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September 23, 2009
Mississippi State Bulldogs blog
By
Mackie Beall
September 23, 2009
LSU @ Mississippi State Preview:
MSU’s running game is the strong suit (4.8 ypc) of the offense. The QB’s (Lee and Relf) have hardly attempted to throw a pass over 25 yds from scrimmage.
Here is a complete look at MSU’s skill position stats:
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I expect the MSU run defense to contain the LSU running game. The biggest concern is that LSU will overcome third down situations by hitting the big pass play on a regular basis.
Prediction: LSU – 34 MSU - 21September 23, 2009
Mississippi State Bulldogs blog
By
Mackie Beall
September 23, 2009
Mississippi St. @ Vandy Game Recap:
MSU dominated the first half in every way except the scoreboard. Leading by only a 6-3 margin, the Bulldogs went to the dressing room having allowed Vandy on one first down and 22 yds of offense on 33 plays.
Vandy finished the game with 124 yds passing and averaging 1.1 ypc. MSU won the time of possession 39-21 minutes.
MSU’s offense showed over 40 different sets during the game. Not bad for a young offense in a new system.
Game MVP’s were:
Offense – RB Anthony Dixon
Defense – OLB K.J. Wright
Special teams were once again, very good. P-Heath Hutchins has been outstanding in his first three games as a Bulldog. Return Specialist/WR Leon Berry returned the opening KO for a TD but had it erased due to a holding penalty. Berry is a legitimate playmaker. FG Kicker Sean Brauchle was a difference maker in this game as he was 3 for 3. My pre-season prediction was that MSU would be the most improved special teams in the country and so-far, I think my prediction is proving accurate.
September 17, 2009
Mississippi State Bulldogs blog
September 17, 2009
Mississippi St. @ Vandy Game Matchup:
Auburn is not usually an easy place to snag a victory and the Bulldogs have a tough road trip behind them. Venturing to Nashville and playing in front of the estimated crowd of 39,000, this road trip will not be near as hostile.
Offensively, MSU is averaging 34.5 ppg. I looked back ten years and did not find an MSU offense to match this production. We only have to look back to 2006 to find an offense that had not scored a point after the first two weeks. So long Sylvester Croom and Woodrow McCorvey - may the likeness of your image never be seen again in Starkville, Mississippi.
The running attack is averaging 4.6 YPC as a unit. As expected, Anthony Dixon ran hard and left a total effort on the field. Dixon has not forgotten how to dance before he hits the hole but he does appear much more deliberate in squaring his shoulders and powering forward.
The OL is improved from last year. RG-Tobias Smith should be available for duty this week. If so, the OL will be at full strength for the first time this year.
WR-Leon Berry has been impressive thus far both as a receiver (15.0 YPC) and a return specialist (28.0 per KO Return). Frosh WR’s Bumphis and Heavens contributed little in game two primarily due to Coach Mullen’s concerns about their play away from the ball.
Defensively, there is great concern about the lack of adjustment made by DC-Carl Torbush in the Auburn game. Torbush relied on a three-man front thru most of the game while Auburn gained large chunks of yardage running outside the tackle position. The three-man DL did not put pressure on the Auburn QB, yet Torbush seldom helped his CB’s by blitzing. Please, somebody mail Torbush “The Idiots Guide to Defensive Coordinating”.
The DL fought and played a solid game but was handcuffed by a lack of coaching. The LB’s were slow (perhaps due to flu bug). The secondary failed in just about every aspect. Nuff said.
This week, Vandy presents a different challenge than Auburn. Vandy is moving the ball effectively on the ground (5.1 YPC). VU relies on the short pass game when moving through the air.
Expect MSU to play more man coverage with the CB’s keeping the Vandy WR’s from getting deep. If so, Vandy may control the ball and clock if the front seven from MSU is not effective in forcing third down and long situations.
If MSU wins this game, expect that special teams will be a contributing factor. Thus far, MSU is one of the most improved special team units in the country. Punting is +7.6 YPP, KO Return average is up from 21.6 per KR to 26.6 per KR. PK-Sean Brauchle is a marked improvement over last years output and appears to have shook-off two missed FG’s in game one from under 40 yds.
