 Kim Murrell/For the Daily News Anthony Dixon (left) rushed for 81 yards on 22 carries in Saturday’s loss to Alabama. Dixon said Monday he wasn’t sure how confident the Bulldogs were about making a bowl. By MATTHEW STEVENS
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Mississippi State head football coach Dan Mullen and every player Monday afternoon echoed the same thoughts about the importance of the final two games of the season.
MSU record-setting tailback Anthony Dixon wasn’t sure how the team’s first blowout loss to Alabama last Saturday would hamper the team’s confidence in this do-or-die scenario.
“I don’t know how much they believe right now, but I guess we’ll find out these next couple days of practice,” Dixon said Monday. “I’m going to try to get them to believe 100 percent.”
Two leaders of bowl committees with ties to the Southeastern Conference confirmed to the Starkville Daily News Monday they will have executives monitoring the Bulldogs’ situation from now till its time to pick representatives.
“Depending on the outcome next weekend, we may visit when Mississippi State plays Ole Miss in the final regular season game,” Mark Edwards, executive director of the Papajohns.com Bowl and ESPN Regional Television said.
A spokesman for the Independence Bowl stated they “will have two at (the) game up in Little Rock on Saturday.”
Senior linebacker Jamar Chaney, a co-captain who was a started in the Bulldogs 10-3 Liberty Bowl victory at the end of the 2007 season, says a postseason berth is something every player has on their mind throughout this week.
“Everybody is still focused on getting to a bowl game,” Chaney said Monday. “That would be a big accomplishment not only for this year’s team but going into next year’s season as well. We’re real confident, we’re not just the type of team that will give up.”
If Mississippi State (4-6, 2-4 in Southeastern Conference) can win these last pair of games and Tennessee (5-5, 2-4) picks up one more victory, every team except Vanderbilt will be at the six wins necessary to qualify for a bowl game.
“We’re still in good position,” Mullen said in his Monday press conference. “Our team still has a lot to play for this year.”
Youthful secondary has major challenge Saturday
In Saturday’s 31-3 loss to Alabama, Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Jim McElwain was able to exploit the youth and inexperience in the Bulldogs’ secondary.
It was a major lack of communication between the defensive backs that led to a 48-yard touchdown pass from Greg McElroy to Julio Jones Saturday night. Jones, one the nation’s most dangerous receivers was left without an MSU player within five yards of him in the middle of the field by both the cornerback and safety on the play.
“We just have to make sure we hit the receivers when they’re going through their routes,” Chaney said. “Make sure we get the correct jump, get the right depth.”
In his continued praise of Arkansas’ offense and specifically quarterback Ryan Mallett, Mullen said Monday his secondary will have to revert back to its surprising play in the middle of the season against Florida and Middle Tennessee State as the Bulldogs are tied with Texas for the top spot nationally in interceptions returned for a touchdown with four.
“We have to create some pressure up front and take some pressure off our young secondary kids,” Mullen said. “They just have to be tuned in and ready to go, have a great week of practice. They have to grow up and play a big game.”
Mallett, a sophomore in his first year under center at Arkansas, leads all quarterbacks in the league in passing rating (165.0), touchdown passes (23), passing yards (2,885) and is tied for the least amount of interceptions thrown (4).
“He’s got a really strong arm and a quick release,” Mullen said. “I think it’s his presence on the field. That he stands there, doesn’t get flustered, sees over the rush and that stuff really allows him to hang in the pocket until its time to get him the ball.”
Brauchle will have to win kicker spot back
Mullen said Monday Bulldogs junior kicker Sean Brauchle was fully healthy to either do kickoffs of field goal duty in Saturday’s loss to Alabama but is simply not his first option any longer.
Officially that job now belongs to junior Derek DePasquale.
“When Sean gets back 100 percent and goes and beats Derek out, he’ll be back on the field,” Mullen said.
Brauchle hasn’t been in a game since he missed a field goal against Georgia Tech Oct. 3. The reason for the absence being an injured hip sustained in that game against the Yellow Jackets.
DePasquale, a walk-on transfer from the Colorado School of Mines, has made 8-of-10 field goals and converted every point after attempt in Brauchle’s absence but missed a 36-yard field goal last Saturday night early in the third quarter when MSU was down 17-0.
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