Rant Sports 100 in 100 College Football Preview: No. 41 Mississippi State Bulldogs
The calendar is ready to flip to August and while the weather won’t be any less hot or the mosquitoes any less tiresome, it does signal college football’s arrival. Rant Sports continues previewing 100 college football teams in 100 days as the season nears with the Mississippi State Bulldogs of the SEC checking in at the 41st slot.
2011 provided a shoulder shrug of a season for Dan Mullen‘s squad. The Bulldogs won the games they were supposed to, lost to overwhelming favorites and sent another Ole Miss coach packing with an Egg Bowl decimation. While rivalry wins appease the fan base for a few weeks, it’s hard not to call last season a bit of a letdown after posting nine victories in 2010. As a result, Dan Mullen’s career trajectory has slowed slightly. He was mentioned ad nauseum in the rumor mill for recent openings at Florida and Penn State, prior to the latter’s transition into a nuclear test site. Still, the offensive-minded Mullen eschews the idea that his team can’t compete in the vaunted SEC West, instead choosing to embrace the competition with swagger, even if he fails in matching the absurd amount of such intangible qualities in a guy like Les Miles.
So what’s the outlook in Starkville?
Impact Players
Offense
Cliche at worst but a fact in this case, quarterback Tyler Russell carries the pressure of making sure the Bulldogs don’t double-up on marginal seasons. Chris Relf is gone so it’s Russell’s show and his arm immediately becomes more significant with the departure of sterling runner Vick Ballard as well. 1,189 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns aren’t easily replaced so expect Mullen to rely on testing teams through the air rather than wearing them down via a rushing attack — Relf and Ballard — that sounds to me like a delicious venue to enjoy a steak.
Russell did manage to post a 135.1 quarterback rating in 129 attempts but he’ll have to improve a 53% completion percentage and 8 touchdowns against 4 interceptions. This is his team now and as a junior, he possesses an opportunity to regain the form that made him a coveted recruit. Further, Russell may present a case to NFL scouts that the potential of a 6’4, 220 pound quarterback is worth an early April selection in 2013 or 2014.
With Ballard’s exit, LaDarius Perkins and Nick Griffin probably get the first crack at replacing him in the backfield. Perkins notched 4.9 yards per carry while Griffin produced at a clip of 6.8 in more limited time. Josh Robinson and Derrick Milton are options until Mullen finds a candidate capable of assuming Ballard’s workhorse role.
On the offensive line, the Bulldogs are in the market for two new, starting tackles. I know it’s more an Ole Miss thing but perhaps Leigh Anne Tuohy still dabbles in this area.
Defense
When the defensive unit allows 19 and 24 points to Alabama and LSU respectively, it’s reason to admire the coaching staff and players, even in a loss. And the good news for Mississippi State is that seven of those starters return. Fletcher Cox took his deep body of work to the NFL and beside him, Josh Boyd (4.5 sacks and 51 tackles in 2011) hopes to fill the sizable void.
Where the Bulldogs might enter the season underrated is defensive end. Kaleb Eulls has the prep pedigree and first-step off the edge to invoke terror in opposing quarterbacks but even he can’t keep up with JUCO transfer Denico Autry. The 6’5, 255 pound pass rusher was recruited nationally this past winter (especially hard by Alabama and Tennessee) before deciding to stay in state. In a league where immediate pressure on the quarterback is almost a given, Mississippi State found a player in the junior Autry who has the ability to accomplish that goal on every down while constantly reminding me he is not Darnell Autry of Northwestern fame.
Senior corner Johnathan Banks (3 sacks, 71 tackles, 5 interceptions) would have had his name called last April in New York but instead chose a victory lap in Starkville. He’ll hear it called a little earlier than previously projected next year. Banks basically allows the Bulldogs defense to know one side of the field is on lockdown, a luxury on par with Charles Robinson failing to find a flight to the city of your alma mater.
Joining Banks in the secondary are senior Corey Broomfield as well as intriguing safety Dee Arrington. The former begins every passing down with the knowledge that teams will likely pick on him, so yeah, motivation. And Arrington, like Autry, sports a recruiting background that made him a surprise get for Dan Mullen. He received plenty of snaps as a true freshman and if the in-game strategy catches up to the athleticism, the Bulldogs need not worry about pass-heavy teams.
Schedule
September 8th opens conference play and Mississippi State hosts an Auburn squad hoping for the same revitalization that Mullen and his coaching staff seek. Win that matchup, do the same in mid-October against a desperate Tennessee team and the window opens for an undefeated run through late October. The problem, and it figures to remain one, are SEC West opponents.
From October 27th to the end of the regular season, the Bulldogs face Alabama, Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss on successive Saturday’s. The opportunity to best the Aggies and Rebels exists but any other victory is something of a monumental upset, at least in July. Still, nine wins isn’t crazy considering the Charmin softness of the early slate. A bowl appearance is the absolute floor for 2012 though if Dan Mullen wishes to reclaim some of his golden boy status in college football circles, slaying one of the divisional giants isn’t a bad place to start.