Prediction: Mississippi State-21 Vanderbilt-17
Injuries:
A number of bruised egos from the Auburn game.
Notes:
Game time Weather expected to be 74 degrees with 50% chance of thundershowers.
CB-Maurice Langston joined the team this week for the first time due to his legal troubles now being resolved. Expect Langston to be a major addition to the secondary once he gets in playing shape. Langston is likely to contribute on special teams against Vandy.
September 11, 2009
Mississippi State Bulldogs blog
By:
Mackie Beall
September 11, 2009
Mississippi St. @ Auburn Game Matchup:
The first road trip for a team, especially with a rookie head coach, is always a concern. On top of that, venturing into hostile territory like Auburn makes the challenge tougher. There is no direct route to Jordan-Hare Stadium and many opportunities for travel problems to occur in getting a team to game time.
Auburn impressed me in their opening win over Louisiana Tech. I would not have been surprised had Tech won the game. AU’s passing offense worked well with a number of new and inexperienced WR’s. The OL looked very good in opening lanes for the talented Tiger RB’s. LT-Ziemba is a future high NFL draft pick.
Defensively, the Tiger DL was very strong in moving the line of scrimmage backward. WLB-Freeman is expected to miss this week’s game and may well impact the success in dealing with MSU’s new-fangled spread attack.
Auburn’s future looks bright with coaches like Gus Malzahn and Ted Roof as coordinators. Assistants Trooper Taylor (WR’s) and Tracy Rocker (DL) are well respected within the profession.
This week will mark the return of Mississippi State’s star RB Anthony Dixon. It has been confirmed that Dixon is about to explode waiting for his opportunity to tote the ball. I’m not sure how the MSU OL will compete with AU’s defensive wall, but you can be assured that Dixon will be running like a man possessed. I expect RB’s Ducre, Elliott and Stallworth to all contribute in sharing the workload.
TE-Marcus Green will likely be an active target for Bulldog QB’s as Green creates matchup problems with Tiger SLB-Stevens. QB’s Lee and Relf will both take snaps. This week will clarify the depth chart at QB and which QB Mullen will most depend.
Before the season, I believed this was a winnable game for MSU. I still believe it to be winnable but not as strongly as before I watched the two teams play on opening week. This is the must win game for MSU. With a win against AU, the Bulldogs will have a good chance to go bowling.
Prediction: Auburn-20 Mississippi State-10
Injuries:
RG-Tobias Smith will dress for the Auburn game but not expected to play. Smith will be back for the Vandy game.
TE – Brandon Henderson (sprained ankle) is doubtfulNotes:
Game time Weather expected to be 83 degrees with 30% chance of rain.
September 10, 2009
Mississippi State Bulldogs blog
By:
Mackie Beall
September 7, 2009
Jackson St. @ Mississippi St. Game Recap:
Mississippi State 45 Jackson State 7
Offensively, MSU ran plays from five WR’s, four WR’s, three WR’s with a TE and two TE’s. Also, with the QB in shotgun, Mullen used 2 RB’s. This is pretty much standard formations for the spread offense. Since there are numerous variations to the spread offense, we will have to wait another game or two in order to find out which schemes best fit the MSU offense.
Chris Relf got a majority of the snaps at QB due to Tyson Lee sustaining a shoulder bruise. Relf responded with a solid performance. Relf appeared to make his reads correctly in the running game (12-82yds) and was 7-10-75-3-0 thru the air. RB-Robert Elliott averaged 7.3 ypc and gained 80 yds.
Defensively, MSU played vanilla with no blitzes and only two stunts. JSU had 184 yds total offense with 83 yds coming on two pass plays. Also, the second and third teamers played the entire fourth quarter.
The DL constantly moved the Tiger OL backward. DT-Charles Burns stood out on the DL. The LB’s showed good speed and were all over the field. J-State averaged 1.8 ypc.
CB-Damian Anderson gave up 52 and 31 yd pass completions. Otherwise, JSU only gained 49 yds thru the air.
