It’s been a while since Dan Mullen met with the media following a loss, but that’s exactly what he had to do on Monday following Mississippi State’s defeat at Alabama. The coach shared his thoughts after his now-No. 4 Bulldogs fell to the Crimson Tide, who rose to No. 2 in both polls after the game. Here are some dispatches from Mullen’s Monday press conference.

  • Mullen said the team practiced hard on Sunday, and he looks forward to seeing how the team responds to a loss after they had handled winning very well all season.
  • The coach was unconcerned about the ramifications of the loss in terms of the College Football Playoff rankings, saying that there is “so much football still to be played this year.”
  • Dak Prescott’s interceptions are still not a concern. Mullen, as he’s maintained all year, said that all of Prescott’s picks have been different, with “a lot of different things going on. It’s hard to group them together.” Prescott threw 3 interceptions against Alabama, and has 8 interceptions over Mississippi State’s last four SEC games.
  • Mullen once again dismissed any talk of his name coming up in coaching carousel discussions. “I live in reality,” Mullen said. “My reality is to win football games at Mississippi State and building this program to be the best program that I can be in. I don’t live in the chat-line, blog-line and call-in radio world.”
  • De’Runnya Wilson earned praise for his play on Saturday, when he set a career high with 8 catches and tied his career best with 91 receiving yards. Wilson, who was primarily a basketball player in high school, is still learning the details of the game, according to Mullen. Mullen said that even though Wilson’s production has been inconsistent, the staff hasn’t seen him get frustrated over the course of the season. “He understands about being a great teammate because if they’re going to double him somebody else is going to be open. He’s handled all of that stuff, the part of being a football player aspect and not just a great talent.”