Bulldog fans curious about Dan Mullen's offense for 2012

State enters year 4 of the Dan Mullen Era with a lot more questions on offense than defense. We all know that offense sells more tickets, and Bulldog fans are wondering what Coach Dan Mullen has up his sleeve for 2012. We have all the WR’s returning- so no surprises there. We know there will be competition at RB for LaDarius Perkins, and the likelihood of all three guys playing. Mullen tipped his hand on signing day when he signed some highly-rated juco offensive lineman, so we know the plan there. But what about QB? Tyler Russell? Dak Prescott? A combination of the two? That is the most asked question of this football team heading into 2012.

Applicant #1 for the QB job– Meridian’s Tyler Russell. The “slayer of South Panola” enters his 4th season in Starkville. Russell’s career to this point has been less than stellar- nowhere near to living up to the hype that was bestowed upon him when he signed with the Bulldogs. After a redshirt season in 2009, Russell spent 2010 and 2011 backing up Chris Relf- the guy that many of the Bulldog faithful figured had no shot at beating out Russell for the job. Russell has had some relief appearances, even making a start or two in the last 2 seasons. He has thrown some very good balls, but has also held onto the ball too long- throwing some bad interceptions. He has completed 55% of his passes, compiling 13 TD’s and 10 INT’s. He was also sacked 10 times in limited playing time last season. Many people question whether or not he fits into Mullen’s system.

Applicant #2 for the QB job– Shreveport, La’s Dak Prescott. Prescott redshirted in 2011 after a stellar career at Haughton HS. Prescott enrolled early last year, so he already has one Spring practice under his belt. But this year he will be getting as many reps as Russell in all the drills, making for an intense competition. Prescott fits the mold of the “dual-threat” QB that Mullen covets much more so than Russell (Prescott nearly rushed for 1,000 yards his Sr season)- but obviously lacks the valuable experience Russell has gained the last couple of years. This young QB has all the tools to be a very good SEC QB. After showing out during a bowl practice scrimmage, he not only has Bulldog fans excited, but his teammates as well.

Now that we know the applicants for the job- what does Mullen do? Does he make changes in the offense to better suit the more experienced Russell? Russell had two separate knee injuries in 2011, and he obviously can’t handle much of the load running the football. For him to be in his comfort zone, he needs the power running game, play-action passing, some roll-outs, and quick hitting routes to keep the blitz off of him. Will this be installed this Spring? If you are going into 2012 thinking Russell will get the majority of snaps, you have to plan on making some of these changes.

Mullen has Prescott with a year under his belt- does he stay with the status quo? Is he married to his Spread Option offense that obviously favors Prescott’s skill set? Dak has already proven he can be electrifying in a scrimmage, can he progress enough to be electrifying in the SEC in 2012? Will we see a 2-QB system that has already given Mullen a national championship ring to wear while at Florida? A 2-QB system can work- using each player’s skill set to the upmost- but has to be managed carefully. However, it’s not a very popular route to go down, and many think it’s a recipe for disaster.

The answer to the QB question is the one State fans can’t wait to see answered. And you can bet there will be lots of angst about it until this September’s kickoff.