On special teams, PK-Sean Brauchle missed two field goals. New P-Heath Hutchins averaged 49.0 ypp on two punts.
Three concerns:
- Brauchle must correct the easily makeable missed FG’s. I don’t see any problem with this at this time.
- Ducre must hold on to the ball. His two fumbles are uncharacteristic and I don’t see any problem at this time. Please note, MSU has a half dozen capable RB’s, so fumbling will not be tolerated for long
- Anderson getting beat twice is a major concern. I have previously stated that CB my biggest concern for this team. I do not see this weakness be rectified this season.
Injuries: RG-Tobias Smith will be back for the Vandy game, possibly for the Auburn game
TE-Brandon Henderson (ankle sprain) will miss the Auburn gameNotes:
True frosh that made significant contributions were DT-Fletcher Cox (2 TFL’s) and WR-Chad Bumphis
(2-22 yds-2 TD’s). Bumphis also threw a pass from a WR slot on the first play of the game.The crowd was electric by all accounts. Even with the cloud-burst ten minutes before kickoff, the crowd weathered the storm and made a lot of noise.
For a team that has had two winning season since 2000, the MSU fans have supported this team with record breaking season ticket sales and a packed house to start the 2009 season.
September 2, 2009
Mississippi State Bulldogs blog
By:
Mackie Beall
September 2, 2009
Jackson St. @ Mississippi St. Game Matchup:
Jackson St. ventures to the Mississippi State campus for the first time. In fact, it’s the first time Jackson State has ever played an SEC opponent.
The $315,000 payday for the Tigers apparently was not enough for JSU Head Coach Rick Comegy. Coach Comegy called MSU “cheap” when discussing the game earlier this week. Never mind that MSU paid Middle Tennessee State $200,000 and paid Southeastern Louisiana $185,000 most recently to venture to Starkville. JSU returned approximately half of their 5,000 ticket allotment for the Saturday game.
JSU’s offense averaged 298 ypg in 2008. Starting QB Trey Rutland (a MSU transfer) completed 56.9% of his passes in 2008 with a 7-10 ratio. Rutland’s 7.04 ypa was respectable. Rutland lead the Tigers in rushing with 497 yds. JSU returns its top four RB’s and ten of eleven offensive starters. Injuries to the OL was a factor in the offense declining 8.1 ppg and 79 ypg in total offense. This year, JSU returns all five of its starting OL.
Defensively, JSU must replace four starters including SWAC Player-of-the-Year Marcellus Sparks and First Team All-SWAC Marcus Bernard (DT). All three LB’s return to anchor a defense that surrendered 20.7 ppg and only 239 ypg.
It is a new era for Mississippi State as defense has been the trademark for many years. Offensively, MSU should have mixed results against the Tiger defense. Expect MSU to rely on the run as the new spread offense in unveiled. It will be interesting to see how the workload is distributed among the stable of quality RB’s. The OL is uncertain due to injuries to Tobias Smith and J.C. Brignone.
Defensively, MSU should contain the Tiger attack for much of the afternoon given that turnovers and blown coverage are not a factor. MSU’s defensive strength are the LB’s. Look for Coach Torbush to blitz early and often. The DL will shuffle many players into the game with several lining up both inside and outside (not at the same time). All eyes will be on JC transfer Pernell McPhee as he has dominated the line of scrimmage since arriving in the Spring.
Prediction: Mississippi State-23 Jackson State-0
Injuries: RG-Tobias Smith will be back for the Vandy game, possibly for the Auburn game
WR-Chad Bumphis (ankle) will be back for Jackson State gameNotes:
Game time Weather expected to be 84 degrees with 40% chance of thunderstorms.
