Sunday Morning QB- Nasty Bunch edition

1. What a way to start off the season- a 49-0 woodshed beatdown delivered to the Nasty Bunch. As Mullen said pregame- there is no doubt that this is Our State.

2. Really good 1st drive- nice pass to RoJo, Bear made a pretty good catch on a low thrown ball on that out pattern, JRob running thru tackles, Dakota picking up 7 yards on a 3rd down zone read, and then the big finish to Bear down the seam. We made some personnel adjustments in our trips formation- we had Myles inside, Bear at slot, and someone else on the outside at WR. Myles ran the quick post to occupy the safety, Bear ran the seam, and the WR was down the sideline to stretch the Secondary. Easy throw and catch for a TD. Putting Wilson inside as the #2 will make life hell for Safeties this year in coverage- something to watch going forward.

3. I didnt like us in the double-tight I. As famous detective Austin Powers say “that’s not my bag, baby”. It’s not ours either. We hit it up inside good on 1st down for 2 yards. On 2nd down, we tried the little FB give and Brandon Hill let the DE crash down and make the tackle. If the DE makes that tackle- that means the play is tooooo slowwwww. Ran the option on 3rd down to the 1. I’ve watched the 4th down play about a dozen times now- the NG just got low and crawled on Day, Malone kicked out the DT and made a good block, Griffin blocked air. Instead of reading Malone’s butt like he is supposed to which will tell him where to block- he looks outside where Malone is pushing the DT. That tells me we dont run that enough to where everyone knows their assignments- because one of the most basics things on that play for the FB is to read where the bubble is opening. If Griff turns up inside and gets his body on the Mike- we score easily. He didnt, Mike meets JRob in hole untouched, fans panic and think the OL sux. Get back to what we do best Mullen- that ain’t it.

4. FG kicker at Miss State remains the worst job in the America- it’s listed right after bathroom attendant at McDonald’s. It was wet and Dakota bobbled the snap a little- but it still should have been made.

5. Dakota overall was pretty good. One of the sacks was his fault for holding it too long and not going with his read. He was late with the throw to MoJo down the middle that would have been a big gain. The pick he threw in the end zone was terrible- that was Bo Dirt-like. But he also made some very good choices. He went thru a full progression once and then checked it down to JRob in the flat for 15 yards. He threw some really good passes. Not concerned about him at all.

Aug 30, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs tight end Malcolm Johnson (6) celebrates with wide receiver Robert Johnson (12) after scoring a touchdown during the game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

6. The WR’s looked good. Wilson on the inside in a trips set is going to be a match-up nightmare for Safeties (looking at you Cody Prewitt). Ross just shielded off the CB to catch one of his TD’s. RoJo is solid. Brown looked good. Stonehands caught both passes his way. We have 2 complete sets of WR’s now. We have come a long way since 2009 when we had none.

7. Holloway was only in on Goalline because Mullen was rolling with the 2nd group of skill people all the way on that series. He wasnt going to sub anyone. And I hope he is never back on punt return ever again.

8. Our D is exactly what many of us thought it was- a top 10 in the nation D. Our DL whipped their ass upfront all night. Our LB’s were on time filling gaps and running down their guys. Psycho Defense is alive and well.

9. Bennie Brown was doing alot of yelling and directing on D last night. Looked alot like Cam Lawrence. Having that type of player is paramount to any good defense. Good recognition skills and the confidence to take control is exactly what we need at LB. His brother Richie looked pretty good when he played also. Having a 4-star LB like him as a back-up is a good thing to have.

10. Welcome back Jay Hughes. A pick and a TD your 1st game back after sitting 12 and 3/4 games last year. I’m sure father and son had a special moment last night. Great story right there. Hughes, Bennie B, McKinney, Eulls, Smith, Calhoun….the leadership we have on D is incredible. This unit is Alabama good.

11. 550 yards of offense in a game Mullen treated like a scrimmage- thats not bad. According to the announcers- Mullen told them he was putting in the 2nd team on the 3rd series no matter what. It was a reward for all the hard work they had put in. I agree with him. This was exactly the type of game for you to do that. Mullen also put groups together he normally wouldnt have to get a look at how they would perform under pressure. Nothing wrong with that.

12. The Nasty Bunch returned 16 starters from last season and should have been an improved football team. We still dont know if they really are improved and we are just very damn good- or are they just still a very bad football team that’s not any better? That will be answered on down the road. But I do know this- we are a pretty good football team that has a chance to do something this year that we havent done since 1999- and that is have a chance to win every football game we play. 1 down- 11 more to go. And if any Ole Missus fan tries to say something stupid to you like “well Boise beat them 60-7 last year”- just:

and then remind them that if it works that way and last year equates to this year- we beat them last year also.

In Mullen We Trust,

C34