Currently in his third season in Starkville, Mullen has accumulated a 20-17 overall record. After finishing 5-7 in 2009 and 9-4 in 2010, this year’s Bulldog squad sits at 6-6 and awaits a likely Music City Bowl invite.
Another year has now passed and Ole Miss heads into this Saturday’s “Battle For The Golden Egg” with a lame duck coach, suspended players, a 13 game losing streak in the SEC and a high probability of ending the season with just 2 wins.
Some various news and notes out of Starkville, as the Bulldogs recover from a 24-7 loss to Alabama and look ahead to this weekend’s matchup with Arkansas.
For MSU to have a chance in this one, the defensive front must slow down Bama’s rushing attack and force first year quarterback A.J. McCarron to throw the ball. That’s much easier said than done, but it will be critical to the Bulldogs’s chances of pulling the upset. In order to accomplish this, powerhouses Fletcher Cox and Josh Boyd must have a big night on the defensive line. Cox and Boyd, both juniors, have combined for 71 tackles and 7.5 sacks so far this season.
Mississippi State headed into Saturday night’s homecoming contest looking for a convincing win and a dose of confidence on offense. The Bulldogs found both, in the form of a 55-17 whipping of Tennessee-Martin.
Look for the quarterback rotation to continue on Saturday, as Mullen has proven he has no problem with using a two man system. If the Bulldogs are able build a sizeable lead, you can also expect to see redshirt freshman Dylan Favre taking snaps. It will be important to keep Russell and Relf as healthy as possible for a looming battle with Alabama on November 12.
Since giving up 41 points to Auburn in week two, the Bulldogs have turned things around on the defensive side of the ball. They are currently allowing an average of 19.3 point per game, which ranks 19th best in the nation. In the five games since the Auburn loss, they’ve only allowed an average of 14 points.
Facing arguably the best running back/wide receiver combination in college football, Mississippi State’s defense turned in an outstanding performance in front of a sellout crowd at Scott Field on Saturday.
Mississippi State returns to their home turf this weekend for a big SEC showdown with the Gamecocks of South Carolina. With the quarterback position being a hot topic for both teams all week, Saturday’s matchup in Starkville could prove to be an interesting one.
After playing one half of football on Saturday, Mississippi State headed into the locker room trailing UAB by a score of 3-0. Head coach Dan Mullen needed to find a way to spark his sluggish offense, so he made the decision to send sophomore quarterback Tyler Russell out to begin the second half, in place of starter Chris Relf.
