INSIDE SLANT
Once again, Mississippi State is uncertain about who will start -- and who will contribute the most -- at quarterback when the season opens.
And once again, it was a somewhat unexpected development.
In the lead-up to the 2008 season, then-coach Sylvester Croom was adamant about playing two quarterbacks -- even though he had an incumbent starter, Wesley Carroll, and the competition had just joined the team seven months prior as a junior college transfer walk-on.
In 2009, new coach Dan Mullen is adamant about playing two or more quarterbacks in the season opener Saturday, even though Tyson Lee started the last eight games of the season last year and depth was thought to be painfully thin.
Mullen has praised backup Chris Relf, a redshirt sophomore. At 6-foot-3, he gives State a different look than the 5-foot-10 Lee. He also has mentioned true freshman Tyler Russell, a 6-foot-4 guy who was State's most heralded recruit in its February signing class.
And to complicate matters, some State fans got excited last week when Daniel Stegall joined the team as a walk-on. He signed with Miami as a quarterback out of Greenwood (Ark.) High School and has played professional baseball ever since.
Mullen bristles at the notion of a clear-cut starter, saying he'll play whichever quarterback he feels best suits the situation of the game. He points back to his history as an offensive coordinator, and the first thought is of Tim Tebow serving as a freshman change-of-pace to Chris Leak. It worked out well for Florida; the Gators won the national championship.
Unfortunately for State, this isn't the same level of talent. It remains a mystery if Mullen's desire to play two quarterbacks is more of a lack of separation in preseason drills or a desire to make use of each quarterback's skill set.
The best thing for State? It ought to win its first game, against Football Championship Subdivision foe Jackson State. That'll afford Mullen and offensive coordinator Les Koenning a chance to evaluate the quarterback situation before jumping into Southeastern Conference games at Auburn and Vanderbilt.
NOTES, QUOTES
--Mississippi State's preseason was filled with changes from previous years. After the first five practices, all workouts were closed to the public and the media. And the week of two-a-days, State moved its entire practice operation across campus to a makeshift field near the school's veterinary school, where coach Dan Mullen joked on the first day that the cows provided a nice audience.
--State signed seven prospects who could be wide receivers in Mullen's first recruiting class, and those guys are getting the opportunity of a lifetime. Thanks to essentially no depth behind Brandon McRae at that spot, true freshmen like Brandon Heavens and Chad Bumphis will get ample opportunity to contribute. So will junior college transfer Leon Berry.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: If State is to truly play to its strengths, then it will play to its running backs. Anthony Dixon, Christian Ducre and Arnil Stallworth, all three experienced seniors, have split first-team carries at various points during camp, Mullen has said. Dixon is a second-team All-SEC preseason tailback but his availability for the opener is in question after an offseason arrest for driving under the influence.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: State received a blessing in disguise last year when middle linebacker Jamar Chaney broke a bone in his ankle. He applied for a medical redshirt and is back for another senior season, giving the Bulldogs an anchor at a position that was already projected to be strong. Defensive coordinator Carl Torbush thinks he has two other potential pro players beside him -- K.J. Wright and Chris White.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think there's a lot of battles. I don't think we're set at any position yet. I haven't looked down and said 'OK, this is how we're going to be.' We're still looking at guys who can play. We're not going to play one guy an entire game at any position. We're going to be rotating guys, so we're trying to find guys who are ready to get on the field and go play." -- Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
THIS WEEK'S GAME: Jackson State at Mississippi State, Sept. 5 -- The Championship Subdivision's Tigers visit Starkville in the first-ever meeting between a Southwestern Athletic Conference school and a Southeastern Conference school. It's a matter of importance in Mississippi, where Jackson State has traditionally been the football standard-bearer when it comes to historically black schools.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
RB Anthony Dixon -- The question isn't how well he'll play. It's if he'll play. The senior pleaded guilty earlier this month to a DUI arrest in July. But coach Dan Mullen has been mum on his punishment, and might stay mum throughout the week. If he's out, don't look for State to miss a beat. Christian Ducre is a capable backup.
WR Chad Bumphis -- If he's healthy enough to play, Bumphis could emerge as a go-to guy in Dan Mullen's offense, and not just because of a lack of other receivers. Bumphis has legitimate speed and playmaking ability.
DT Pernell McPhee -- The easy-going McPhee, a junior college transfer, has already emerged as a leader in his position group. He has set lofty goals for himself and, by all accounts, is showing in practice that he could be a game-changing defensive lineman.
ROSTER REPORT:
--Highly touted QB Tyler Russell, the gem of State's 2009 recruiting class, is a clear third-string option behind Tyson Lee and Chris Relf, coach Dan Mullen said earlier this preseason. That doesn't mean he won't play, though.
--C D.J. Looney might have performed well enough in the absence of starting C J.C. Brignone that he could win the job. That's not a demotion for Brignone, though. If he has recovered from his ankle injury well enough, he'll move to one of the guard spots.
--SS Charles Mitchell and backup RB Christian Ducre likely will be stalwarts at some special teams spots, coach Dan Mullen said.
Previous Report: 04/27/2009
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