Mississippi State University Bulldogs
The uncertainty level is at an all-time high for me with
Mississippi State heading into 2013.
Most years I know MSU is either going to suck, or they are going to be
pretty good. The Bulldogs second half
against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, and their performance against Northwestern in
the Gator Bowl made me sick. Those six
quarters of football were as bad as any six quarters under Dan Mullen, especially
the effort Tyler Russell gave. Honestly,
the entire second half of the season was pretty bad. The record backs that statement up.
The Bulldogs did lose some key players, but they lost key
players at skilled positions. I have
always felt that you can fill skill position roles much easier than you can the
guys up front. I think Chad Bumphis was
probably as big of a loss as any one single player. In his 4 years at MSU he was a solid football
player for Dan Mullen.
OFFENSE
Almost every media outlet lists Tyler Russell as a key
returning player. The only thing he was
key to at the end of the year was the key to losing games. At times on the sideline he looked like he
had no idea where he was at. In the
Gator Bowl he looked like he walked from the bar to the locker room for the
game. The effort the Bulldogs displayed
in that game was bad. Russell’s effort
stood out above all others as the worst. Watching him in that game gave me flashbacks
of Mike Henig against LSU. Henig made
Craig Steltz look like a hall of famer, much like Russell made the Northwestern
defense look like Alabama.
At times the guy has flashes of absolute brilliance moving
the team up and down the field with pin point execution. Tyler Russell has many positive
attributes. The first is his experience
in the line of fire. He has played a ton
of SEC football. He basically is a second
coach on the field at this point. He has
the arm strength to make any throw.
Russell is not a running quarterback, but he is pretty agile at times. With all that being said he has never once
shown me that he has the “IT” factor.
The “IT’ factor means everything for a quarterback and until he shows me
he has it he will be the Achilles heel to the offense.
Skill position is something I really don’t worry about
much. The Bulldogs have a stable of
running backs, and they have guys that can catch the ball. There were some key losses at receiver but as
I said earlier I think the skill position guys are the easiest to replace. I
think Malcolm Johnson is the key guy in the category of offensive skill
players. He is a matchup nightmare. If he stays healthy he is a guy Russell will
look for often.
The offensive line returning could be the best offensive
line under Mullen. This group has depth
and experience. A couple of injuries
early would deplete the depth fast, but if this unit stays healthy it will be a
strong point for this team. The line is
obviously anchored by pre-season all SEC/American selection Gabe Jackson. He is one of the best offensive linemen in
the country. The guys around him all
have experience and talent. If the line was not so strong I would go ahead and throw MSU to the wolves, but I think
this group has the ability to really carry this team in 2013.
At this point I see no reason why the offense won’t be
successful simply because they should have the ability to run the ball against
every team they play. Returning
experience up front is critical for the success of an offense and this team has
that. Tyler Russell needs to start off against
Oklahoma State good and gain back some confidence. If Russell gains confidence the Bulldogs will
have the opportunity to be a special unit on offense. This group will be productive against inferior opponents, but I really can’t make a prediction for the offense against good teams because Tyler Russell is harder to figure out than a game of Pai Gow Poker at
the casino.
DEFENSE
This may sound crazy to some with the loss of Banks and
Slay, but this side of the ball really excites me. A
good defensive front will make any group of defensive backs look good. An example I always go back to is the NY
Giants. Their defensive front dominated
in their two Super Bowl wins making their linebackers and defensive backs look
like All-Pro type guys. There is
experience, depth, talent, youth, etc. returning up front. Mark it down.. there’s several guys on the
Bulldogs front that will play on Sundays.
If the defensive front gets the production it should out of some young
guys this unit could be a top 3 defensive line in the SEC.
The linebacker group returns depth. It has playmakers across the board at
linebacker, especially Bernardrick McKinney.
McKinney will become a household
name in the SEC over the next 2 years. This
unit does lose leading tackler from last 2 years in Cam Lawrence. Cam Lawrence was a really good football
player, but the guys sitting there waiting to replace him have more upside. The biggest loss with Cam Lawrence will be in
the communication category. He was the
quarterback of the defensive unit the last 2 years. I look to McKinney to take over this role.
The back group is obviously a question mark. Losing 2 guys that will start in the NFL is
never a positive. You don’t just replace
guys like Banks and Slay with one guy.
