Following the 31-3 loss to No. 7 University of Georgia (4-0, 1-0) No. 24 Mississippi State University (3-1, 1-1) aims to rebound in Saturday’s game against No. 13 Auburn (3-1, 1-0).
The decimation of MSU this Saturday gave players, coaches and fans alike a moment of pause, as many fans had high expectations going into the game. However, head coach and longtime quarterback guru Dan Mullen approached the loss in a similar manner to how he advises one of his quarterbacks: he said the team must understand the mistake, see what they did well, learn from it and ultimately move on.
As far as understanding the mistake—or in Saturday’s case, mistakes—Mullen said the loss came down to lack of execution in all three phases of the game. However, he was quick to note these mistakes will be corrected in practice, and he was proud of the effort his players showed throughout the entire game.    
“I thought we played with good energy and effort tonight, we just needed a little more execution.” Mullen said.
To the casual observer, the score resembles a one-sided beat down, but Mullen sees his team as circuit. A perfect team shines bright and performs well; however, if one wire, or, in this case, player isn’t connected, the light might flicker or turn off.
“When we watch the film, we will see nine guys doing the right thing, but see one or two guys make a mistake, and you can’t do that against a team as good as Georgia.” Mullen said.
Mullen was quick to quell any sort of uncertainties about quarterback Nick Fitzgerald’s performance. Mullen said he noticed his quarterback was not consistently making the wrong throws, he was just hurrying through his reads and not allowing the plays to develop.
The junior quarterback from Richmond Hill, Georgia was unremarkable in Saturday’s game, going 14 for 29 totaling 83 yards with two interceptions.
Fitzgerald echoed his coach’s words after the loss and understood there are more games to be played.
“We just have to put this one behind us,” Fitzgerald said. “It is over with and it stinks, but we have to move on, watch film, learn from it and get ready for next week.”
The ability to move on from losses is something most coaches try to instill in a quarterback. It is often referred to as “QB amnesia.”
However, the sting of an embarrassing loss on national television should not be dismissed too quickly. Truly successful teams are able to harness their disappointment and turn it into motivation to win their next games.
Junior defensive lineman, Braxton Hoyett, said he understands losses can plague a locker room if they not addressed properly. Hoyett, while only recently made a starter, is a leader on the defensive side of the ball along with standout teammate, Jeffery Simmons.
“I told Jeffery [Simmons], I feel like we have to have a player meeting just to get everybody on the same page,” Hoyett said. “We need to get everyone back to playing Mississippi State football and don’t feel like we are too good for any of the opponents we face.”
The general sentiment from MSU players and coaches alike was: while UGA has great athletes, MSU gave them the game by failing to execute.
This may have been due to poor practice spilling over into the game, as both Mullen and Fitzgerald said the team struggled to be sharp in practice heading into the game against UGA.
Senior cornerback Tolando Cleveland somberly said it was not necessarily the offensive prowess of UGA that beat the Bulldogs on Saturday, but the lack of execution on the field.
“We just have to have the right guys, in the right place, at the right times,” Cleveland said. “We beat ourselves. They didn’t do anything we weren’t prepared for and it is all practice.”
MSU has a week to sort things out before traveling to Auburn, Alabama, next Saturday. The Auburn Tigers boast another talented and athletic defense similar to that of UGA. In addition, the initially inept Auburn offense has come into its own.
The Tigers put up 51 points on the University of Missouri this past weekend, scoring touchdowns on their first four of five drives.
Their success was impressive given the fact they were without their leading rusher junior Kamryn Pettway and leading tackler senior linebacker Tre’ Williams.
Pettway did dress out for the game, but according to Auburn’s head coach Gus Malzahn, he was not completely healthy. The possibility of Pettway’s return for the game against MSU will be another element Todd Grantham will need to take into account heading into Saturday.
However, Mullen is approaching the next week as an opportunity, rather than a challenge.
“The great thing about the SEC is you usually end up playing a better team the next week,” Mullen said. “It’s not always about the one game. It’s about multiple games, and that’s what I told the guys after the game.”