Mississippi State Bulldogs
Preview 2009
By
Pete Fiutak
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2009 CFN Mississippi
State Preview |
2009 Mississippi
State Offense
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2009 Mississippi
State Defense |
2009 Mississippi
State Depth Chart
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2008 MSU Preview |
2007 MSU Preview |
2006 MSU Preview
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Head coach: Dan Mullen
1st year
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 22, Def. 18, ST 1
Lettermen Lost: 27 |
Ten
Best Bulldog Players
1. RB Anthony Dixon, Sr.
2. LB K.J.
Wright, Jr.
3. LB Jamar Chaney, Sr.
4. DT Pernell McPhee,
Jr.
5. LB Chris White, Jr.
6. SS Charles Mitchell, Soph.
7. OT Derek Sherrod, Jr.
8. FS Zach Smith, Jr.
9. QB
Tyler Russell, Fr.
10. CB Marcus Washington, Sr. |
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2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
2-10
2009 Record:
0-0
9/5 Jackson
State
9/12 at Auburn
9/19 at Vanderbilt
9/26 LSU
10/3 Georgia Tech
10/10 Houston
10/17 at Middle Tennessee
10/24 Florida
10/31 at Kentucky
11/7 OPEN DATE
11/14 Alabama
11/21 at Arkansas (Little Rock)
11/28 Ole Miss |
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
6-6
2008 Record:
4-8
8/30 at La Tech L
22-14
9/6 SE Louisiana
W 34-10
9/13 Auburn L
3-2
9/20 at Georgia Tech L 38-7
9/27 at LSU L 34-24
10/4 OPEN DATE
10/11 Vanderbilt
W 17-14
10/18 at Tennessee L 34-3
10/25 Middle Tenn
W 31-22
11/1 Kentucky L
14-13
11/8 OPEN DATE
11/15 at Alabama L 32-7
11/22 Arkansas W 31-28
11/28 at Ole Miss L 45-0 |
Why not
Mississippi State?
No, MSU football will never get to a
consistently dominant level like a Florida or an LSU, but that doesn't
mean it can't be a South Carolina and become a regular on the bowl
circuit and a bit of a player in the SEC race if everything breaks the
right way. If Arkansas can catch lightning in a bottle and play for the
SEC title in 2007, and if Ole Miss can go from 3-9 one year to the
Cotton Bowl the next, and a preseason top ten spot to follow, then
certainly Mississippi State can put things together and become more than
just solid.
And it might not take the moving of heaven and earth
for the Bulldogs to come up with a nice record. When everything worked
well, and all the breaks went the right way, MSU was able to go 8-5 in
2007 with nice wins over Auburn and Alabama. Last year, MSU didn't get
the big turnovers and didn't have much in the way of luck and finished
4-8 with the head coach getting canned.
It's not just that MSU
sputtered and struggled last year under Sylvester Croom, it's that MSU
sputtered and struggled and Ole Miss became really good really fast.
When you lose to your rival 45-0, there are usually changes to follow.
Ed Orgeron had stockpiled NFL talent on the lines, and Houston Nutt was
able to come in and reap the benefits. New Bulldog head coach Dan Mullen
won't get the same base of talent to walk into right away, but there's
enough on this year's team to be better.
If the 2008 Bulldogs
could be 4-8 with one of the nation's most inept offenses, no pass rush,
and the worst special teams in the SEC, then with a little improvement
it's not all that far-fetched to think that this year's team could be
three games better. If last year's team had any semblance of an offense,
MSU would've beaten Louisiana Tech, Auburn, and Kentucky to finish 7-5.
Of course, two of the wins came against Vanderbilt and Arkansas by a
total of six points, so the margin could swing the other way as well in
an improved SEC.
Step one will be to improve the talent level,
and Mullen was able to do that almost immediately by getting/keeping the
top recruits Croom had landed going into this season. QB Tyler Russell
has the potential to be the face of a new era of MSU football with a
live arm and next-level upside, but he could need a year or three of
seasoning. Ready to roll right off the lot will be WR Leon Berry, DT
Pernell McPhee, and LB Chris White, three JUCO transfers who could be
the best players at their respective positions at some point this year.
Step two will be to do something, anything to get the offense moving.
The defense will be great. the back seven is loaded, even with
three new starters in the secondary, and the pass rush will come around,
at least compared to last year. The offense, Mullen's specialty, will
revolve around an improved line that gets four players with significant
starting experience back, paving the way for Anthony Dixon and a good
group of backs. The receiving corps needs work, but it won't be worse
than last year, and can't be, while the quarterback play should be
better now that the position coaching has improved and with a player
like Russell ready to push Tyson Lee.
So why not Mississippi
State? there are too many holes to fill and too be a talent deficiency
to come up with a huge year, but there's no reason there can't be giant
steps to made before a strong 2010.
