Back to the Ground
Back To SEC
By Matthew Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com
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Mississippi State employed a very balanced offense last season, but will likely be more run-oriented this fall.
Since Dan Mullen took over as the head coach at Mississippi State prior to the start of the 2009 season, the Bulldogs have progressively become more balanced on the offensive side of the ball.
In Mullen’s first two seasons in Starkville, utilizing the strength of quarterback Chris Relf and running back Vick Ballard, the Bulldogs ran the football on nearly 70 percent of their offensive plays.
With Relf and Ballard leaving due to graduation, though, Mississippi State’s offensive attack became more focused on highlighting its immense talent at wide receiver. With new starting quarterback Tyler Russell distributing the ball to veteran wide outs Arceto Clark, Chad Bumphis and Chris Smith, as well as talented tight end Marcus Green, the Bulldogs were perfectly balanced on offense in 2012, rushing and passing the football 424 times each.
Of course, the bad news for the offense heading into spring practice is that none of those pass-catchers are returning for the 2013 campaign, meaning that more than 60 percent of the team’s receptions from last season will be lost to graduation.
March and April are always months in which teams work on building their philosophical identities for the upcoming season, and we could be in for a rather significant transformation over the coming weeks.
Given the mass exodus of talent for Dan Mullen in the passing game, it is safe to assume that the Bulldogs will be shifting back to a more run-oriented attack this fall despite the presence of an incumbent signal-caller.
While such a shift may at first glance seem to be a schematic change rooted in necessity, the fact of the matter is that an offensive attack predicated on running the football is conducive to success for the personnel which the Bulldogs have returning.
Mississippi State was a middle-of-the-road rushing team last season, ranking 10th in the SEC in rushing yards per game (144.2) and sixth in the conference in yards per attempt (4.4). LaDarius Perkins, who recently filed paperwork with the NFL Draft Advisory Board before ultimately deciding to return to school for his senior season, led the ground attack, rushing for 1,024 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging five yards per carry.
After another offseason spent in Matt Balis’ strength and conditioning program, Perkins will be even better prepared for the pounding of an SEC football season.
Perhaps the most promising prospects, in spite of Perkins’ exceptional talents, for Dan Mullen in the ground game come along the offensive line, where the Bulldogs are set to return four starters from last season, including first team Associated Press All-SEC selection Gabe Jackson. Depending on how he plays this upcoming fall, Jackson could realistically be the first offensive guard selected in the 2014 NFL Draft.
With center Dillon Day and tackles Blaine Clausell and Charles Siddoway also set to return up front, the Bulldogs will have one of the more experienced offensive line units in the conference.
Another important aspect which can’t be overlooked when analyzing Mississippi State’s offensive attack is the defense’s deficiencies.
The Bulldogs were second-to-last in the SEC in rushing the passer last season, and they are losing the best defensive lineman from that team in Josh Boyd. As Johnthan Banks, Darius Slay and Corey Broomfield prepare for life after college, there will also be plenty of new faces in the Mississippi State secondary.
Teams facing potential issues attempting to defend against the pass generally attempt to utilize an offensive approach with a heavy emphasis on winning the time of possession battle.
In short, the Bulldogs will have additional incentive to run the football.
Mississippi State has slowly started to become more competitive in league play under the watchful eye of Dan Mullen.
Attempting to rise to national prominence in the most difficult division in college football will not come easily, though.
In order for Mississippi State to achieve the level of success for which the program hopes this fall, the ground game must be able to produce chunks of yardage consistently, thus keeping the ball out of the opposition’s hands.
Whether it is considered backtracking or not, it is the move that will give the Bulldogs the best opportunity to win games in 2013.