2012-13 Football Previews – (SEC) – Mississippi St. Bulldogs
MSU head coach Dan Mullen has already been a miracle-worker, without even scraping near a BCS bowl; he has made the Bulldogs relevant in the suffocating SEC West division and has re-energized a fanbase that was sorely in need of it.
2012-13 Football Previews – Southeastern Conference (SEC) – Mississippi State Bulldogs
SEC 2012-13 Football Previews: Mississippi State Bulldogs
Coach: Dan Mullen
2011 Record: 7-6
Miss. St. Gambling Odds from Bovada.lv to win BCS: 100-1
Mississippi St. Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2012 Schedule –>
With that said, there will be a legitimate challenge to improve in the West in 2012, as Mullen must replace his star starting QB and RB.
The schedule-makers have been pretty kind, but the Bulldogs still must get by being a stingy, crafty competitor. The team does not have the horses to keep up with Alabama, LSU or Arkansas. That doesn’t mean, however, that Mississippi State can’t be a pesky opponent and play the role of spoiler. Who knows? Maybe the Bulldogs can do something more than that – Mullen is holding the clipboard, after all.
Mississippi State has enviable talent at many of the unheralded positions on the football field. State has an excellent linebacker corps, led by OLBs Cameron Lawrence and junior Deontae Skinner. Lawrence, in particular, will quarterback the defense, as he’s coming off 123 tackles a year ago. In the secondary, CBs Corey Broomfield and Johnthan Banks form a skilled duo. Banks is coming off a season where second-team All-SEC honors were bestowed. The defensive line will be led by senior Josh Boyd, who is one of the best interior lineman in the conference.
The D-line will also be buoyed by the addition of freshman Quay Evans (who was in for spring practice) and junior Denico Autry, who was the number-one JUCO prize in the nation. Autry and Evans should start alongside Boyd and sophomore Kaleb Eulls. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
On the other side of the ball, junior guard Gabe Jackson must anchor a line that must replace three starters from ’11. MSU has its top four leading receivers returning, which should go far to help new starting pivot Tyler Russell. The junior replaces Chris Relf; to be fair Russell did start four games last year while Relf battled injuries.
Also, the highly-touted junior was battling Relf for the starting job since he was a redshirt frosh, two seasons ago. Russell should be just fine under center, and though Relf leaves big shoes to fill in terms of moxie and resourcefulness, the passing numbers might improve. Losing last year’s starting RB Vick Ballard, though – a player who gained nearly 1,200 yards and scored 10 TDs – will be a notable chasm.
2012-13 Mississippi State Football Prediction: 8-5
Despite the loss of Relf and Ballard, the Bulldogs’ record will probably improve thanks to the (relatively) lenient scheduling in 2012.
State must travel to Alabama and LSU, but other than that the slate is quite manageable for Mullen’s troops. MSU draws Tennessee and Kentucky out of the East division; not lay-ups, by any means, but both are teams that the Bulldogs could handle.
Arkansas comes to Starkville, MS on Nov. 17, which will surely be a tough test, but the non-conference opponents are pushovers (Jackson St., Middle Tennessee, South Alabama, etc.) and MSU’s defense should shine in a majority of the games.
Even with a stable of experienced pass-catchers, I predict the offense will be down a notch this season.
However, strong defense, strong special teams (Mullen places emphasis on this unit) and good coaching should lead the ’Dogs to a respectable season – though the Starkville faithful might still be left wondering when it will be that their underdogs from an underdog region (long the second to the party even within their own state, thanks to Ole Miss) punch through for a profound step forward.
2012 Schedule
9/1/12 TBD JACST
9/8/12 TBD AUB
9/15/12 7:00 PM ET @TROY
9/22/12 TBD SALB
10/6/12 TBD @KENTY
10/13/12 TBD TENN
10/20/12 TBD MTENN
10/27/12 TBD @ALAB
11/3/12 TBD TXAM
11/10/12 TBD @LSU
11/17/12 TBD ARK
11/24/12 TBD @MISS
