Skinny - Mississippi State will begin their transition period this year to the spread offense Dan Mullen operated coaching at the University of Florida. The problem is Mullen doesn't have the personnel he needs right now for the offense to succeed especially in the SEC. Tyson Lee is the incumbent at the quarterback position, but don't be surprised if freshman Tyler Russell snags the job when the season starts to spiral downhill, so the Bulldogs can begin building for the future. In the Sylvester Croom era, the defense was always better than the consistently inept offense but this year the defense must regroup with heavy personnel losses. The addition of several junior college transfers, headlined by Pernell McPhee, should relieve the strain of a new defense. The future may be brighter in Starkville, but that future may be a couple years down the road. Mississippi State just doesn't have the players to compete in one of the strongest divisions in college football.
Strength - Linebackers
The linebacking corps is led by senior Jamar Chaney and Junior K.J. Wright. Chaney had to redshirt last season after breaking his leg in the opener last season, but the previous season he had 89 tackles for the Bulldogs. Wright is the leading returning tackler for the Bulldogs with 72 last season in addition to a team leading 4 sacks. Chris White is a junior college transfer and should lock down the other outside spot. Several sophomore backers with experience wait behind the first three ready to fill in at a moments notice. The linebacking corps will have to do double duty for the defense. The defensive line struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks last season, so its up to the linebackers to push the line of scrimmage. The secondary also lost two proven safeties and the linebackers must make sure the play stays in front of them.
Weakness - Line Play
The offensive line returns 4 of 5 starters, which on paper seems like a good thing. However, it doesn't really matter how many starters return if they're not very good. Anthony Dixon has had a solid career at Mississippi State and could return to the 1000 yard level that he reached his sophomore season if the line gives him some holes. The defensive line isn't much better and they have to start four new players, although Sean Ferguson does have some starting experience from last season. There isn't a single lineman returning that can say he had 3 sacks last season. A lot of teams have backups that rake up at least 3 sacks and its not like the ends they lost were world beaters last season. This team must learn to win the trench battles before they expect to win the games.
Key Game - 9/12/09 @Auburn
Both teams enter this early season matchup with new coaches in Gene Chizik and Dan Mullen, so the question mark is what team will have have had better prep going into the game. Both teams have incumbent quarterbacks, but neither have shown much in game action. Both also have proven running backs that aren't gamechangers but they get the job done. Mississippi State has the advantage at receiver, while Auburn's defense will have the early season advantage. The game could be another 3-2 grudge match like last season and the game's loser could prove to be the cellar dweller in the SEC West.
Key Player - Pernell McPhee
Pernell McPhee is a junior college transfer and will need to make an immediate impact on the defensive line for the Bulldogs if Mississippi State wants to have any chance at winning games. He is a consensus top 10 junior college player after receiving All-American accolades at the level. Mississippi State struggled to generate sacks last season and their leading sack man was a linebacker who had 4 sacks. The line must create more pressure on the quarterback if they want to improve on their turnover margin that ranked 81st in the country from a season ago. McPhee isn't the biggest player at 275 pounds, so he must what he's got to clog the middle and hope the ends use the relieved pressure to get to the quarterback.
Impact Freshman - Chad Bumphis
Predicted SEC finish - 6th (West)
Top 5 Players
1. WR Brandon McRae
2. LB Jamar Chaney
3. RB Anthony Dixon
4. LB K.J. Wright
5. DT Pernell McPhee
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