For the third time in four games, Mississippi State allowed an opponent to mount a comeback late in a game that appeared to be in hand. However, this time the opponent was UMass, perhaps the worst program in all of Division I football over the past 10 years.
That was a week after Mississippi State fell just short of a comeback against LSU, which failed to snap the ball before the clock expired against Auburn, resulting in its second loss of the season, and thus the dismissal of Les Miles. The news broke on Sunday and has since dominated college football conversation.
Miles failed to develop an offensive scheme to match the talent and expectations at LSU and many, including MSU head coach Dan Mullen, questioned the timing of the dismissal.
“I was pretty shocked. I understand the pressure we’re under, every one of us in this league, we’re on the hot seat. I won this week, so I get a breather,” Mullen said during Wednesday’s weekly SEC coaches teleconference. “But the timing of it really surprised me. I don’t think it’s good for the game, and it’s not good for the stability of the program.”
Mullen and the Bulldogs must also deal with midseason changes. MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin accepted the AD position at the University of Florida for more than twice his current salary, according to a report by The Clarion Ledger.
“I’m not shocked that a school like Florida came after Scott hard if you look at wins and attendance here during his tenure,” Mullen said. “I haven’t had a chance to sit down and talk to anyone about the future of the athletic department at this time.”
Although a midseason AD departure presents challenges, the timing could not be better for the Bulldogs, who are in their bye week.
MSU needs to focus on football ahead of what will be the most important stretch of its schedule in the next four weeks if it hopes to qualify for the postseason.
The Minutemen kept pace with the Bulldogs throughout the entire contest before Ashton Shumpert scampered 12 yards for a touchdown with less than three minutes left to give the Bulldogs a 12-point advantage.
ESPN reported that players did not know whether or not to celebrate following the road victory.
“Yeah, we won a game. Enjoy it,” Mullen said, according to ESPN.
Despite the win, MSU failed to put an entire game together for the fourth consecutive week. In three of those games, the Bulldogs allowed an inferior opponent to hang around until the very end.
The next four games are both winnable and losable for MSU: at home against Auburn, on the road at BYU, on the road at Kentucky and at home against Samford.
In two weeks, Auburn will bring its struggling offense to Starkville. In an attempt to improve the situation, coach Gus Malzahn plans to relinquish the play-calling duties in order to focus on other areas, something MSU fans can watch for this weekend when the Tigers face Louisiana-Monroe.
Following Auburn, MSU travels to Provo, Utah for a Friday night bout with a reeling BYU team that usually has one of the biggest and most violent offensive and defensive lines in the country. However, the Cougars are plagued by untimely penalties and don’t appear to be able to string together four quarters either.
Regardless of surrounding distractions throughout the rest of the athletic department, Mullen will need to continue to calm his young team and motivate it.
The Bulldogs haven’t made anything easy on themselves this season, but they have a week to collect themselves and play their best football in an October that will determine whether they make the postseason.
