Saturday’s face-off between the Bulldogs and the Commodores marks the 21st pairing between the schools, and the second straight year MSU will be underdogs.
Last year, then ranked No. 13 Vanderbilt left Starkville with a sinking feeling following a 17-14 loss. The Vanderbilt players have not forgotten that feeling and have been plotting revenge for an entire year.
“When it comes to Auburn putting up 49 [on MSU], that’s good for them, we’re going to try to put up more than that,” Vanderbilt offensive lineman Brad Vierling said via Twitter.
While revenge appears to be a motivating factor for the Commodores, MSU head coach Dan Mullen said the Bulldogs goal is simple: earn a SEC win.
“I’m focused on Vanderbilt right now and not worried about anyone else,” Mullen said. “Last week doesn’t change any of the goals we have for our team this season …”
Anyone who watched Mississippi State compete with Auburn knows defensive adjustments are critical if the Bulldogs are to achieve success this season. Even during bad stretches for MSU as a team over the past few seasons, its defense has proved capable in the face of SEC opponents.
Junior safety Zach Smith said he plans on the secondary returning to form this week.
“We’re gonna do what every team that lost Saturday is gonna do — we’re gonna watch film, correct our mistakes, go out and practice hard and forget about this game and go get a win at Vanderbilt,” Smith said.
If the Bulldogs do not improve its pass rush, defensive coordinators may be forced to substitute smaller defensive backs into the game for coverage purposes. Doing so will further retard State’s run-stopping ability, so a major focus this week is to get in Vanderbilt’s backfield early and often.
“I felt we were conservative at times against Auburn, with only a three-man pass rush, so we will have to do a better job of putting our guys in position to apply pressure on the quarterback,” Mullen said.
Penalties have been an Achilles heel for State’s offense, but Mullen said he believes there are ways to counteract yellow flags.
“As we improve the passing game, it’ll allow us to keep more drives alive so we can overcome a penalty or missed assignment,” Mullen said.
The run game has been the backbone of the offense thus far, and do not expect that to change; however, senior quarterback Tyson Lee said MSU coaches may cater the play calling to certain situations.
“I think we’ll be kind of aggressive with the play calling,” he said. “But what needs to be done and depending on how we’re executing throughout the game will really determine how the plays are called.”
Although Vandy lost senior safety and team captain Ryan Hamilton to a torn pectoral muscle, its defense still boasts several talented players. Chris Marve leads the nation in forced fumbles with three, and Casey Hayward was nominated for SEC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 13 tackles against LSU.
All in all, many sports analysts expect this game to be sloppy and close, and some say it will determine which team will be ranked No. 12 overall in the SEC. Saturday’s game against Auburn proved to instill extra motivation for one Bulldog — coach Mullen, who wants no part of what he felt after last week’s loss.
“Not winning is not acceptable. I don’t like using the ‘L-Word’,” he said.