In 2009, the Mississippi State University football program made some big changes, with the introduction of Dan Mullen as the new head coach.
This new era has brought in some major changes in the Dawgs style of play. Bulldog football has historically been a dominant defense paired with a pedestrian offense. Last season, however, the new coaching staff brought out a change in attitude with an offense that put fans in the stands and points on the board.
However, the defense seemed to take a step in the opposite direction, giving up an average of almost 27 points per game. This leads to a number of questions going into the spring. One answer so far has been the hiring of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and co-defensive coordinator Chris Wilson.
The Dawgs hope this change in personnel will have the same positive impact as the Mullen hiring last year.
Adding to the new look of the defense is the loss of the heart of last year’s defense – middle linebacker Jamar Chaney. Replacing Chaney will be a major task for the Dawgs, who are planning to lean heavily on senior linebacker K.J. Wright to fill the void.
Wright said he is confident in his ability to replace Chaney at middle linebacker.
“It’s no pressure,” he said. “I just feel like I’ve got to do what I did in the past, and now I just have got to do a little bit more. I believe there’s no pressure.”
Another player expected to lead this year’s defense is senior defensive end Pernell McPhee. After transferring from Itawamba Community College last season, McPhee quickly became a dominant force on the defensive line. McPhee said he is looking forward to his second season as a big time player for the Bulldogs.
“Last year I was kind of shaken up because it was my first SEC appearance and I didn’t know what to expect,” McPhee said. “But this year, after going through a whole year with the guys, playing with the guys, playing against other guys, I’m more confident. I win more, I feel stronger, I feel faster. So I should have a pretty good season even better than I had last year.”
Joining McPhee on the defensive line will be James Carmon, a transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Carmon was one of the biggest signees of this year’s class not only in talent but in size, too, as he is listed at a massive 6’7″ 345 lbs.
One returning bright spot from last season is the young secondary that found ways to make plays last season. The three main players are junior Charles Mitchell and sophomores Corey Broomfield and Johnthan Banks, who combined last season to bring in 14 interceptions.
The biggest change on the defensive side of the football, however, could be the attitude and aggressiveness with which the Dawgs attack opposing teams.
Diaz, who is also the linebackers coach, said he is very excited about the opportunity for the defense to help the team win games.
“All we want to do as a defense is make sure the other team has one less point than we have at the end of the game,” he said. “We want to be a winning defense no matter what that takes.”
When Diaz was a coordinator at North Carolina State, his unit was the No. 1 defense in the nation in 2004.
However, Diaz said it does not mean a thing if the whole team does not prosper.
“Numbers don’t mean anything if you don’t win games,” he said. “They don’t give out trophies for being the number one defense in the nation. They give out trophies for winning games, and that’s all we care about.”