When Auburn’s War Eagle dive-bombed over the Plains during the waning pregame minutes, swooping toward the 50-yard line at Jordan-Hare to a roaring sea of orange, I thought, “This is going to be exciting.” Finally, the time had come to witness a new brand of Bulldog football, featuring a risk-taking, attack-first offense and a confusing, stingy defense. If State loses a slew of games this season, they will do it in style.
No more stubborn game plans, resulting in the haunting, familiar phrase tipsy students echoed throughout the Junction every postgame for the past three seasons, “Dixon up the middle.” No more grinding battles with all hope placed solely on the back of the defense. No more offenses ranked No. 113 (2008). No more 3-2 losses.
A man who has done nothing but win his whole life has come to town, fresh off a national title. Still high off 45 points scored on a SWAC team whose band wins every game, I was ready for the Dan Mullen era, ready to spread the fun.
589 yards and 49 points later, I thought, “Dan needs a Mullen-gan.”
The Bulldogs’ SEC opener against an Auburn team picked to finish No. 5 in the West – a game many felt represented a scarce opportunity for State to grab a SEC win amidst a brutal schedule – left a queasy feeling of exposure for MSU fans.
I could not cast away the terrible thoughts creeping into my mind:
“Can the Dogs ever bring in the talent to run a legitimate spread? We might score a TD or two, so are we just going to lose differently from here on out? Georgia Tech is going to run for 700 yards against us. Ya know what, forget it, put Tyler Russell on field.”
But then I realized just as this 2009 squad could not be accurately judged after throttling Jackson State, it cannot be accurately judged after getting throttled by Auburn. Immediate observations are the best option. We have room for three. So, from the Plains…
Dixon:
Anthony Dixon looked lean – he has lost 20 pounds weighing in at 235 — eager and more decisive than in years past. After serving a one-game suspension for a DUI, he racked up 92 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, while facing a dominant Auburn front seven. Great news. But in two games, MSU has rushed 83 times and thrown 46, a strange ratio for a supposedly creative, spread-style offensive.
Special teams:
State special teams are swarming and disciplined (Ignore the fake punt, it happens.) The telling stat, Auburn returned 3 of 6 punts for only 7 yards. Also, for a fan base accustomed to Bulldog special teams being a major liability, Heath Hutchins, who averaged 45.2 yards a punt and kept the game from getting even more out of hand, is a major relief.
Mullen has exerted a great deal of time and effort coaching this unit. Consider this: a handful of highly talented college teams manage to produce mediocre special teams year in
and year out – USC, who beat
Penn State in the Rose Bowl last
year, ranked No. 96 overall in
special teams in 2008 – suggesting
talent alone cannot mold
great special team units.
Since Mullen seems to have
slapped together strong special
teams with a perceived lack of
talent, perhaps coaching will
not be to blame if we tank this
season.
Defense:
A common theme emerging
from spring and fall practice was
the marked progress of MSU’s
defense in contrast with its offensive
counterpart still searching
for an identity. Mullen suggested
prior to the season opener
the defense would have to carry
the load. Well, the Bulldogs surrendered
six scoring drives Saturday,
all for over 70 yards. Are
the front seven really improved
with the arrival of JUCO-transfer
stud Pernel McPhee and
the return of former secondteam
All-SEC linebacker Jamar
Chaney? Can Charles Mitchell
and Zach Smith really plug holes
in a secondary that lost Derek
Pegues and Keith Fitzhugh? Stay
tuned to find out as MSU currently
has six ranked teams left
on the schedule, including No.
21 Houston.
To end on a bright note, the
24 Bulldog points were the most
scored against Auburn in any
venue since 1998. Also, State
has not topped 20 points at
Jordan-Hare since 1975, a game
ending in a 21-21 tie. Now that
is exciting.