The 2006 Mississippi State Bulldogs will be a much different squad than the team that carried the Golden Egg off Scott Field last November. Head coach Sylvester Croom lost the school’s most prolific rusher ever in Jerious Norwood and the Southeastern Conference sack leader on defense in Willie Evans.
However, he insists his team has something neither of his previous squads have had.
“Our leadership is a lot better than it has been in the past,” Croom said. “Our upper classmen and the guys we have who played last year have continued to work hard and well. I like our work ethic-that is going to give us the chance to play.”
The Bulldogs first chance to prove themselves will come in the form of Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks, who will travel to Starkville this Thursday for a nationally televised contest on ESPN.
“I’ve never coached against Steve (Spurrier), but I’ve watched him,” Croom said, “and his guys will be prepared for anything. He’s so confident, and has so much spirit and intelligence, it just filters down to his players.”
Offensive Balance
Replacing Jerious Norwood at the running back position will be sophomore Brandon Thornton.
Thornton rushed only 47 times last season for 225 yards while backing up the incomparable Norwood, however, in the two contests where he received more than 10 carries, Georgia and Mississippi, he averaged better than six yards per carry.
While Croom and his staff are expecting great things out of Thornton and his backup-highly-touted freshman Anthony Dixon-the bulk of the offensive production will have to come from the influx of talented wide receivers into Croom’s West Coast scheme.
Senior Omarr Conner will begin his first full season at wide receiver, after serving the team as quarterback for most of last season.
Conner made the switch to wide receiver for the final two games of the 2005 season and led the team in those contests with a total of nine catches for 116 yards.
“He’s our number one guy that the offense can be built around,” coach Sylvester Croom said. “He’s got the best hands, he’s getting more disciplined in his route-running, and he takes a lot of pride in what he does. In certain situations, everyone is going to know Omarr is the guy we’re looking for.”
Also adding his talents to the wide receiver pool is junior college transfer Tony Burks.
Burks, a 6-foot-4 junior from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, comes to Mississippi State as the seventh-ranked JUCO wide receiver in the country, according to Rivals.com, after a 44-catch, 638-yard sophomore season.
On the Defensive
Even with a more productive offense, the Bulldogs’ ultimate success or failure will lie in the strength of the defense.
Replacing All-SEC end Evans will be the deadly combination of junior Titus Brown and senior Michael Heard.
Brown finished last season with 30 tackles and 1.5 sacks in a reserve role, while Heard logged 35 tackles and 3.5 sacks while.
The star of the defender core, however, will be All-SEC linebacker Quinton Culberson.
Culberson led the Bulldogs in tackles last season with 78 and will now look to anchor the linebacker core for the second straight season.
Culberson had previously played defensive back and outside linebacker as an underclassman.
“We intend to take full advantage of his skills,” Croom said. “This is his second year playing the position, and he’s finally comfortable doing the kinds of things we want him to do.”
The Bulldog defense will be put to the test immediately against the Gamecocks.
Carolina wide receiver Sidney Rice led the SEC last season with 103.9 yards per game, catching 70 passes for 1,143 yards.
“I don’t know if you can limit him,” Croom said. “He’s as good as I’ve seen, and he’ll be playing on Sundays, that much is obvious. I just wish he’d go on and go this week.”
Starkville Slump
Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier will make his third career appearance at Scott Field, his first since leaving the Florida Gators in 2001.
As Gator head coach, Spurrier lost both previous contests in Starkville, getting hammered by the Bulldogs 30-6 in 1992 and then losing a 47-35 decision eight years later.
Now Spurrier is in South Carolina, and he’s definitely not looking past Mississippi State.
“I know they didn’t win a bunch last year,” Spurrier said, “but they won their last game so they are on a one-game winning streak, and we are on a two-game losing streak right now.”
The Gamecocks dropped a 9-13 decision to Clemson last season to end the regular season, followed by a loss to Missouri in the Independence Bowl.
“I think each year every team has their own personality,” Spurrier said. “So we will just have to wait and see how their’s is and how ours is on Thursday night.”
Maroon Out
The Mississippi State Student Association has announced Thurday night as a “Maroon Out” game, and is encouraging students, along with all other fans, to wear maroon to the Bulldog home opener.
Previous requests by the Student Association have mostly involved “Whiting Out” Bulldog sporting events by wearing white, but according to SA Athletic Affairs director Phillip Bass, the order for a “Maroon Out” came from one of the most influential of sources.
“We’re going with Maroon because as the man in charge (Coach Croom) said ‘There is only one color that matters, and that color is Maroon,'” Bass said.