As an avid college football fan, I often find myself questioning certain aspects of the game that are always just assumed as true. Any coach will tell you that if the players truly believe they can win and are confident, they have a better-than-average chance of doing so. Could that actually be true though?
As a lifetime fan, I have always found this theory to be a bit elementary and just used as a motivational tool that truly has no substance. However, this theory has taken a bit of a turn for me in my experience covering Mississippi State football this season.
In recent history, the Dawgs have been a team that struggled to find an identity of its own. After a 4-8 season and the resignation of Sylvester Croom, the Bulldogs were back to the drawing board and looking for a new leader.
Many candidates’ names were thrown around, but in December of 2008, the Bulldogs brought in Dan Mullen, and things began to change. Bulldog nation needed a proven winner and someone to believe in. With Mullen came a new system and a new attitude.
After facing the No. 1 strength of schedule in the nation in his first season, Mullen led the Dawgs to a 5-7 record and a dominant victory over the in-state rival.
However, last season was more important than the wins and losses may seem to indicate. The Dawgs gained a new attitude and a new identity. The Bulldogs led the nation in increased attendance and set new attendance records twice during the seven games played at Davis Wade Stadium. The Dawgs have seen an incredible shift in the excitement around the football program since the hiring of Mullen.
The ability of Mullen to excite a fan base was not lost on his players. They now believe that they belong with the best and are beginning to prove it with their on-the-field performance. Mullen believes that the key to success is very simple; it is all about preparation.
“Our coaching staff does a great job of preparing them, showing them how prepared they are for the game,” Mullen said. “The guys look, and they turn on the film, and they watch another team and say, you know what, I think I’ve out-prepared that person. So I feel pretty confident I can get my job done. I watched the guy next to me, I watched him train in the offseason, and I know he’s going to get his job done.”
Mullen said players having confidence in each other is of the utmost importance.
“When you have that attitude and you have that belief, you believe in the team, that the offense believes in the defense, the defense believes in the kicking game, the kicking game believes in the offense,” he said. “It’s all everybody working together for a common goal. It leads to a very confident group of people.”
In talking with numerous players this season, the constant theme in the success of this year versus last year is all about the mindset. One of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball, K.J. Wright, is quick to point this out.
“I give all the credit to Coach Mullen,” Wright said. “He came in from winning programs, and he just tried to instill what it takes to win.”
Wright said Mullen has raised the level expectations for everyone from the fans to the coches to the players.
“Instead of us hoping to win, we just come out and expect to win the game,” Wright said. “It is something we’ve got to believe in. We have got to believe in what we are doing and believe in the system. It’s just something we have to keep on doing so we can be successful.”
As senior leaders, Wright and offensive tackle Derek Sherrod are often looked to for guidance by younger players. Sherrod has seen a great elevation in his play this season and has been named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week twice during his senior campaign. It seems that what a player believes about his team and about himself may have a bigger outcome on the game than I first expected.
Sherrod sums up the reality of the situation pretty simply.
“It really is all a mindset,” he said. “The team that really believes they can win and will win is more than likely going to win. If they have that mindset, then their performance is going to reflect that. If you go out there and work hard each and every day in practice, then put it on the field and be confident in yourself, then you’re going to have a great game.”