If Mississippi State (4-2, 1-1 SEC) plans on beating the University of Tennessee (3-2, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday, Bulldogs head coach Sylvester Croom said the key is in his defense getting the pressure on Volunteer quarterback Eric Ainge.But that may prove to be a task easier said than done. Ainge, a senior from Hillsboro, Ore., has only been sacked twice this season.
Croom says Ainge’s ability to stay upright has a lot to do with the experience of the Vols offensive line, but it also has a great deal to do with the Tennessee running game.
“They are running the ball a lot better than they were earlier on in the season,” Croom said. “They are creating an identity now with their running game, so the key for us is to stop their running game.”
Heading into Saturday’s game, Tennessee averages 146 rushing yards per game.
Vols starting running back Arian Foster has rushed for 395 yards and six touchdowns this season.
Last Saturday against Georgia, Foster ran for 98 yards and three touchdowns alone, while backup tailbacks LaMarcus Coker and Montario Hardesty combined to rush for 88 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia last weekend.
Croom added that if his team is able to out the Tennessee offense in predictable passing situations, he is confident that the Bulldog defense will be able to get to Ainge.
“If we get them in predictable pass/rush situations, Titus Brown and Avery Hannibal can get there,” Croom said. “If we can cover them long enough, we have a chance to get hits on their quarterback. The key still remains stopping their running game and not letting them get in position to have a balanced offense.”
The Bulldog defense has not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season, so they will have their hands full come Saturday.
The Bulldogs fourth-year coach was also surprised by the similarities between the Volunteer offense and the offense his team runs.
Croom pointed out that the Vols often use some of the personnel formations the Bulldogs use.
“I guess David [Cutcliffe, Tennessee offensive coordinator] has seen enough of us over the years and has studied a lot of the West Coast stuff that he’s incorporated a lot of that stuff into their offense, and they’re very adept at it,” he said.
Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer also spoke highly of the Bulldogs’ rushing attack as well.
“I think their running game is outstanding,” Fulmer said in his weekly teleconference. “I think they rush the ball as well as anybody we’ll see this year, and they present some challenges.”
The Bulldog rushing offense ranks seventh in the Southeastern Conference, averaging 161 yards per contest.
Croom said Saturday after State’s 30-13 homecoming win over UAB, that true freshman Wesley Carroll will continue to start at quarterback for the Bulldogs.
Carroll completed 9 of 12 passes last week for 93 yards against the Blazers.
Other than the quarterback situation, Croom said there would be little change headed into the weekend.
“As of right now we’re reasonably healthy, and we’re pretty much where we were last week as far as physical readiness,” Croom said. “This is a huge home game for us and we’ve got to play extremely well. We’re going to have to play our best football, which I don’t think we’ve come close to doing yet and there’s no better time than to get it done on Saturday.”
Saturday’s game will also reunite several Mississippi State coaches with their former teams.
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Woody McCorvey served as running backs coach for the Vols from 1999-2003.
Brad Pendergrass, State’s coordinator of football operations, served as recruiting and operations assistant for Tennessee two years prior to joining the Bulldog staff in 2003.
Pendergrass was associated with the Vols for 10 years, earning his degree in business and marketing in 2001 from Tennessee.
Wide receivers coach Pat Washington joined the Bulldogs staff in 2005 after serving in the same role with the Vols for 10 years.