Mississippi State’s defense ready to rebound
Mississippi State’s veteran defense is one of the biggest
reasons the program has emerged as a consistent competitor in the
Southeastern Conference over the past three seasons.
But it’s also been a big contributor to the Bulldogs’
disappointing finish to this regular season, which included losses
in four of five games.
Senior linebacker Cameron Lawrence says he’s glad Mississippi
State (8-4) has one more chance to leave a good impression when it
plays No. 21 Northwestern (9-3) in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1.
”We’ve had time to get our bodies back together, get our bumps
and bruises healed up,” Lawrence said. ”Now we’ve got to keep
working on the little things. It was a hard stretch for us – we
played a really tough schedule toward the end of the season – but
now we’ve just got to focus on the details. The sky is the limit
for us.”
Mississippi State was scheduled to arrive in Jacksonville, Fla.,
on Wednesday to begin preparations for the Gator Bowl. It will be
the last game for Lawrence, cornerback Johnthan Banks, safety Corey
Broomfield and defensive tackle Josh Boyd – a quartet of longtime
starters.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Lawrence was a role player in his first
two seasons, but moved into a starting role as a junior and has
responded with a combined 234 tackles over the past two years.
Banks won the Thorpe Award earlier this month – which goes to
the nation’s top cornerback – and the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder will
almost certainly be an early selection in April’s NFL draft. He has
16 career interceptions, using a blend of size and speed rarely
seen at cornerback.
Broomfield and Boyd don’t have the gaudy numbers but have been
consistent the past four seasons, providing the constant production
that Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen craves.
But the past five games haven’t reflected that experience.
Mississippi State won seven straight to start the season –
rising to No. 13 in the nation – but then hit a brutal portion of
the schedule that produced lopsided losses to Alabama, Texas
A&M and LSU. The Bulldogs responded to beat Arkansas, but then
lost 41-24 to rival Mississippi in the Egg Bowl.
In those four losses, the Bulldogs gave up nearly 40 points per
game.
”We’ve always been known for playing hard and giving great
effort out there,” Boyd said. ”But we’ve been forgetting little
things. It’s frustrating because we know we can do better. We’ve
been working really hard to make sure Northwestern gets our `A’
game instead of our `B’ game.”
Northwestern’s offense will provide another difficult challenge
for Mississippi State. The Wildcats are averaging more than 31
points, which ranks third in the Big Ten, and are averaging more
than 230 yards on the ground.
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald and Mullen are two young head
coaches who have developed a friendship over the past several
years, discussing ideas and philosophy as they try to build their
programs. That should lead to plenty of familiarity in the Gator
Bowl.
”They’re a team that probably should have won their conference
and played in the Rose Bowl,” Mullen said. ”Very talented in
every phase of the game – very explosive offense, one of the top
rushing offenses in the country. They run at a high tempo, and they
have stout, physical offensive linemen, some fast playmaking
receivers, and a quarterback and running back who can score every
time they touch the ball.”
Mullen was particularly concerned with Northwestern running back
Venric Mark, who has rushed for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns and
averaged 6.2 yards per carry. He’s also scored two touchdowns as a
punt returner.
”They get him the ball in the open field and he can score from
anywhere,” Mullen said.
Mississippi State has stopped players like Mark before. That’s
one reason the Bulldogs are playing in their third bowl game in
three seasons.
And Boyd is ready to prove the defense can do it one more
time.
”We want to show everybody that we’re still us – that we’re
still a great defense,” Boyd said. ”This is the last college game
of our lives, so we want to go out on top.”
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