Mississippi State recorded one of its most outstanding offensive performances in last weekend’s homecoming win over UT Martin, putting up 570 total yards of offense. While several players had impressive stats Saturday, junior wide receiver Arceto Clark recorded career numbers.
Clark had a career-high 97 receiving yards and two touchdowns on the night. These yards, combined with his previous game totals, give him a team-leading 378 receiving yards on the year with three touchdowns.
When looking at the Bulldogs this season, many eyes have gone to the quarterback controversy, offensive line injuries or close losses, but Clark is quietly having a breakthrough season. Although he is one of four juniors who make up the wide receiving core for State, Clark’s years at MSU have been different from most.
After sitting out the first seven games his true freshman season, his redshirt eligibility was taken away when he played in the final five games of the year. When new head coach Dan Mullen came in 2009, Clark sat out the year as a redshirt. His sophomore season Clark was the second leading receiver on the team, paving the way for his success this year.
Clark said his redshirting process was frustrating, but now he is simply trying to improve every chance he gets.
“It was very frustrating having to sit out, but I always knew when I had my chance to come back on the field, I would give it all I had,” Clark said. “I’ve been working towards this since high school, and I’m just trying to keep getting better everyday.”
Adding to Clark’s unique story is his experience on the defensive side of the ball. Coming out of high school, Clark was ranked the No. 36 cornerback prospect in the country by ESPN.com. He also played wide receiver in high school, and before his freshman year at MSU, he was turned solely into a receiver.
Mullen said Clark has made some big plays and worked hard to be a good receiver, which was needed since he stands at only 5’10.
“We were trying to find a home for him, and he is most natural where he is now,” Mullen said. “He’s not a big guy, but that’s not a qualification for being a good receiver; those are being fundamentally sound, catching a ball and being a good route runner, and he really works hard to do the little things the right way.”
Clark’s unusually small frame for a receiver has not stopped him from making big time plays this season. Clark said his defensive experience has greatly helped him offensively.
“I always knew I was a receiver, and, eventually, I would work my way back to the offensive side of the ball,” Clark said. “I feel more comfortable playing receiver, and I love to make plays; playing on the defensive side brought the more physical side out of me.”
Clark may face the biggest test of his career this weekend when what some consider the nation’s best defense comes to town in the Alabama Crimson Tide. Clark is not worried about who will be defending him, but offensive coordinator Les Koenning said Clark is making plays and must continue to do so Saturday.
“He’s made some really outstanding catches; the guys he’s going to be playing against (this weekend) are really, really good, and we’re going to see if he can make those catches this week,” Koenning said. “He’s making plays, and anytime you can make plays, it’s a benefit for your team. The thing we tell receivers all the time is when you get your opportunity, you have to take advantage of it.”
The rotating-quarterback scheme State is implementing has the potential to mess with the minds of the receivers, but so far Clark has had no problem adjusting. Although both of his touchdown catches last Saturday were from Chris Relf, Clark said he has not noticed a difference in how any of the quarterbacks throw the ball, but when the ball is in the air, he said he tells himself that it is his ball, and he will go up and fight for it any way he can.
“I’ve been trying my best to get open and give the quarterback a good target, and it’s been working out for us,” Clark said. “I’m not trying to be arrogant, but I go out there with the mindset that I can beat anybody. I like to go out and give it my all every game and try to help my team as best I can.”
The difficulties of redshirting his second season, switching from cornerback to wide receiver and only reaching 5’10 have not stood in the way of Arceto Clark. The team’s leading receiver embraces any challenges that come his way, including the No. 3 team in the nation.