Andrew GribbleAuburn University beat reporter
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No one, in my opinion, does it better than Paul Myerberg does at his extensively thorough college football blog, PreSnapRead.com. I can only dream of having that much college football knowledge to rank the entire BCS, 120-1.
I’m not that good, nor do I claim to be. So I’m going to stick to the SEC and not be nearly as thorough. And this year, I’m only going to do the top eight teams because, well, there was that many days until practice started when I decided to start this thing.
With that ringing endorsement out of the way, let’s get to cracking with Mississippi State, quite possibly my boldest projection in this entire week’s worth of previews. This series will run daily for the next six days.
Also, while you’re here, check out my other eight-themed series, which is running on our main sports page. I’m profiling eight Auburn players who fly under the radar, but still deliver major contributions. Today’s story focuses on special teams’ Mr. Everything, Ikeem Means.
OPENING STATEMENT:
“Our guys believe, how we played last year, they can compete with any team in the league. Our goal this season, as it will be every year that I’m head coach, is to find a way to win the SEC West.”—Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen
LAST YEAR’S PREDICTION:
“Mississippi State will finish last in the SEC West and will be the worst team in the SEC, but it won’t be a complete disaster. The Bulldogs will lose to Auburn but it will be close. That will be a theme throughout the season, as Mullen’s offense sputters and stammers all the way until the Egg Bowl. One or two teams will underestimate MSU and will pay the price. The Bulldogs go 3-9 (1-7 SEC).“
Read the full 2009 preview here.
WHAT HAPPENED:
I was right when I said the Bulldogs would finish last in the SEC West and I was right when I said they wouldn’t make a bowl game in Mullen’s first season. I was wrong by saying that they’d be the worst team in the SEC—I forgot Vandy is only allowed to have two good seasons per century—and was wrong about teams underestimating them. From the start, Mississippi State proved that it couldn’t be slept on. Mullen certainly didn’t have the required pieces in place to do what he truly wanted to do, but the Bulldogs definitely competed. Having the toughest schedule in the NCAA made things difficult, but Mississippi State still was able to finish with five wins, upsetting Kentucky on the road and then clobbering Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl to finish the season with plenty of optimism.
THE COACH:
Dan Mullen (5-7)—second year at Mississippi State
- There probably isn’t a coach in the SEC with more job security—outside Nick Saban at Alabama—than Mullen. The former Florida offensive coordinator pushed all the right buttons and said all the right things in his first year in Starkville. He’s made an impact on the recruiting trail, he’s put an exciting, albeit raw, product on the field and he’s made the Egg Bowl exciting once again by referring to Ole Miss only as “The School Up North.“ Simply put, fans absolutely love this guy. They’ll love him even more if he’s able to get his spread offense cooking with the proper players in place.
THE PLAYERS:
QB Chris Relf (junior)—Yes, Mullen has said he’s comfortable playing two quarterbacks throughout the season, but he’d probably love nothing more than to see Relf seize the job in August. Mullen knows Relf has the legs to be dangerous outside the pocket, as Relf was the star of last year’s Egg Bowl, rushing for 131 yards and a touchdown. He just needs to see Relf throw the ball with proper consistency and timing in what is expected to be a more accurate version of Mullen’s spread. Relf is the clear front-runner to start the season as Mississippi State’s quarterback, but the touted Tyler Russell is waiting in the wings, waiting for a moment for Relf to regress so he can seize the job.
WR Chad Bumphis (sophomore)—He’s drawn comparisons to former Florida great Percy Harvin. Enough said. Bumphis has all the traits of a star in the making, as he’s coming off a promising freshman campaign where he hauled in 32 passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns, leading Mississippi State’s receivers in all those categories. Bumphis is more than just a pass-catcher, though. He’s constantly in motion and is always a threat to carry the ball on a reverse or even take a direct snap. This is the playmaker Mullen will scheme plays for.
DE Pernell McPhee (senior)—McPhee is getting tons of preseason publicity, ranking ninth in ESPN.com SEC blogger Chris Low’s top 25 players countdown. He picked up 56 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2009, one year after transferring from junior college. That experience should prove vital in 2010, where he’ll hope to combine his veteran savvy with his aggressive nature off the end in new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz’s defense.
CB Johnthan Banks (sophomore)—Not many people heard of Banks until his breakout performance against Florida last season, when he intercepted two Tim Tebow passes and returned them respectively for touchdowns. One went for 100 yards. It was pretty awesome to watch. Banks played some safety last season, but could be in line to play at cornerback this season.
