This past weekend in sports was crazy. With all the upsets so early in the year, this is sure to be an incredible season in the making. With Mississippi State University hosting the LSU Tigers in one of the most electrifying stadiums in the country, this was sure to be quite the opener that the fans would expect from the SEC. Even though the Bulldogs came up short in Saturday night’s game, they had a lot of exposure that was well needed to ensure that the team would move forward in a positive way.
One of our weakest spots on the offensive side is the running back position. Shumpert not only fumbled against Southern Miss last week,he also only averaged about three to four yards a carry against the Tigers. Brandon Holloway, on the other hand, had a pretty positive showing. Not only did he average more than Shumpert, but he also returneda kick-off for a touchdown against Southern Miss last week. The running back position is something Mississippi State has never really had to worry about in the past. Hopefully other players like Dontavion Lee and Aries Williams will step up and show potential at the tail back position.
Dan Mullen and the coaching staff were also to blame for the loss Saturday. We have come to see Dak Prescott go from a dual-threat quarterback to a potential pocket passer. Understandably, Mullen would try to transform Prescott into a NFL potential quarterback and not have him end up like Tebow. But, the play action not only helps out the running game, it opens up the passing game as well. If Prescott only stays in the pocket this year, Mississippi State will not have the same results as last season.
Defense was not as bad as offense Saturday night, surprisingly. Fournette was the only Tiger that put up any touchdowns and most of them only came in the first half. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz went to the locker room and put enough spark into his defense to give the offense plenty of opportunities to win the game. Players like Richie Brown, who was the leading tackler for the defense, and AJ Jefferson were key to the big momentum swings for the bulldogs. Ultimately, defense needs to work on their coverage and tackling. Nothing they couldn’t fix in a week with good advice from Coach Diaz and staff.
With all the upgrades to the stadium and the thousands of cowbells clanging in the air, the team will have to fix these gaps on this Bulldog team to compete with the best in the SEC. Rotating the tail back position will be on of those key elements to our offense. Defense can get all the stops, but until the offense put the points in the endzone, we will not be able to be the elite team the Bulldogs are capable to be. We have a good coaching staff supporting Dan Mullen. His contract extension from Mississippi State shows the school is behind him. Now, he has to go on the field and show why he is the best coach in the SEC.
