The whole nation  watched last Saturday as the Bulldogs were unable to leave the hostile confines of Bryant–Denny Stadium with a coveted win that would have satisfied all of the critics. With disappointment hanging over their heads, the question has been raised as to how the Bulldogs will respond and if there is now more added pressure on the team than ever before. Mississippi State Head Coach Dan Mullen served as the voice of tranquility this week, choosing not to panic about his team’s performance against Alabama and instead is 100 percent focused on one thing only — the Vanderbilt football team.
“We control our destiny in this game this week. We don’t ever worry more than this one game. You never can. All we can control is the next game,” Mullen said. “I think we’re in complete control and how we perform against Vanderbilt. That’s been our focus all season. When you worry about other things, that’s when you start losing. We don’t like to do that. Our whole focus is on the next game. I think our leadership has done an unbelievable job of that throughout the entire course of this season of keeping this team focused on that task at hand.”
With just two games left in their season, the Bulldogs will square off against the Vanderbilt Commodores Saturday. While last weekend’s game against Alabama served as a reminder they are not invincible, the Bulldogs  look to solidify some facets of their game. The Vanderbilt Commodores have been winless in conference play this season and have already assured themselves that postseason play will be out of the equation. Sitting with a 3-7 record, they are very much a team with nothing tolose coming into Starkville.
In Monday’s press conference, Dan Mullen spoke about the chance of going undefeated at home this season.
“We have to continue to improve from where we were last week,” Mullen said. “If we can do that and hopefully find a way to win and finish with a perfect record at home this season, which I think would be only the second time in school history to 7-0 at home, that would be fantastic for these guys and for our fans that have bought so much into what we’re trying to build, that they are a huge part of it. We’ve made such an emphasis on winning and home, and going undefeated at home would be a special deal.”
Mullen also talked about the youth of Vanderbilt and touched on some of its strengths that could be on display this weekend.
“They have a very young team. I think they have really made some strides, (Johnny) McCrary now at quarterback where they had a bunch of issues early in the season. I think they’ve made an awful lot of improvements,” he said. “They’re a tough defense; play hard, play physical and will be a huge challenge for us. We have to see and make sure our guys come out. We have to play better. We have to continue to improve from where we were last week.”
The Commodore offense, ranking 119th in the country in points scored, has seemed to lack playmakers this season. The wide receiver spot has been a major issue for Vanderbilt in particular, as it currently does not have anyone who has caught more than 40 passes this season or gone over 500 yards. It is fair to say the inconsistent play from the quarterback position, for sustained stretches early on in the campaign, might have played a role with the lack of rushing and receiving yards. 
The one bright spot  Vanderbilt has to show for  offense would be the play of its redshirt freshman running back Ralph Webb, who is beginning to make something of a name for himself within the conference. Webb’s 838 rushing yards on the season are good enough to have him sitting at ninth in the SEC.  
The Bulldog defense, consisting of seven senior starters will look to cap its last career game in Davis Wade Stadium on a high note. Senior defensive end Preston Smith was avid about the need for the defense and the entire team to take the important teaching points from the loss moving forward. 
“This humbles us,” Smith said. “We’ve got to keep playing hard. We know if we stop playing hard, somebody can knock us off our high horse if we’re feeling highly about ourselves.”
It is apparent the Vanderbilt defense struggles defending the pass, as they have given up the third-most passing yards of any team in the SEC this season. Along with this, it is last in forcing turnovers in the SEC. In terms of stopping the run, it fairs average by SEC standards, as it comes in sporting a mark that puts it in the middle of the pack. 
If the Bulldog offense ever needed a week to get back on track before its in-state rivalry against Ole Miss, this would be it. This offense, which was so explosive to start the season, has seen a dramatic drop in production over the last three games, starting with the play of quarterback Dak Prescott. He has now thrown six interceptions in his last four games. He addressed his performance over the last couple of weeks and pointed to some areas where he looks to get better moving forward.
“There was a lot of ups and downs with a little bit of random, too quick of decisions and not smart decisions. I just need to get back to myself and continue to go through my reads, go through my progressions and don’t be so quick to run the ball or scramble,” Prescott said.
Mullen talked about how controlling can help teams win and how MSU is one of the few top-tier teams that has struggled with the issue.
“To me, we’ve got to create more turnovers on defense. We have to protect the ball better on offense. I don’t know if there are many teamsin the top 25, and our guys look at that, you look at the quality of team that we have, there probably aren’t many teams in the top 25 that are negative turnover ratio on the year.”
As for the rest of the offense, they too will have to get back into rhythm. Starting with Josh Robinson, who was held to a season low 37 yards on 12 carries and had the unfortunate safety that took place during the first half of Saturday’s game. In all, Robinson’s success was halted by one of the best defensive lines in college football, so transitioning over to playing against the likes of Vanderbilt’s defensive line should help him get his groove back.
Senior Jameon Lewis should continue to get better and better as he continues to heal from a leg injury that has bothered him all season long. 
“He did OK,” Mullen said. “I think just getting back in the rhythm of it. Fortunately, being an older player, it’s easier for him. Even the moment and the game, he’s played in a lot of big games. He was just getting back out there going to play. Where a younger player might be, ‘I’m back,’ then the moment on top of it is huge. I think he handled it pretty well, played pretty well. I’m glad to say after the game, our guys thought he felt good. Last time he got out there he’s been kind of sore even though he played minimally. He played a bunch Saturday and felt really good after the game.” 
Adding Lewis back into full-time action should help all the other wide receivers. This can only serve to help the likes of De’Runnya Wilson and others for the rest of the season. 
“If  teams  are going to give him one-on-one opportunities, he’s won, and he’s had some pretty good games,” Mullen said. “If they’re going to roll coverage to him or double-team him, he understands about being a great teammate because if they’re going to double him somebody else is going to be open. He’s handled all of that stuff, the part of being a football player aspect and not just a great talent.”
Saturday should prove to be another excellent opportunity for the seniors to say goodbye to Davis Wade Stadium and to the fan base. At the end of the day, this year’s seniors helped get this program to where it is currently, and for that, this group will never be forgotten. The group helped lay the foundation and change the culture of the MSU program. The game will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. and can be watched on the SEC Network.