Anticipation was at its peak inside Davis Wade Stadium. Relf or Russell? Who would it be? And then the voice was heard from the jumbotron. “Tyler Russell, Meridian High School, Meridian, Mississippi.” The crowd started cheering for the announced starting quarterback against South Carolina.
The sophomore quarterback made the first start of his career but could not rally the Dogs past South Carolina. Russell did lead State to victory over UAB two weekends ago when he came in to start the second half and finished 11-13 for 166 yards and three touchdowns.
This impressive performance plus a good week of practice earned Russell the start against USC, and head coach Dan Mullen said Russell has never done anything but prepare himself to be ready to play in the two years he has been waiting.
“We weren’t conservative at all with him with how we practiced and making the game plan,” Mullen said. “In the course of the game, I had no hesitation letting Tyler do what we had in the game plan even though it was his first start; Tyler’s done a great job for us, so I had no hesitation that he wouldn’t be ready to play.”
Russell completed several difficult passes throughout the game and even showed he could use his feet at times. He came close to converting big plays on a few throws and finished the game 11-29 for 165 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
The key moment in the game was Russell’s interception during MSU’s could-have-been-game-winning drive. Russell said he just missed a couple throws but remained optimistic about the season.
“I didn’t do well enough to win the game. At times I made some plays, but at times I didn’t,” Russell said. “That’s what you have to take out of a game like this; it’s no fun to lose, but I believe everybody played hard, and you just have to go back to the drawing boards, and everyone has to have a good attitude and keep going.”
Mullen said he had a few plays for which he was going to put in for Chris Relf, but the situations never happened, and he does not script the series. Russell said he settled in pretty quickly but has to become more consistent.
“Before every game you always get a little nervous, and you have to settle in,” Russell said. “I don’t think it’s any different if Chris would’ve started, and I would’ve come in; we had a good game plan, but we just didn’t execute on a couple things.”
The question now remains as to who will start the rest of the season. MSU had the benefit of a bye week last week and used that time to watch film and continue to practice with each quarterback.
After watching the game film, Mullen said Russell did a good job of moving in the pocket and making passes against a very good pass rush defensive. Since the game was Russell’s first start, Mullen was pleased with Russell being conservative and not forcing throws. Russell said he managed the game well and has not changed anything after having a start behind him.
“I’m the same Tyler; the only difference is I have one start under my belt against a really good SEC defense,” Russell said. “You have to go out there and practice and work hard and, if anything, it makes me work harder because I can see my potential.”
The focus of last week’s practice was getting back to the fundamentals. All three quarterbacks have been taking snaps with the first string, and Mullen has not named a starter for Saturday’s game against Kentucky.
Russell said whoever has the best week of practice will probably get the start, but, ultimately, it is the coach’s decision. Whether Russell, Relf or Favre takes the field Saturday, the main focus will be getting a win to get back on track.
Russell said MSU is close to being a really good football team.
“The frustrating thing is to be so close yet so far,” Russell said. “Coach says the next step is the hardest step, and it definitely is, but we’re going to get there and keep working hard.”