It is year two of the Dan Mullen era in Starkville, and excitement among the fan base is at an all-time high. Expectations are also high this year with some key returning players and some big time new additions.
Now that the Dawgs have been fully introduced to the Mullen way of football, he said he has ratcheted up the workload.
“We’re holding the team to a much higher standard,” Mullen said. “Our expectations for this team are a little different than they were this time last year.”
The team has been hard at work during the spring and is looking to put on a show at this year’s Maroon-White game.
Mullen has not hidden his enthusiasm for getting back out in front of the fans and is expecting another record breaking crowd.
Another coach who said he has been eyeing the spring game for a while is defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “I can’t wait because the one thing that I’ve been blown away with in the couple months I’ve been here is the people. The people I’ve met have been so supportive. They’ve been so welcoming and fantastic that I just can’t wait to see them in mass in the stadium.”
Diaz said the relationship between the team and the crowd is extremely important.
“It’s very important for me that we have a strong bond with our fan base,” Diaz said. “It’s very important for our defense because I know that all great defenses respond to a great atmosphere from the crowd.”
In particular, Diaz said it wreaks havoc on the opposition.
“Whatever goal we have defensively in the SEC is going to be in direct proportion to how hard a place our stadium is to play,” he said. “We will be a lot of more difficult to go up against if our fans make it the most difficult place in the SEC to run an opposing offense.”
The game will feature plenty of playmakers, and sophomore receiver Chad Bumphis is one of these returning from last year’s team who said he is anticipating getting back on the field.
“I’m just ready to go out and have fun and play in front of our fans again,” Bumphis said.
Highlighting some things to watch in this year’s spring game are the position battles at quarterback and running back. The battle between Chris Relf and Tyler Russell has been well-documented, and the Maroon and White game will be a rare opportunity to see them face off against each other.
The running back battle is a bit more complicated and features four guys that could end up seeing significant playing time next season.
Whether the crowd will break last year’s record remains to be seen. One thing the players say is certain is that the defensive intensity will be at a whole new level this season.
With new coaches in Diaz and co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Chris Wilson on the defensive side of the ball, there has been a significant change in attitude.
Diaz said he is looking forward to seeing who steps up in front of the fans.
“In the spring game, really what you’re looking for is some individual performances, because there is a difference between practice in front of a scarce crowd and playing in the big house with what we hope is a large exciting crowd,” he said. “You want to see how guys respond in that situation. There might be some guys that are feeling their way about in practice because they’re learning. But on game day we’ll be very simple defensively.”
Diaz said the scrimmage will be a low-pressure affair for the entire team, and said it should be an entertaining evening for the fans.
“What you want to see in the spring game is just, ‘hey guys, go out there and turn it loose, put on a show. Put on a personal show for you and a show for our entire football team in front of our fans,'” he said. “Nobody loses the spring game. Mississippi State is going to win, you know what I mean? So, we all wanna have fun and play and just put on a great show for the people in the stands.”