With 16 starters returning from a team that went 9-4 in 2010, the Mississippi State Bulldogs had high expectation coming into last season. A brutal schedule proved to be too much to overcome as they churned out a disappointing 7-6 finish to the year.
With head coach Dan Mullen still leading the way, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic heading into the 2012 campaign.. Before Mullen took over, Mississippi State had just one winning season from 2001-2008.
Offense:
Mullen and offensive coordinator Les Koenning has done a superb job of turning the Bulldogs into a legitimate threat offensively. Since the two collaborated in 2009, the team have averaged at least 25 points/game and 350 yards of total offense.
Running back is where Mississippi State did most of its damage offensively last season, and they have a knack for finding excellent players at the running back position. The last three starters (Jerious Norwood, Anthony Dixon, and Vick Ballard) are all playing in the NFL. They need to find a new star to emerge in 2012 if they want to continue being a force on the ground. It looks like a two-way battle between junior LaDarius Perkins and sophomore Nick Griffin.
The Bulldogs will also have to replace their starting quarterback Chris Relf. Tyler Russell showed that he has what it takes to take over the starting job permanently, but don't count out red-shirt freshman Dak Prescott, who could very well win the starting position this fall.
Receiver is the one position where the team doesn't seem to have a lot of trouble due to plethora of talent available. All three starting wide outs return in Arceto Clark, Chad Bumphis, and Chris Smith, but one of them might just take a backseat to red-shirt freshman Joe Morrow. Marcus Green is no longer with the team, but sophomore Malcolm Johnson has shown that he could be productive.
Health on the line is one of the main issues that destroyed this offensive unit's chance of living up to expectations last year. This year they bring back starting Center Dillon Day and top guard Gabe Jackson. For this team to improve on last year's numbers, sophomore tackles Damien Robinson and Blaine Clausell must come up big and be effective on the outside.
Defense:
The Bulldogs have features a pretty solid defense the last two seasons. While they had some trouble stopping the run (153 ypg), they only gave up 19.7 ppg. Mississippi State should once again be strong on this side of the ball, as they get back seven starters from last seaon.
There are plenty of things to be excited about if you're a Mississippi State fan as they have a very good defensive line, despite losing All-SEC defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. Starter Josh Boyd will be returning and a very highly touted freshman in Quay Evan is expected to start right away. Kaleb Eulls is back after a very good freshman campaign, and they were able to add one of the top junior college ends in the nation in Denico Autry.
Cameron Lawrence and Deontae Skinner are both coming back at linebacker. Mullen even went as far as to praise this unit saying that the level of competition is at an all-time high since joining the program.
The secondary for Mississippi State features one of the elite corners in all of college football in Johnathan Banks. The Bulldogs also return starting free safety Nickoe Whitley and corner Corey Broomfield. They will have to replace starting strong safety Charles Mitchell, but are expecting big things out of sophomore Dee Arrington.
Head over to Football Free Picks during the regular season and get free expert advice on who take against the spread.
SEC Prediction - 4th SEC West
The Bulldogs are definitely one of the underrated teams in the SEC heading into the season, and they have the opportunity to win as many as 9 games and finish 4th in the SEC West. They have some tough teams they have to face in Arkansas, Alabama and LSU, but the rest of the schedule seems to be quite manageable.
With head coach Dan Mullen still leading the way, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic heading into the 2012 campaign.. Before Mullen took over, Mississippi State had just one winning season from 2001-2008.
Offense:
Mullen and offensive coordinator Les Koenning has done a superb job of turning the Bulldogs into a legitimate threat offensively. Since the two collaborated in 2009, the team have averaged at least 25 points/game and 350 yards of total offense.
Running back is where Mississippi State did most of its damage offensively last season, and they have a knack for finding excellent players at the running back position. The last three starters (Jerious Norwood, Anthony Dixon, and Vick Ballard) are all playing in the NFL. They need to find a new star to emerge in 2012 if they want to continue being a force on the ground. It looks like a two-way battle between junior LaDarius Perkins and sophomore Nick Griffin.
The Bulldogs will also have to replace their starting quarterback Chris Relf. Tyler Russell showed that he has what it takes to take over the starting job permanently, but don't count out red-shirt freshman Dak Prescott, who could very well win the starting position this fall.
Receiver is the one position where the team doesn't seem to have a lot of trouble due to plethora of talent available. All three starting wide outs return in Arceto Clark, Chad Bumphis, and Chris Smith, but one of them might just take a backseat to red-shirt freshman Joe Morrow. Marcus Green is no longer with the team, but sophomore Malcolm Johnson has shown that he could be productive.
Health on the line is one of the main issues that destroyed this offensive unit's chance of living up to expectations last year. This year they bring back starting Center Dillon Day and top guard Gabe Jackson. For this team to improve on last year's numbers, sophomore tackles Damien Robinson and Blaine Clausell must come up big and be effective on the outside.
Defense:
The Bulldogs have features a pretty solid defense the last two seasons. While they had some trouble stopping the run (153 ypg), they only gave up 19.7 ppg. Mississippi State should once again be strong on this side of the ball, as they get back seven starters from last seaon.
There are plenty of things to be excited about if you're a Mississippi State fan as they have a very good defensive line, despite losing All-SEC defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. Starter Josh Boyd will be returning and a very highly touted freshman in Quay Evan is expected to start right away. Kaleb Eulls is back after a very good freshman campaign, and they were able to add one of the top junior college ends in the nation in Denico Autry.
Cameron Lawrence and Deontae Skinner are both coming back at linebacker. Mullen even went as far as to praise this unit saying that the level of competition is at an all-time high since joining the program.
The secondary for Mississippi State features one of the elite corners in all of college football in Johnathan Banks. The Bulldogs also return starting free safety Nickoe Whitley and corner Corey Broomfield. They will have to replace starting strong safety Charles Mitchell, but are expecting big things out of sophomore Dee Arrington.
Head over to Football Free Picks during the regular season and get free expert advice on who take against the spread.
SEC Prediction - 4th SEC West
The Bulldogs are definitely one of the underrated teams in the SEC heading into the season, and they have the opportunity to win as many as 9 games and finish 4th in the SEC West. They have some tough teams they have to face in Arkansas, Alabama and LSU, but the rest of the schedule seems to be quite manageable.
About the Author:
Jack Jones will post his college football plays at Betfirms all season long. Be sure to check out our site today for a more detailed Mississippi State football preview.
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