RETURNING STARTERS:
15 (seven offense, eight defense)
THE SCHEDULE:
Sept. 4 - MEMPHIS
Sept. 9 - AUBURN
Sept. 18 - Louisiana State
Sept. 25 - GEORGIA
Oct. 2 - ALCORN STATE
Oct. 9 - Houston
Oct. 16 - Florida
Oct. 23 - UAB
Oct. 30 - KENTUCKY
Nov. 13 - Alabama
Nov. 20 - ARKANSAS
Nov. 27 - Ole Miss
(Home games in CAPS)
THE BIG GAME:
For a team that really doesn’t have much pressure on itself this season, Mississippi State doesn’t really have any “swing” games during the season that could make or break its season. That leaves the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss as the Bulldogs’ biggest game by default. Mullen has really single-handedly revived national interest in this game, first by referring to Ole Miss as “The School up North” and then by beating the highly favored Rebels last season, 41-27. You can bet Houston Nutt and the Rebels, no matter where they are in the standings, will be out for revenge this year.
WHO’S ON THE MEDIA GUIDE?:
On one of the more modest covers in the league, Mullen is seen “coaching” at the center. He’s flanked on the sides by OL Derek Sherrod, McPhee, LB K.J. Wright and OL J.C. Brignone. All four players are seniors.
LAST TIME MSU WON THE SEC:
1941—Beat Alabama, 13-0, to cap 9-0-1 regular season and then defeated Georgetown, 14-7, in the Orange Bowl
THREE FACTS RIPPED FROM WIKIPEDIA:
- MSU set the Davis-Wade Stadium attendance record twice last season, first against Florida (57,178) and then, three weeks later, against Alabama (58.103).
- Former RB Anthony Dixon was awarded the Conerly Trophy as the best college football player in the State of Mississippi after his monster senior season in 2009.
- Mullen, along with LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton and University of Oregon coach Chip Kelly, are part of the so-called “New Hampshire mafia” as they all have strong connections to New Hampshire.
WHO DO I FOLLOW?:
This one’s easy. Kyle Veazey of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger has a must-bookmark blog and does quite possibly the best work of any beat writer in the SEC. Parrish Alford of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal also does sound work and I would be remiss if I left out the hometown paper.
BEST-CASE SCENARIO:
Mississippi State’s offense truly gets clicking in Mullen’s second season. Relf seizes the starting job in early August and emerges as one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the conference. Bumphis is all over the place as a do-everything wide receiver and the Bulldogs barely miss a beat without Dixon. The defense is strong and Mississippi State wins all the games it’s supposed to while also pulling a few upsets.
WORST-CASE SCENARIO:
The Bulldogs regress in Mullen’s second year and, all of a sudden, he’s not as likable as he used to be. Relf never seizes control of the job and it turns into an ugly back-and-forth between him and Russell with neither really getting better because of the competition. The Bulldogs resume their role as the SEC West’s doormat and lose big in the Egg Bowl.
MEDIA’S PREDICTION:
Fifth in the West
THE PREDICTION:
Yep, I’m drinking the Mullen-aid. I like the potential of Mississippi State’s offense and even though it’s dangerous to think momentum can be carried from the end of one season to the beginning of the next, I’m a true believer that the Bulldogs have major confidence heading into 2010. That makes me think Mississippi State is good enough to win all of its non-conference games and split its SEC slate, losing just once at home and downing Ole Miss for a second consecutive year. 8-4 (4-4 SEC)
TOMORROW’S HINT:
Away from its home stadium in 2009, this team went 1-5.
Andrew GribbleAuburn University beat reporter
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This is a big, big story.
All those freshmen that Auburn signed last year? They’re going to have numbers on their jerseys this season.
Auburn released its updated roster today and all the new freshmen have received their numbers. Michael Dyer, as pictured above, appears to have received what he wanted.
Here’s the list.
DL Joel Bonomolo - 91
DL Kenneth Carter - 92
OL Ed Christian - 68
P Steven Clark - 30
LB Jessel Curry - 33
CB Chris Davis - 3
DL Justin Delaine - 52
TB Michael Dyer - 5
C Tunde Fariyike - 65
WR Antonio Goodwin - 6
LB Jake Holland - 5
WR Shaun Kitchens - 4
DE Corey Lemonier - 55
OL Eric Mack - 60
DB Demetruce McNeal - 12
DB Jonathon Mincy - 6
TE Dakota Mosley - 48
LB LaDarius Owens - 10
K Cody Parkey - 36
FB Ladarious Phillips - 37
WR Trovon Reed - 1
OL Chad Slade - 62
S Ryan Smith - 24
DT Jeffrey Whitaker - 54
LB Jawara White - 38
CB Ryan White - 28
***Of note, TE Robert Cooper changed his number from 16 to 41.
Andrew GribbleAuburn University beat reporter
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Click here to follow us on Twitter.
