As quarterbacks go, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen is attempting to have the best of both worlds. At 6’3″ and 235 pounds, sophomore Chris Relf is an athletic specimen who can run the ball as well as many running backs. Senior Tyson Lee is considered one of the smartest players on the team and is an accurate passer who brings leadership and experience to the field. It would be great if Mullen found one quarterback who had it all, but in the meantime he is using both Relf and Lee to achieve his desired ends.
A common plan for developing quarterbacks is to let them stay on the sideline and learn as the backup for a year or two. Then there is the school of thought a quarterback learns by being thrown to the wolves and gaining first-hand experience on the field.
Mullen, who introduced a new system in the offseason, is letting his quarterbacks learn both ways. He said watching from the sidelines is an effective compliment to time in the game.
“I think it has worked pretty good from a learning-curve standpoint,” Mullen said. “Tyson and Chris are picking up things quickly because they get to see what we’re expecting from them from a different angle, rather than always under center.”
The quarterbacks seem to feel the same way. Lee said the different perspective helps him to better understand the game.
“You know being on the sideline you’re able to step back and things don’t move as fast,” he said. “On the field you’ve got a lot of stuff on your mind, trying to make checks, trying to see everything. On the sideline things kind of slow down and you’re able to see it from a different view.”
Critics may say a team needs one quarterback to rally behind, but Mullen said his system does not have a negative impact on the team.
“I don’t think it has any effect on the players, because that’s the way we practice,” Mullen said.
So how well is the two-quarterback system working? Relf said he is satisfied.
“I think it’s been very effective,” he said. “I think the two -quarterback system is working. I think it is a good thing.”
Lee said he thinks the system works well because Mullen can, in essence, go with the hot hand.
“I think sometimes Chris has the momentum and the offense has been moving well with him, and I think sometimes I have it and we’re moving well with me,” he said. “It’s based on games, based on the tempo, based on what we’re doing. I think that kind of dictates how we’re moving the football in the game,” he said.
Lee also said the team has an advantage because opposing defenses have to react to two different quarterbacks.
“I think we’ve kind of mixed it up, kept defenses on their toes so they don’t really know what to expect.”
The quarterbacks certainly have mixed it up, which may be part of Mullen’s plan. Lee is considered the pocket passer, but the only touchdown MSU scored against Vanderbilt was on a 22-yard run by Lee. Relf, who is the team’s second-leading rusher with 178 yards, has passed for three touchdowns while only scoring one on the ground.
As Lee and Relf continue to master the offense, freshman receiver Chad Bumphis said he is happy the team has two able-bodied quarterbacks to lead the charge.
“They’re both pretty good at throwing and running. When they both come in, it’s like we don’t miss anything,” he said. “I think it’s working pretty well.”