You replace them with a core that becomes stronger. MSU must get more pressure out of the front
four. Pressure out of the front four
will put the secondary in positive situations.
If I was asked what are the 3 biggest keys for the defensive
unit in 2013. I would say pressure,
pressure, pressure. Geoff Collins is now
solely in charge of the defensive unit. At times it looked to me like Chris Wilson was
in over his head as defensive coordinator.
Geoff Collins preaches playmaking and being aggressive. Everywhere Geoff Collins has been the
coordinator the defenses have been really good. The defenses he lead at both Western Carolina and FIU significantly improved in every category under him.
The bulldogs have experience and depth on the defensive line. As I said earlier this group could be a top 3
defensive line. This group needs to
dominate. Their dominating play could lead the defense to a top 20 rating in every major statistical category.
SEASON PREDICTION
The Bulldogs have been to 3 straight bowl games. Expectations have been raised for this
team. At this point I can realistically say most fans would not be happy with a losing record. A season that ends without post
season play is in one word BAD. The
schedule for MSU is not easy, but is there any team in the SEC with an easy
schedule? The answer to that question is
no. Every team will play at least 3 or 4
top 10 teams during the season. Crying
about a tough schedule in the SEC is like crying about the heat in Mississippi during the
summer.
Money talks, so the Bulldogs are going to Houston to open
the season against Oklahoma State. There
is no way that MSU or Dan Mullen would agree to this game if major money was
not involved. The matchup against Oklahoma
State is a tough one. Some media outlets
have predicted OSU to win the Big 12 this year.
The fast paced offense OSU operates is similar to the offenses MSU really
struggled against last year. If MSU is
not ready to play against the fast pace of OSU then I will have to blame the
coaching staff. This was obviously a
weakness for the team last year. Every
practice should be used to practice against the up tempo because most of the
teams MSU plays this year will be moving quickly.
You hear me relate back to Vegas a lot because they are
experts at creating lines. The line on
this game opened at -13, but currently sits at -12 ½. I would never realistically predict a 10+
point dog to win a game. They play the
game for a reason because upsets happen.
MSU has the players to beat OSU, but I don’t see it happening. Losing the opener would not be devastating,
but winning it would change the entire outlook going forward. The Bulldogs better get wins early because
the back end of the schedule is tough.
MSU has too much talent on their football team at critical
positions to implode this year. This is
a really good football team. The problem
is that they are in a conference with great teams. I said this earlier, but I want to reiterate it.. the Bulldogs better get wins early because the back end of the schedule is tough. Right off the top I can check 4 losses off
(LSU, USC, A&M, Bama). Ceiling for
the Bulldogs is really 8 wins, but a dream season would have them with an upset.
Best Case Scenario 9-4 (Not realistic)
Worst Case Scenario 4-8 (This would be a momentum killer for
the program)
My Prediction 6-6 (Bulldogs will have equal or superior talent
to at least 7 teams on their schedule)
INTERESTING FACTS
Even though MSU was, so close in baseball this year the University has never won a national championship in any sport, EVER.
First year of football was in 1885. All-time MSU has a losing record
(515-549-39)
Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field is the 2nd
oldest on campus stadium behind Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium. The stadium currently holds 55,082. Record attendance was set on 11/14/2009 with
a crowd of 58,103 against Alabama.
Stadium is currently undergoing a 75 million dollar expansion. The stadium will look awesome after the expansion/renovation.
MS State has had 3 consensus All-Americans (38 named
All-American by various media outlets)
MS State has won just 1 conference title. It was in 1941
I didn't mention this in the above blog because I am still holding out faith that Tyler Russell will actually come to play this year. If you thought about everything I said with Russell you know there is obvious doubt in my mind about him. I have heard from countless people that Dak Prescott is one of the most respected players on the roster. He is chomping at the bits to get an opportunity. If Russell does not perform I feel like Dan Mullen may have to pull a page out of the Old Ball Coach's playbook and yank him. Steve Spurrier has tried to pull quarterbacks mid play before. If Russell plays bad on a drive or in a quarter I think Mullen has to pull him. Maybe not for the season, but at least long enough to wake him up. I think MSU would have won the Gator Bowl if Prescott had been put in, but they would have lost Russell's confidence forever.
Thank you to all for reading. Ole Miss will be next, and the number of readers on the Ole Miss blog almost doubles MSU and USM together. I hope to make it my best one yet!
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