No one, in my opinion, does it better than Paul Myerberg does at his extensively thorough college football blog, PreSnapRead.com. I can only dream of having that much college football knowledge to rank the entire BCS, 120-1.
I’m not that good, nor do I claim to be. So I’m going to stick to the SEC and not be nearly as thorough. And this year, I’m only going to do the top eight teams because, well, there was that many days until practice started when I decided to start this thing.
With that ringing endorsement out of the way, let’s get to cracking with LSU, a team that you always have to consider as a threat to win the SEC West. This series will run daily for the next six days.
Also, while you’re here, check out my other eight-themed series, which is running on our main sports page. I’m profiling eight Auburn players who fly under the radar, but still deliver major contributions. Today’s story focuses on H-back Eric Smith.
OPENING STATEMENT:
“I can tell you this. It will only be a championship season, and that’s the only point and direction of this program. That’s where we’re headed.“—LSU coach Les Miles
LAST YEAR’S PREDICTION:
“LSU is good but not great in 2009. Its talent, alone, is good for seven wins and it adds a couple more. No, the Tigers won’t be beating Florida, Alabama or Ole Miss, but they’ll win the rest. LSU goes 9-3 (5-3 SEC).“
Read the full 2009 preview here.
WHAT HAPPENED:
I hate to toot my own horn, but, “toot toot.“ The Bengal Tigers certainly weren’t great, but were good enough to win nine of its 12 games and finish second in the SEC West. They just weren’t good enough to beat—look at that—Florida, Alabama or Ole Miss. The end result was still disappointing for LSU fans, who now consider any season that doesn’t end in the BCS a disappointment. I’m guessing not many of those fans cared to watch LSU slop it up with Penn State in a 19-17 Capital One Bowl loss.
THE COACH:
Les Miles (79-36 overall, 51-15 LSU)—sixth year at LSU
- An extremely strong career record and a national championship ring on his finger isn’t enough for some who think Miles has the hottest seat in the SEC. The common belief among one sector of fans is that Miles won his national championship with Nick Saban’s players and really isn’t that good of a coach. When they make this point, they often include some of his recent, in-game shortcomings, most likely focusing on last year’s late-game meltdown at Ole Miss. Others, though, let the body of work and strong recruiting class rankings stand for themselves as reasons for why Miles should be the LSU coach until further notice. This might be Miles’ most important year at LSU. He’s made bold predictions about a team that, on paper, doesn’t look like it has enough to get it done. If he goes down after this season, he’ll be going down swinging.
THE PLAYERS:
QB Jordan Jefferson (junior)—Jefferson exemplified what LSU was last year; good, but not great enough. He completed more than 61 percent of his passes for 2,186 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was intercepted just seven times and was able to make some plays on his feet, too. He didn’t have much of a running game watching his back and his wide receivers were also good, not great. It’s just tough to find games where fans could say “Jefferson won us that game.“ That’s outside of LSU’s rout of Auburn, of course, where fans could say everyone including the long-snapper had a part in that debacle. Jefferson made improvements during LSU’s spring practice, Miles said, but fans saw a quarterback that labored through the Tigers’ spring game with an interception and just 84 yards of passing. If Jefferson falters early, Jarrett Lee could be forced into action.
WR Terrence Toliver (senior)—Toliver has bided his time at LSU and now is when Miles hopes he can emerge as a top playmaker in the SEC. Flanked as the second option behind Brandon LaFell, Tolliver hauled in 53 passes for 753 yards and three touchdowns last season. Even though he’s the No. 1 guy on LSU, what you’d think is the epitome of “under the spotlight,“ Toliver will head into this season under the radar. He’s arrived in a golden age of sorts for SEC wide receivers, as Julio Jones, A.J. Green, Randall Cobb, Alshon Jeffery, Darvin Adams and Greg Childs will likely receive more preseason hype.
CB Patrick Peterson (junior)—How do I know Peterson is one of the best cornerbacks in the nation? Well, outside the fact that he was named preseason, first-team All-SEC by both the coaches and media in a conference that typically has some of the best defensive backs in college football, Peterson has his own Wikipedia page. Peterson truly is a lockdown corner and is an all-but-certainty to go pro after the season. ESPN’s Bruce Feldman considers Peterson, who had 13 pass breakups in 2009, one of his “freaks” in college football because of his size, strength and speed. So, yeah, he’s good and he’s the heart of this LSU defense.