What to watch for on offense: The receivers. The fan base will
want Tyler Russell to be under center last year, but Tyson Lee might not
be that bad an option if he gets a little more time to work and if he
gets better play from the receiving corps. Brandon McRae is trying to
get over a broken leg, but he should be ready by the start of the season
to be a No. 1 to work around. The key to the offense might be the
expected emergence of O'Neal Wilder, Terrance Davis and Leon Berry,
three newcomers to the rotation who should provide an instant upgrade to
the corps. If these three are merely adequate, the offense might finally
start cranking out points and yards on a consistent basis.
What to watch for on defense: Pernell McPhee. The linebacking
corps could be the best in the SEC with the return of Jamar Chaney from
injury and the addition of JUCO transfer Chris White to go along with
veteran K.J. Wright, and the secondary will be solid with Charles
Mitchell and Zach Smith two good young safeties ready to shine and with
Marcus Washington a good veteran corner. Now the line has to come
around, and it could all start on the inside with McPhee, an unstoppable
pass rusher who was dominant in spring ball. If he's the anchor who
makes offenses worry, the rest of the line should come around.
The team will be far better if …
it does all the little
things right. On straight talent, MSU might be the 10th best team in the
SEC, probably 11th, finishing just ahead of Vanderbilt. To win games,
there can't be any issues with the periphery areas like special teams,
after finishing 11th in the SEC in both kick and punt returns, last in
net punting, and ninth in turnover margin. There can't be too many
missed field goals, there need to be more third down stops, and there
can't be any dumb mistakes. Basically, the team has to get tighter
overall.
The Schedule:
Even the games that should
be breaks aren't breaks for an MSU team trying to build back to
respectability. While Jackson State is certainly a layup, the
rest of the non-conference schedule is tougher than it looks
playing Georgia Tech, a loaded Houston offense, and with a trip
to Middle Tennessee, who should be among the best in the Sun
Belt. Getting Vanderbilt and Kentucky from the East should be a
break, but both of those games are on the road. Getting Florida
at home won't matter. There isn't a killer stretch of road games
while the week off comes in November just before facing Alabama.
Best Offensive Player:
Senior RB Anthony Dixon.
He has been the Bulldog offense for the last two years, and now he's
built to do even more. In better shape, arguably in the best condition
of his career, he'll be the workhorse for the attack yet again and will
be used as a receiver and under center at times just to get the ball in
his hands. With more downfield passing and more production from the
line, Dixon should finish his career with a bang.
Best Defensive Player: Junior LB
K.J. Wright. The return of Jamar Chaney from an ankle injury gives the
defense its leader back, and McPhee could be the star of the show from
day one, but Wright is the one the NFL scouts are going to be most
interested in seeing. The 6-4, 245-pounder is good enough to play
anywhere on a pro defense with good pass rushing ability and
sideline-to-sideline range. He won't lead the team in tackles, but he'll
be in the top three.
Key player to a
successful season:
Senior QB Tyson Lee.
Here's the perfect scenario, within reason. Lee turns out to be a gutty,
grindy leader who makes things happen with his legs and his arm with
just enough production to keep Tyler Russell on the bench. Russell is
able to take a redshirt season with the idea that he'll be ready to roar
in 2010, Lee keeps the offense moving and comes up with a few key early
wins, and the offense starts to work with the infusion of ideas from the
new coaching staff. The more likely scenario is that Lee is fine, but
nothing special, and the Russell era begins halfway through the
September 19th game against Vanderbilt.
The season will be a
success if ... MSU gets back to a bowl game. It's not going to
be easy to get to six wins considering Georgia Tech and Houston are in
the non-conference mix. Beating Jackson State and Middle Tennessee are
the obvious must-wins, while getting Kentucky and Vanderbilt from the
East is a nice break. It'll take an upset over someone like Auburn,
Arkansas, or, dream of dreams this year, Ole Miss, to get to a bowl, but
this team might be just good enough to do it.
Key game:
Nov. 28 vs. Ole Miss. The
SEC opener at Auburn would be a huge jump-start of a win if the Bulldogs
could pull it off, and coming up with a road win over Kentucky and/or
Arkansas is a must to get to a bowl, but it's all about Ole Miss and
trying to get the rivalry to swing back their way. No one's expecting
huge things out of the first year in the Dan Mullen era, but if he can
pull off a win in the Egg Bowl, everyone will be jacked up for next
year.
2008 Fun Stats:
- Fourth down
conversions: Opponents 10-of-11 (91%) - Mississippi State (8-of-18 (44%)
- Sacks: Opponents 36 for 261 yards - Mississippi State 19 for 117 yards
- Third quarter scoring: Opponents 78 - Mississippi State 38
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2009 CFN Mississippi
State Preview |
2009 Mississippi
State Offense
-
2009 Mississippi
State Defense |
2009 Mississippi
State Depth Chart
-
2008 MSU Preview |
2007 MSU Preview |
2006 MSU Preview
|