I can’t help but feel bad for Chris Relf.
This was supposed to be his year. Coming into 2011 Relf was expected to be the centerpiece of an explosive Bulldog offense, but outside of a rout of Memphis and a shootout with Auburn, Mississippi State’s offense has struggled to find any kind of rhythm.
At least until the second half of Saturday’s 21-3 win over UAB. Unfortunately for Relf, it was sophomore Tyler Russell at the helm when the Bulldog offense found that rhythm.
Head coach Dan Mullen opting to switch quarterbacks at halftime was not a complete shocker, with Relf struggling in the first half, throwing for 46 yards and rushing for 12. After six consecutive quarters without an offensive touchdown, a new quarterback controversy was born.
Splitting time is nothing new for Relf, who shared the quarterback role with Tyson Lee in 2009, culminating in a coming out party in MSU’s 2009 Egg Bowl victory. The two-star recruit out of Carver (Alabama) High School was ready to take the helm of an SEC team in 2010.
Playing behind a veteran offensive line in 2010, Relf steadily improved and lit up the stat sheet in the season’s final games against Arkansas, Ole Miss and Michigan. Admittedly, I thought he had reached his peak at the end of 2009, but I was proven wrong again and again.
Relf’s impressive performance in 2010 was not easy. As much as he runs the ball and takes on defenders with his 240+ pound frame, small injuries were bound to occur. Relf played all of 2010 with nagging bumps and bruises, some confirmed (thank you, K.J. Wright), some unconfirmed, but you never heard him complain about it.
Like the rest of the MSU team, expectations were high for Relf entering the 2011 season. There were the occasional darkhorse Heisman candidate mentions, Cam Newton comparisons and talk of him being one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC.
Flash forward to halfway through the season, and Relf is left supporting his teammates from the sidelines as they get the offense rolling with a different quarterback.
I expect Mullen to be cryptic about who will be the starter against South Carolina, but for all the beatings Relf has taken from SEC defenses and the work he has put in at MSU since arriving in 2007, it appears his career could end with him on the bench.
Nobody said football is a fair game, and this is another case of that. While the quarterback controversy plays out on the field and becomes a major storyline in the media, it will be a challenging time for Relf, but as frustrated as he may be, I expect him to handle the situation well.
With that said, it’s hard to fault Dan Mullen for switching to Tyler Russell in the second half, and it appeared to be the spark MSU needed. The highly-recruited quarterback from Meridian has been waiting patiently for his chance since arriving in 2009, and he very well could get the starting nod against South Carolina.
However, it is much easier to provide a spark against a winless UAB team than it is against Jadeveon Clowney and the USC defense. That’s part of the problem with Russell: most of his game action has come against teams like Memphis and UAB (not exactly great defenses), so it is tough to tell how well he will fare against tougher competition.
Russell struggled when Mullen put him in against LSU in the fourth quarter, but who hasn’t struggled against LSU? The Tiger defense is scarier than the tight purple shorts Les Miles sported in a viral video this summer.
Not to mention the ongoing problems on State’s offensive line, which can make life difficult for any quarterback playing behind it.
The quarterback competition will be interesting to watch for the rest of 2011, but at the end of it, Relf will still be among State’s top-10 best quarterbacks of all time, statistically, something that can’t be taken away, even if he is on the bench.