Coming into his second season with the Bulldogs, wide receiver Tony Burks is finally feeling good, both mentally and physically.
Going into the off-season, Burks, a senior from Gulfport, had one goal in the forefront of his mind: to get in better physical shape. Teaming up with new strength and conditioning coach Ben Pollard, Burks achieved his goal and has a new edge to his game this season.
“Over the summer, we’ve done a lot of work with conditioning,” he said. “I took it to heart to take that extra step and get better from last year.”
Both Burks and MSU head football coach Sylvester Croom are pleased with the results so far.
“I feel a lot better so far this season,” Burks said. “I haven’t been getting as winded as I did at times last year. It’s been hard making the transition but it was worth it, and it’s going well.”
Croom said it is obvious to him that Burks has made vast improvements from last season.
“It’s unbelievable how much better shape he’s in this year,” Croom said. “He’s accepting the challenge now, and I’m proud of him for it.”
Another struggle Burks faced last season was making the transition into the Southeastern Conference. A transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Burks said he was overwhelmed by the speed of the game at first.
“When I was coming into the game last year, everything was moving too fast for me,” Burks said. “It took me a while to get used to that.”
Burks is not the only junior college transfer to have to go through the learning curve upon entering the SEC, Croom said.
“It’s tough for junior college transfers to make that transition into the SEC,” he said. “Everyone we bring in, it takes them at least half a season to fully make the transition.”
Although being heavily recruited, Burks said there was something about MSU that stood out in his mind when it came time to decide where to continue his career.
“When I came up here on my visit, I got to meet all the players, and they really got along well,” Burks said. “The coaches I met seemed like they wanted to be here and that made me feel I would have a good relationship with my coaches and
teammates.”
Closeness of teammates can easily translate into success on the field, Burks said, and has been a factor in the last two Bulldog wins.
“We’ve been playing a lot of team ball and coming out and staying focused,” he said. “After our first loss, we made it a goal to bounce back from it. Now we’re just doing what we’ve been doing all along and playing as a team.”
Being in better shape is not the only priority Burks has on his mind during this season.
“I think I’ve made improvements in my discipline as well,” he said. “This season I’ve got a better discipline in my routes and blocking ability, and I feel like I have an overall better understanding of the game.”
Burks said he credits Croom’s leadership as a large factor in his improvement during the off-season.
“Coach Croom is a very organized man and that’s something I need as a player,” Burks said. “He has clear goals in his mind, and before I came here, I knew I wanted to be a part of that.”
One of the best pieces of advice Croom has given him is to keep his focus, Burks said.
“He always tells me not to let little things distract me, on or off the field,” he said.
Burks said following the Auburn win, the Bulldogs are not changing their game plan for the season.
“Right now we’re just taking it one game at a time,” he said. “We’re looking at Gardner-Webb and taking them to be a formidable opponent. After that we’ll just look at our next opponent, and with the way we’re feeling right now, I just feel like we could win them all.”
In his senior season, Burks said he hopes to be a part of leading the team to a winning season.
“My main goals are to do whatever it takes to help my team get to a bowl game and have a winning season,” he said.
A big win like Auburn gives the team momentum going into the rest of the season, Burks said.
“It gives us a lot of confidence because we know now that we are capable of winning these big games,” Burks said. “I think we really needed that.”
Following two wins on the road, Burks and his teammates are ready to take their winning ways and showcase them in front of the home fans.
“I feel good about Saturday’s game because we’re playing good offense and defense,” Burks said. “It’s a good feeling for us to get back to playing at home because we know what we’re capable of now and have got our goals in mind.