Watson makes his case for SEC Player of the Week
Fans would be forgiven for thinking that nothing good came out of the matchup between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, but one Bulldog did make an impact in a big way.
Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson made his presence felt in Mississippi State’s 7-3 win versus Arkansas, and in a game where there wasn’t much to write home about for MSU, they resorted to form and played their best defense of the season.
Watson was the biggest factor in those efforts, as he totaled 13 tackles, 2 TFL’s and a pair of sacks. MSU held an Arkansas team that put up 21 points on Alabama last week out of the end zone for four quarters, and did a remarkable job in making up for what was a dismal day at the office for the MSU offense. Watson even earned this shoutout from his starting quarterback Will Rogers, who missed the game due to injury.
Watson’s two sacks were a career high, which he’s set for the second time this year after he had 1.5 in week one, 2.0 last week against Western Michigan and now another pair against the Hogs. Watson’s efforts were part of a bit of football history this week as well, especially for MSU.
When Watson was asked about the chip on their shoulder that the defense had to bring in to Fayetteville, it was all positive after the Bulldogs had their way for all four quarters for the first time this year.
“It was a big chip,” said Watson. “My last press conference, I had said that we were going to work on a lot of fundamentals. You know, tackling, punishing the ball carrier and all that, so I really think we came out here and had a decent game against these guys.”
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With Mike Wright getting the keys on offense, Watson felt that it was important to let his quarterback know that the defense had his back. It only takes one look at the final score to recognize that they did just that, too.
“I walked up to (Wright) and I was just like ‘I got you,'” said Watson. “‘We got you.’ (When we made them) settle for three, and then a couple drives later (the offense) scored a touchdown, it just helped us with momentum.”
Watson is putting together the type of season that should have him on the radar of several NFL teams come this spring, but until then, the Bulldog linebacker plans on maintaining his punishing level of play.
Watson will undoubtedly be in the running for SEC player of the week with a stat line like today’s, but only time will tell. It’s not too often a defensive slugfest has a player who gains that honor, and Alabama’s comeback certainly doesn’t help matters.