August 29, 2009
Mississippi State Bulldogs blog
By:
Mackie Beall
August 27, 2009
Depth Chart
Injured player denoted by *
Offense
XWR – McRae (Sr), Berry (JC), C. Smith (Rfr)
ZWR – Wilder (Rfr), Bowser (Sr), Bailey (Rfr)
LT – Sherrod (Jr), Spencer (Sr)
LG – Saulsberry (So), Jenkins (Sr)
C – Brignone (Jr), Looney (So)
RG – T. Smith (Rfr)*, Melichar (So)
RT – A. Lawrence (So), Freeman (Jr)
TE – Green (So), Henderson (Jr), Cook (So), Webb (Jr)
QB – Lee (Sr), Relf (So), Russell (Fr)
RB – Dixon (Sr), Ducre (Sr), Stallworth (Sr), Elliott (So), Perkins (Fr), Conner (Fr)
FB – Hemphill (Rfr), Hanrahan (Jr), Shumpert (Fr)
HWR – Bumphis (Fr), Heavens (Fr)Defense
RE – Bell (Rfr), Ferguson (So), McCardell (Rfr)
DT – McPhee (JC), Love (Sr), L. Williams (Jr)
DT – Burns (Sr), Cox (Fr), Boyd (Fr)
DE – Cooper (Jr), Stigers (Rfr), D. Jones (Rfr)
WLB – C. White (JC), T. Johnson (So), K. Brown (Jr)
MLB – Chaney (Sr), Walters (So)
SLB – Wright (Jr), J. Jones (So), Hunt (Rfr)
CB – Washington (Sr), Broomfield (Rfr), Banks (Fr)
SS – Mitchell (So), C. Lawrence (Fr)
FS – Z. Smith (Jr), Bonner (So)
CB – D. Anderson (So), Watson (Fr)Spec. Teams
PK – Brachle (JC), DePasquale (Jr)
P – Hutchins (JC) Swedenburg (Fr)
PR – Perkins (Fr)
KOR – Heavens (Fr), Berry (JC)
Injuries: RG-Tobias Smith will be back for the Vandy game, possibly for the Auburn game
WR-Chad Bumphis (ankle) will be back for Jackson State gameNotes:
WR Ricco Sanders (PS#44) will likely redshirt due to the NCAA Clearinghouse delay in approval. Also, expect LT – Gabriel Jackson, C- Sam Watts, WR – Chris Smith, RDE – Jonathon McKenize, FS – Nickoe Whitney to redshirt.Expect Mark Melichar or Addison Lawrence to start at RG in place of the injured Tobias Smith.
Positions that are rated as co-starters are RT (A. Lawrence and Freeman), XWR (McRae and Berry), HWR (Bumphis and Heavens), DT (Cox and Boyd).
Notable 2006 Miami (Fl) signee, Daniel Stegall (PS#36) is enrolled and attending classes at MSU. Stegall signed with Miami but opted for a MLB contract out of high school. Stegall’s tuition is being funded the New York Mets.
There is a Miami (Fl) QB transfer looking for a home that visited MSU this past week. Nothing to report at this time but I will let you know if and when a commitment to MSU is made.
August 27, 2009
Mississippi State Bulldogs blog
By:
Mackie Beall
August 27, 2009
The secondary appears to be progressing well as the first camp depth chart has been released. The CB’s are Marcus Washington (Sr) and Damian Anderson (So). The second teamers are Louis Watson (Rfr) and Corey Broomfield (Rfr). True Frosh Jonathon Banks (PS#106) is making a strong push for playing time. Coach Melvin Smith has been complementary of Banks and his skill set.Injuries: RG-Tobias Smith will be back for the Vandy game, possibly for the Auburn game
WR-Chad Bumphis (ankle) will be back for Jackson State gameNotes:
Here is a quote from Coach Mullen:
"I love playing two quarterbacks," Mullen said. "I think that (if you) look back over the last eight or nine years, I've had no problem running them in by play, running them in by series, just playing one, playing two ... none of that bothers me. I've never been caught in the idea that quarterbacks are treated differently than any other position on the field."
Chris Relf has solidified his position as an option at #2 QB. Relf (6-3,235) has size similar to Mullen’s QB at University of Florida (Tim Tebow). Look for Relf to accumulate carries as the season progresses. The key to Relf’s success will be his ability to accurately hit the timing passes.
