Johnthan Banks and Corey Broomfield dominate the national and local media for the Mississippi State secondary and deservedly so. Banks needs only five picks to break the MSU all-time career interceptions record of 16 and nine to break the SEC record. He is a pre-season All-SEC selection and pre-season All-American.
Then there is Broomfield, who has already played in 38 games for the Dogs, starting 28 of them. But those three are not the only stars in the Bulldog secondary this season.
Senior cornerback Darius Slay made a name for himself early in last weekend’s game by blocking a punt and returning an interception for a touchdown in the first half. Slay is often overlooked since he is not receiving the national attention of his fellow cornerback Banks, but he showed Saturday night he is just as capable as Banks of making big plays.
Defensive coordinator Chris Wilson said one of the biggest things for his defense this year is keeping the best players on the field.
“We were able to mix up coverages and show the quarterback different looks, and he threw us a couple,” Wilson said. “Whoever wins the turnover battle usually dominates the game.”
Sophomore Matthew Wells mirrored Slay and returned an interception for a touchdown in the second half. This marked the fourth time since 1990 MSU returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a game. Wells is listed as a linebacker, but he saw time at multiple positions throughout the game. Mullen said the defense did great at some points but not what he wanted at times but that Wells is very athletic.
“The defense created two turnovers and scored two times, which is huge having them make big plays,” Mullen said. “Matthew is a versatile guy. We want to move him around on the field and let him go make plays.”
Wells played in every game last season but saw limited time. He recorded just 20 solo tackles and did not have an interception. But in his first game as a sophomore, Wells led the team with five tackles, including a sack, and added the pick-six. Wells said he likes being moved around and that he was in a great position for his interception.
“I was a running back in high school, so with defense I have to work a little harder to get it, so I should want it even more,” Wells said. “The defensive line put some great pressure on the quarterback, and I knew when I caught the ball I was going for a touchdown.”
But defending Jackson State is quite different from defending the Auburn Tigers, which will be the task set before the Dogs tomorrow. Tiger sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier had an average game last week in Auburn’s loss to Clemson. He threw for 194 yards and a touchdown.
However, Frazier has a veteran group of receivers surrounding him led by senior Emory Blake. Senior tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen has become a popular name from the plains in recent years, and senior running back Onterio McCalebb has the ability to come out of the backfield and catch some passes.
Wells said the defense has to make plays every game.
“We have got to give great effort and come out and make plays. We can’t just come up one game and then slack off the next,” Wells said. “I have confidence that the coaches will put me in the best place to make plays.”
Mullen said it was good to get lots of different players experience last week, but he said the defense must be a little bit stouter as it moves forward.
“We have a lot of things we as a full team need to improve on,” Mullen said. “When you jump into conference play on week two, you have to be ready to go. Now it’s time to take it to another level and shift the transition from training camp to game week.”