Mississippi State Mid-Season Review
Oct 4, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs mascot Bully comes on to the field prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Davis Wade Stadium. The Bulldogs defeated the Aggies 48-31. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Things to Watch for in the Second Half
Will the Special Teams Cost us a Game? The Special Teams Unit is scary right now. Not scary good like our offense or defense, but scary like I’m afraid they are going to screw this whole thing up. Any field goal outside the red zone seems like a long shot, and our punt returns are an adventure. The Bulldogs have played so well thus far that the Special Teams unit hasn’t had a chance to factor into the outcome of a game, but when that time comes, how are they going to handle it?
Who Blinks First? Both Mississippi State and Ole Miss are on a collision course for one of the most monumental Egg Bowls ever, but they both have daunting schedules. Mississippi State has 3 home game against Arkansas, UT Martin, and Vanderbilt and road games against Kentucky and Alabama. They will be favored in every game but the Alabama game. Can they avoid the let down and pull the huge upset over the Tide in Tuscaloosa? Ole Miss still has LSU at Death Valley and Auburn at Oxford. They also have a game at Fayetteville against Arkansas, a place they have never traditionally played well. Most think Ole Miss has the easier road to get to the Egg Bowl, but neither path will be easy.
Off Season Distractions During the Season: Everyone and their grandmother has shipped Dan Mullen off to Florida after this season is over. Nevermind that the Gators still have a coach employed, and the Bulldogs still have six games to play. Also, Dan Mullen went off on people who were trying to lure him to Gainesville on Head to Head Radio last week. Then, SI has a cover with Dak Prescott on it, but the story talks about Dak saying he would declare for the draft if he was given a first round grade and would strongly consider making the jump if he was given a second or third round grade. Are these things going to be a distraction for the Bulldogs that might make them stumble?