's strengths so far this season?

A: So, coming into the season, I think everyone knew that he was a pretty dynamic playmaker. But one of the questions was, 'Can he just make some of the routine throws consistently? On a third-and-5, can he throw a 6-yard pass and just get a first down?' And that's, I think, one of the big things that's been an improvement from him from last season going into this year. Just his ability to throw the ball accurately and at a consistent level.

Honestly, I think that he threw the ball a little bit better against Minnesota in Week 2 than he did in the first game against (Louisiana Monroe). He had a couple passes in the season opener that were off target and some, honestly, that could have been intercepted or should have been intercepted but weren't. 

So I think that's been the biggest thing, just making some of the routine plays.

Q: What has new defensive coordinator Zach Arnett brought to the unit?

A: He's really kind of simplified things. It used to be kind of this read-and-react type defense under Coleman Hutzler, the previous defensive coordinator, and it didn't work well at all. And Mississippi State had one of the worst defenses in the entire country the last two seasons.

But so far, the results have been really good with Zach Arnett back as the defensive coordinator. It's a lot more of an aggressive scheme, where it's just kind of, 'Go get the ball!' They're going to bring a lot of blitzes in throughout the game.

Q: What would you say is the biggest strength for this Mississippi State team?

A: Well, the strength is Kamario Taylor because we really don't know what his ceiling is right now. He's been a real difference-maker for Mississippi State.

I mean, he seems like someone that can be the difference maker when it comes to winning some of these SEC games. Especially with his ability to make plays in broken scenarios where maybe the pocket collapses, there's nobody open, but he's able to scramble for 7 yards and get a first down. That's something that Mississippi State didn't really have the last two years with Jeff Lebby, so I would say he's definitely been the strength.

And some people are even saying he's a Heisman Trophy contender, which is pretty wild to think about with just the way that Mississippi State has been. I mean, really, since 2014 when Dak Prescott was on the team. But some people really believe that he could be the next version of Dak Prescott at Mississippi State.

Q: And weakness?

A: I would say the biggest question I still have about this team is the pass rush. The defensive line was a major weakness for Mississippi State the last two seasons, and it seems like they've improved in that area. But still not enough data points to say conclusively that it's happened.

They held Minnesota to 13 rushing yards in Week 2, which was pretty remarkable, because Minnesota's historically been a really good team running the ball, but the run defense did really, really well against Minnesota. So that's kind of something I'll be monitoring. First, is the run defense actually a really, really good unit? And second, can they get a little bit more out of the pass rush because there haven't been a ton of sacks and pressures. And maybe that's just because they haven't been blitzing a ton.

Q: What role has former Mizzou wide receiver Marquis Johnson played for the Bulldogs?

A: I would say he's like their wide receiver No. 4; (that) would be kind of where I'd put him on the depth chart. 

I mean, he's definitely in the rotation and sees the field and will play against Missouri, but he hasn't been a top wide receiver. Maybe that's kind of a similar role to what he was playing at Missouri, where he is in the rotation but not in a huge way.

Q: Entering Year 3 under head coach Jeff Lebby, is there optimism that he's taking the program in the right direction?

A: I think if you would have asked the question before the season, (the answer) would have been not very confident about that. But through the first few games, I think opinions have changed a lot from the fanbase, especially just seeing Kamario Taylor and what he's been able to do so far.

I mean, the Minnesota win was arguably the best under Jeff Lebby. They had their big win last season against Arizona State, and it was an upset and they stormed the field, and that was a super memorable moment. But I mean, they won on this last-second play, (and) it was a close game.

But this win against Minnesota when they won 38-13; That was the first time we've really seen them dominate a team from a power conference. I mean, obviously they've done pretty well against some of the FCS teams they've played, but this was really the first time that we've seen Mississippi State handle a respectable team in a way like that. And so I think that was really encouraging for Mississippi State fans to see.

People are starting to turn that maybe this could be a program heading in the right direction. Now, they have to do better in the SEC because (in his first two seasons) Jeff Lebby only won one SEC game as the Mississippi State coach, and that was against Arkansas last season. And so they won five games last year, and they got to win more than that this year. It seems like they're on track to do that, but it's going to have to come from winning more SEC games.

Prediction?

Mississippi State 33, Missouri 27.