August 21, 2009
Mississippi State Bulldogs blog
By:
Mackie Beall
August 21, 2009
The DL will be very solid for the Bulldogs. DT’s Kyle Love, Pernell McPhee, Charles Burns and Josh Byrd have solidified the two-deep roster. Love has trimmed down and now may be on the radar for NFL scouts. McPhee is a dominating lineman that will play all positions on the DL, depending on the package and situation. Burns and Byrd have had a good camp and will get significant action.Even though the DE’s don’t have a lot of experience, the position is very deep with two freshmen and four Rfr vying for playing time. Nick Bell appears to be a starter at this time. The other DE is uncertain. Regardless of who starts, we will see as many as six DE’s get playing time.
Injuries: RG-Tobias Smith (ankle-four weeks) should be back for Auburn game
WR-Chad Bumphis (ankle) will be back for Jackson State gameNotes:
The Dawgs practiced in the rain on Thursday.
Due to injuries: Mark Melichar has filled-in for Tobias Smith at RG. Phillip Freeman moved from RT to LT for Derek Sherrod. Addison Lawrence has taken the snaps at RT. Now that Sherrod is back, Freeman will resume his LT starting position. It is still projected that Tobias Smith will be available for the Auburn game.
August 17, 2009
Mississippi State Bulldogs blog
By:
Mackie Beall
August 17, 2009
The first scrimmage saw the defense defeating the offense. Timing, route running and mis-reads hampered the offense. However, WR-Chad Bumphis, RB-Robert Elliott and RB-Anthony Dixon drew praises from Coach Mullen. Practice will resume Tuesday.Injuries: RG-Tobias Smith (ankle-four weeks) should be back for Auburn game
DE-Brandon Cooper (eye-day-to-day)
LT-Derek Sherrod (pinched nerve-knee) will resume practice Tuesday
WR-Chad Bumphis (ankle) will be evaluated todayNotes:
WR-Chad Bumphis (PS#21) injured his ankle Saturday and is wearing a boot. Bumphis will undergo medical exam today. It is speculated that he will be out six weeks.WR-Ricco Sanders (PS#44) has received the go ahead from the NCAA Clearinghouse. With the injury to Bumphis, Sanders will have added pressure to accelerate his grasp of the playbook. Since Sanders was not allowed to practice prior to this past Friday, he will likely struggle with timing and patterns.
August 12, 2009
Mississippi State Bulldogs blog
By:
Mackie Beall
August 12, 2009
After eight days of camp, Coach Dan Mullen appears to be pleased with the progress of his team. Off- season conditioning is paying off as the 100 degree temps haven’t slowed the pace of practices.Injuries: RG-Tobias Smith (ankle-four weeks) should be back for Auburn game
DE-Brandon Cooper (eye-day-to-day)
LT-Derek Sherrod (pinched nerve-knee) will be back by next weekNotes:
DL-Pernell McPhee (PS#6JC) has been a dominating presence since arriving in the Spring. McPhee may be the SEC’s Impact Player in 2009.WR-Ricco Sanders (PS#44) has all the paperwork submitted and is awaiting the Clearinghouse.
RB-Arnil Stallworth (Sr) has limited contact as the ACL is close to be 100%.
RB-Robert Elliott (So) is at full contact but showing he needs more reps since being injured against LSU in 2008.
QB-Chris Relf has shown marked improvement since the end of spring. Relf has improved both his arm strength and accuracy.
CB-Maurice Langston (PS#37JC) is dealing with legal issues and may not play this year.
WR-Arceto Clark (PS#132) is sitting out the 2009 season.
No longer on team: WR-Delmon Robinson (bound for JC), WR-Terrance Davis (UT-Chattanooga)
and RG-Dakota Merritt (giving up football)The biggest frosh impact players are WR-Brandon Heavens (PS#107), DT-Josh Boyd (PS#38), DE-Fletcher Cox (PS#27), WR-Chad Bumphis (PS#21) and Ladarious Perkins (PS#99).
QB-Tyler Russell (PS#7) is currently fighting for the third string position. Russell has all the attributes to be an outstanding QB in the SEC but has yet to show consistency on the practice field. Thursday’s scrimmage may provide the first barometer for the depth chart.
Perkins will likely return punts while Heavens will return kickoffs.