LB Kelvin Sheppard (senior)—Sheppard is pretty good, too, and could probably be considered the co-leader of LSU’s defense, which was one of the better units in the SEC last season. Sheppard is LSU’s most experienced defensive players, appearing in 40 games over the past three seasons with 17 starts. Sheppard ranked fourth in the SEC with 110 tackles and added 8.5 tackles for loss in 2009.
RETURNING STARTERS:
10 (six offense, four defense)
THE SCHEDULE:
Sept. 4 - North Carolina (Atlanta)
Sept. 11 - Vanderbilt
Sept. 18 - MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 25 - WEST VIRGINIA
Oct. 2 - TENNESSEE
Oct. 9 - Florida
Oct. 16 - MCNEESE STATE
Oct. 23 - Auburn
Nov. 6 - ALABAMA
Nov. 13 - LOUISIANA MONROE
Nov. 20 - OLE MISS
Nov. 27 - Arkansas
(Home games in CAPS)
THE BIG GAME:
Well, Miles said that LSU is playing for championships, so the Tigers’ biggest game of the season has to be when it faces Alabama in November. Last year, LSU gave the eventual national champions one of its toughest games of the season, but ultimately lost, 24-15. The year before in Baton Rouge, Alabama overcame a missed potential game-winning field goal by scoring a touchdown in overtime to win 27-21. These SEC West teams have become rivals by default, with some definite intrigue added with Saban’s connections between the two schools.
WHO’S ON THE MEDIA GUIDE?:
LSU gives us an ultra close-up of Sheppard’s face, focusing on the “Number 1 Defense” scrawled across his face on some black tape. At the bottom, you’ve got Sheppard and Toliver. On the back are six Tigers: Jefferson, RB Richard Murphy, P Derek Helton, K Josh Jasper, OL Joseph Barksdale and DL Drake Nevis.
LAST TIME LSU WON THE SEC:
2007—Beat Tennessee, 21-14, in the SEC Championship and then beat Ohio State, 38-24, in the BCS National Championship Game.
THREE FACTS RIPPED FROM WIKIPEDIA:
- LSU is notorious for wearing white jerseys. Here’s why: the tradition started in 1958, when coach Paul Dietzel decided that LSU would wear white jerseys for the home games. LSU went on to win the national championship that year. The Tigers weren’t allowed to wear whites at home from 1983-94 because of NCAA rules.
- Auburn was the first team to lose to LSU after it was allowed to wear its white jerseys at home again. That was a painful one. Auburn was sixth in the nation; LSU was unranked.
- LSU’s Tiger Stadium still sports “H” style goal posts, as opposed to the more modern “Y” style used by most other schools today. This “H” style allows the team to run through the goal post in the north end zone when entering the field.
WHO DO I FOLLOW?:
Randy Rosetta of the Baton-Rouge Advocate does a great job covering LSU right from the heart of it all. The New Orleans Times-Picyune has multiple writers covering the Tigers, so that’s got to generate some good stuff, right? Glenn Guilbeau of the Shreveport Times is also a veteran of the beat.
BEST-CASE SCENARIO:
Jefferson proves his doubters wrong and has a banner season, which includes winning games where he puts the team on his shoulders. The defense, buoyed by great seasons from Sheppard and Peterson, become a lockdown unit, and make Miles look like a prophet. The Tigers beat Alabama and lose just once in conference play to advance to the SEC Championship game.
WORST-CASE SCENARIO:
Jefferson regresses, the running game still stinks and the defense misses the seven starters it lost from last season. Miles has a couple more mental breakdowns during late-game situations and LSU’s season is lost from the start after falling to North Carolina, Mississippi State and West Virginia before October. The Tigers end the season hoping to sneak into a lower-tier bowl and Miles is hoping Rich Rodriguez is having similar troubles at Michigan.
MEDIA’S PREDICTION:
Fourth in the West.
THE PREDICTION:
LSU fans don’t like what they see once again. Sure, the Tigers will be in contention to sneak into the Chik-fil-A Bowl or even the Gator Bowl, but their 2010 season will by no means match Miles’ big, bold predictions. The Tigers lose one of their two early non-conference games and only win one of their meaningful SEC games. 7-5 (4-4 SEC)
TOMORROW’S HINT:
This team, despite winning its rivalry game in lopsided fashion, did not make a bowl for a second consecutive season in 2009. That could probably be attributed to playing the hardest schedule in the nation.
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