Smiles, laughter, excitement, energy and, above all, emotion. The word emotion and football used to be synonymous with one another, but in present day football it is considered a rarity.
In today’s game players are too worried about what they don’t have (e.g. contracts and endorsements) and what they feel they are owed (e.g. money and starting positions).
In the past the game was about one thing-playing football.
For senior cornerback Kevin Dockery, emotion is ever present.
“When I come out of the locker room and look at the fans, home or away, it excites me,” he said. “If you are not excited when you come out of that tunnel, stay on the sidelines.”
It appears that Dockery’s emotional state not only charges his awareness on the field but aids his ability to perform as well. Listed at 5-foot-9 and weighing only 189 pounds, he is drastically thought to be undersized for the Southeastern Conference. Sylvester Croom overlooked that and saw what’s inside the senior cornerback.
“People seem to worry about the size of Doc against SEC receivers, but it doesn’t bother me one bit,” Croom said. “He is a very athletic player and is very fundamentally sound. He is not very big, but he has made a few hits this season that made it look like he was propelled from a firearm or something.”
When Croom came to Mississippi State, one of the many position changes he made was moving Dockery from safety to cornerback-a move he expected to pay dividends for the MSU defense.
In his first season at cornerback Dockery was credited with 43 tackles, three accounting for losses with one being a quarterback sack. He also has three pass breakups that resulted in one interception.
Only three games into the 2005 campaign, and Dockery is on pace to supersede the precedent he set last year. Presently, he holds 13 tackles with one being for a loss and three pass breakups on top of a fumble recovery.
With five games left to play in the still young season, he looks to further his statistical numbers and help his team win in any facet needed. One way he takes pride in is aiding the younger defensive backs in their overall knowledge of the game.
“Doc is like a big brother to Derek (Pegues) and I,” freshman cornerback Keith Fitzugh said. “He is always there making sure we keep on our toes. If we do something wrong, he helps us correct it.”
With a team that was once littered with uncontrollable, disobedient athletes, Dockery has adopted to the Croom system, and the Mississippi State fans love it.
“I think so many times discipline is overlooked as a key factor in winning, not only on the field but in life as well,” senior physical education major and football videographer Michael Capers said. “Since coach Croom was hired discipline has been the philosophy of this team and coaching staff, and if it does not fit the player’s mold then they’re gone. It is refreshing to see players buy into that way of thinking, and I think it is starting to pay off.”
The true test for the Bulldogs will be how they fare over the next few games as they will lock pads with three nationally ranked teams three weeks straight: an ultimate test of character and determination that one Bulldog especially hopes to pass.
“It’s like coach always tells us, if you hit them hard and keep hitting them hard, then they are going to start checking up and worrying about who is going to hit them and where it is going to come from,” Dockery explained. “It is an advantage for us, defensively. One that hopefully will pay off.”