adding another total....
under 45(120) lsu / miss. st....
to me it looks like lsu is not as explosive on offense as past teams....while miss. st is playing from the spread offense, they are relying more on their running game(they are averaging 222 ypg at 4.8 ypr)....lsu has georgia & fla. up next....
since 1992 miss.st is 18-7 under off a win against a conference rival....the average score was msu 20.8, opponent 19.7....
since 1992 miss. st. is 7-0 under in home games off a road....the average score was miss. st 23.9, opponent 19.0....
here is an interview with the head coach on the state of the miss. st. program....
By AARON SEIDLITZ, The Associated Press
Dan Mullen gave his state of the union in regards to his offense at Monday?s press conference.
And the new Mississippi State head coach, who brought a version of the spread offense with him from Gainesville, is the first to say that his Bulldogs still need to keep adjusting.
Mullen and the coaching staff have said time and again that the pace with which the offense is picked up by the players will be crucial. In that sense the coach feels that the passing game still has a ways to go, but the rushing attack has become the bread and butter.
He said on Sunday that the Bulldogs were a running team, and on Monday he elaborated on that thought.
The reason for that being the way it is right now, according to the coach, is the effectiveness with which the offense is being run.
He referred to the quarterbacks and said he wants them to manage the game, he referred to the wide receivers and said they are still learning, he mentioned the offensive line and said they have started to gel and, finally, he believes the group as a whole needs to continue to get a grasp of the basics.
?I think we?re coming. It?s always going to be a little slow, because usually it?s a little bit slower offensively than defensively. I think we?ve progressed offensively from game to game,? Mullen said. For starters, he believes the team needs to finish off drives. The Bulldogs had a perfect scenario to do just that to end the first half against Vanderbilt. Leading 6-3, State was driving and just completed a pass to move into the Commodores? territory.
With the ball on the Vandy 30-yard line, quarterback Tyson Lee was sacked. He then bounced back to complete a pass to Brandon Heaves, but it went for just three yards.
Lee then took another sack, which ran the clock out as State was without a timeout.
Mullen met the quarterback near midfield to explain the situation to Lee, and on Monday the coach detailed why those types of drives are crucial to an outcome of a game.
What it boils down to in the coach?s mind is the quarterbacks understanding the game situationally.
?They?re both doing a good job of managing the offense, and one of the things I ask of the position is to lead and to manage the offense. You don?t have to be the play maker on every single play,? Mullen said of his quarterbacks. ?There?s going to be situations like at the end of the first half where hopefully if he gets in that situation again he?ll throw the ball away and try a field goal.?
Dixon thinks backs can help in passing game
Mississippi State?s rushing attack has had no problem producing so far this season.
In fact it has produced so much so that it is now ranked 20th in the country. While helping the team to 221.7 yards per game on the ground, running back Anthony Dixon also believes one of the bright spots of his teammates at the position is versatility.
On Monday, he stated his case for why they should be thrown to more often. ?I?m still waiting some to catch some passes, you know, to show of that part of my game,? Dixon said. ?But I think that?s really going to help out the team if we do get involved in the passing game, because I just think that?s going to help us get the victory.?
The last couple of days, Mullen has been critical of his wide receivers by saying they need to sharpen their route running, blocking and overall effectiveness. Dixon has taken note of that as well, and he wants the head coach to rely on, perhaps, the most experienced group on the field ? running back. To add to Dixon, State boasts of two more seniors at the position in Christian Ducre and Arnil Stallworth. ?Sometimes our receivers struggle, and we?re seniors,? Dixon said. ?We?re game ready, and I think some of those guys are still kind of young, and I think they still just don?t get it right off the bat. ?But, you know, at the beginning of the game me, Ducre and Stallworth are some of the most ready players on the team.?
Pernell McPhee earns SEC honor
After earning his first sack, and actually recording 1.5 sacks against Vanderbilt, Pernell McPhee was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.
The 275-pound pass rusher offers Mullen size and speed on the outside, and enough of it to be versatile. The head coach has often discussed putting McPhee in the middle of the defensive front during rotations.
?Obviously, he?s a critical part of our defensive line. He makes plays, gives us some explosiveness at the defensive end, and has the size and ability to, I guess, move him inside if we need to to play defensive tackle,? Mullen said.
McPhee added three tackles and one more quarterback hurry to his stats against Vanderbilt on Saturday.
good luck....