Mississippi State interim Greg Knox mum on status of Will Rogers, Woody Marks vs. Southern Miss

Ahead of the penultimate game of the season — at home versus Southern Miss — Mississippi State interim head coach Greg Knox will potentially be coaching without a full deck. Speaking on the SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday, he offered an update on a pair of key injured offensive starters.

Both quarterback Will Rogers and running back Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks have missed extended time in recent weeks. And a return this Saturday seems possible, but yet to be decided at this point.

“Well we’re still waiting on our training staff. They’re still dealing with that. We’re still doing the details on them as far as the evaluation goes. So we won’t know anything for a couple more days I think on those guys,” Knox said.

Rogers has not played since injuring his non-throwing shoulder against Western Michigan on Oct. 7. Marks has not played since an Oct. 21 win against Arkansas.

In Rogers’ absence, Mississippi State has turned to Vanderbilt transfer Mike Wright under center, along with freshman Chris Parson.

And despite his absence, Marks still leads the Bulldogs in carries, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

Knox had a message to recruits after taking over earlier this week

With a crack in its foundation, Mississippi State is trying to hold itself together. On Monday, Knox revealed his message to recruits amid the tumultuous times in Starkville.

“Well, we’re going to be calling every recruit that’s on our board that’s committed to us,” Knox said. “Just reaffirming their commitment to just hold tight, and let the process play out.”

The process will be substantial. On Monday, the program fired first-year head coach Zach Arnett. While Mississippi State started their season 2-0, with a victory over the Arizona Wildcats, SEC play hasn’t been kind to Arnett’s team.

Their lone conference win came in a 7-3 slugfest against the underwhelming Razorbacks, and Mississippi State hasn’t been competitive in other games. Over the last two weeks, Mississippi State has been outscored 75-13, most recently suffering a 51-10 beatdown at the hands of Texas A&M.

Knox, who was previously an interim coach at both Mississippi State and Florida, will be the interim head coach for the rest of the season. Already stuck in a downward spiral this season, Knox and Co. can’t afford for their future to follow suit.

Mississippi State currently boasts the No. 29 recruiting class in the 2024 cycle, according to On3 Industry Rankings. The group consists of two four-star prospects and 14 three-star recruits. The players have an average NIL rating of $26,000.