Mississippi State Players to Watch vs. USM
It’s the first game of the year (and against a team like USM a lot of players will get some playing time) – a time when you’re ready to see which players will step up into team leaders and/or be impact players. The excitement of a new season is here, now who can we depend on?
While a 49-0 drubbing probably isn’t in the cards this year, there’s likely to be a lot of Bulldogs hit the field on Saturday night. The great news coming out of training camp is no major injuries. So with that Coach Mullen has said everyone is available.
Pretty much every one of State’s projected starters has experience. Sure, the media harps on only a combined seven returning starters, but there really isn’t anyone you can point to that doesn’t have extended playing time over their career….most of them over the course of multiple years. After all, each one of MSU’s starters is either a junior or a senior.
The one exception I’d place is Rufus Warren. He’s a senior, but has only been playing tackle for two years now after switching from Tight End. All indications are that he’ll be the starting Left Tackle – one of the most important positions on the field – so my eyes will certainly be on him. Handling LSU defensive ends next week will be no easy task.
Donald Gray had a huge 2014 season in junior college, but how will it translate to the SEC in 2015? Will he be returning any kicks – if so, I’m really anxious to see what a play-maker like him can do.
Out of all the positions on the field, the one that worries me the most is Weakside Linebacker. It’s no secret that Matt Wells was my favorite Bulldog the last two years – he did a phenomenal job. Zach Jackson on the other hand was put into a lot of mismatches that made him look pretty bad. But he’s not Matt Wells, so can Manny Diaz put him in a position to suceed? Also, how much playing time does J.T. Gray get, and can he be a Matt Wells clone – always around the ball?
More from Mississippi State Football
- Meeting the Opponent: Week 4 – South Carolina Gamecocks
- Mississippi State football vs LSU: The good, bad, and ugly
- The Wednesday Wrap: Maybe Mississippi State Football Coach Zach Arnett shouldn’t do it his way
- Mississippi State football history vs. South Carolina: Records, streaks, and more
- Mississippi State football bowl projections after Bulldogs crushed by LSU
The talk of training camp was Mark McLaurin. I can’t wait to see this kid lace ’em up. Many have said he looks the part of a SEC safety, perhaps more than the highly touted Jamal Peters. Both of these guys have high ceilings, and Brandon Bryant too. Will their talent overtake Kivon Coman, Kendrick Market and Deontay Evans – it will be interesting to see.
Is Nick James going to finally be the guy we’ve been hoping he’d be for the last three years? Nothing but good things have been said about the big fella. If he can produce at defensive tackle it would be a HUGE asset to a defensive line that is a lot thinner in experience than last season.
I think Ashton Shumpert will do well this year, but what I’m really eager to see is Aeries Williams and Dontavian Lee. I know they’ll be able to run the football, but there’s two key things I want to see: ball protection and pass blocking. The guy who can do those two will be the #2 tailback.
Finally, I’m itching to see Elijah Staley play. I went to see him play high school ball two years ago, but that was about the last time anyone’s seen him play competitive football since he was kicked off the team that year, redshirted 2014 and was injured for spring practice. Staley has only been cleared for full contact for a couple of weeks, and all indications are he is well behind Nick Fitzgerald in terms of development, but I’d love to see him get on the field, however, we may have to wait until Week 3 for that.