Old Friend Returns to Mississippi State

Aug 30, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; UT Martin Skyhawks quarterback Dylan Favre (1) throws a pass against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated UT Martin 59-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The human ego is a double edged sword. On one hand, the ego can drive people to accomplish great things. It can give a person the confidence to surpass any physical and mental limitations that individual might have when trying to achieve a goal. On the other hand, it can make people overconfident in their abilities and lead them to attempt things that never should have been done in the first place. One such person who has experienced both sides of the human ego is former Mississippi State quarterback Dylan Favre.

Dylan Favre will make his return appearance to Davis Wade Stadium this Saturday since leaving the program after his redshirt  freshman season came to an end before the 2011 Music City Bowl. The story of Dylan Favre is one that is filled with warning signs of how powerful the ego can drive a person to accomplish more than he probably should have and putting himself in situations where he was doomed to fail.

Burdened with a Name

To tell the story of Dylan Favre, you have to start with the burden Dylan was given simply by having his last name. He is forever linked to the most famous person to carry that surname, the legendary quarterback and Mississippi native Brett Favre. Everyone knows by now that Dylan is the son of Brett’s younger brother. Wherever Dylan would go, people would associate him with his highly famous uncle.

It was a heavy burden for Dylan to bear. For one reason, he wasn’t especially close to his uncle. It’s hard to develop that much of a relationship with a man who spent much of his life playing quarterback for a football franchise in the most northern parts of our country. It doesn’t mean they didn’t have one though. Dylan did spend some time with his uncle in Green Bay and even got to warm up with current Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. So it had its benefits.

But it also had its drawbacks. Dylan is not the physical specimen that his uncle was. He was generously listed at 5’10” coming out of high school. He has a very strong arm, but there is only so much that you can put on such a small frame. Trying to live up to that name is also a daunting task, but based on the way Dylan played in high school, many thought that he might just do it.

The St. Stanislaus Years

Dylan Favre got to play immediately when he hit his 10th grade season at St. Stanislaus. He started putting up jaw dropping numbers that year. In his 10th grade season, Favre threw for just over 3,000 yards and 36 touchdowns. He topped that his 11th grade season by throwing just shy of 4,000 yards and 42 touchdowns. As impressive as those numbers were, he blew the doors off of those numbers his senior season in high school. His senior season, Dylan threw for over 5,500 yards and 63 touchdowns. He added an additional 1,200 yards of rushing and 18 touchdowns. That’s a total of over 6,700 yards of offense and 81 touchdowns. Favre used his ego to accomplish more than any thought possible. He was driven to succeed, and his ego drove him to great heights.

Favre assumed his exploits on the field would bring in offers from all over the country. What he discovered is that there is very little demand for quarterbacks that are shorter than 6 feet tall. He was a consensus 2 star recruit, and got only a handful of offers from schools he had mostly never heard of. It was a hard reality for an ego the size of Dy;an Favre’s to accept.

Mississippi State Comes Calling

As the months ran on and no offers came from SEC schools during Favre’s senior season, he was growing frustrated. Favre just wanted a chance. He figured if he could just get a chance, then he’d prove all the doubters wrong. It never looked like it would appear.

Then Favre got what he thought was a break. Mississippi State was the leader for getting the services of Cam Newton, the former Florida recruit who transferred to junior college and starred at the JUCO level. For all intents and purposes, Mississippi State would sign the coveted prospect and solidify their recruiting class with one of the best prospects in the country. Then Auburn unexpectedly signed him right before JUCO signing day and threw a wrench in the plans of the coaching staff at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs needed a quarterback in their class, and had none to go get.

That is when they turned their attention to Favre. In early January, Favre was given a scholarship offer by the coaching staff at Mississippi State that Favre pounced on. Favre was given the opportunity he coveted. He had every intention to show up in Starkville, and prove all those who ever doubted him wrong.

Frustration in Starkville

One of the biggest challenges that any collegiate football player  faces is accepting that in 99% of the circumstances, an 18 year old freshman isn’t going to be able to compete with the more physically developed upper classmen on the team. Sure, there are some exceptions to the rule, but most of the time, it takes a year or two before incoming freshmen develop enough to get the playing time they so desperately want.

When your ego is the size of Dylan Favre’s, that becomes an even bigger challenge. Favre was informed early on in his time at Mississippi State that he was going to be redshirted. He didn’t take it well. He saw the current quarterbacks on the roster in 2010 and saw nothing that should have kept him off the field. Chris Relf was as raw of a quarterback as there has ever been. Tyler Russell was the highly touted quarterback, but Dylan Favre didn’t think he possessed the talent that he had. To sit as a redshirt was a waste of time to Favre. It often showed on the sideline during the 2010 season. As the third string quarterback, Favre was often close to Mullen on the sideline and had a clipboard in his hand to chart plays. He almost never looked happy while he was on the sideline.

When his redshirt season was over, Favre made it his goal to do everything he could to be the starter in his freshman season. He thought he had done it too. In spring practice, Favre was as impressive as any quarterback on the roster. It carried over to the Spring game as well. He had an impressive Spring Game in 2011, and thought he had done enough to earn the starting job. To his shock, he was informed that Chris Relf would remain the starter.

Favre was mad, and he didn’t handle it well. During the offseason, Favre would violate team rules, though we have never been informed how, and was suspended for the season opener against Memphis. It was a dumb mistake. Dylan likely would have received some playing time in the game as it wasn’t close, but the suspension kept him off the field.

The 2011 season was one of frustration for both Favre and the rest of the team. The Bulldogs were predicted to take a step forward in the 2011 season based on their success in 2010. When they didn’t, fans, players, and coaches were trying to figure out why things were not going the way they had planned, For Favre, the frustration would hit a boiling point against LSU.

In the LSU game, the Bulldogs were struggling to move the ball at all against the vaunted Tigers defense. After two and half quarters, Mullen decided to insert Tyler Russell into the game after an interception to capitalize on good field position. When the move didn’t pay off, Favre found out just how dangerous Twitter could be. Before he went to bed that Thursday night, Favre sent out a tweet that said something along the lines that he just wanted a chance. His ego told him that he could have made a difference and led the Bulldogs to victory. The backlash he had was unexpected. Fans responded unkindly.

Favre would get some limited opportunities in 2011 in red zone situations and some in a blowout against the Razorbacks in Little Rock. He never got the amout of playing time that he thought he deserved. When the season came to an end after the Bulldogs easily handled the Rebels in the Egg Bowl, Favre informed Dan Mullen that he wouldn’t be returning or traveling with the team to Nashville for the Music City Bowl.

Frustration Continues

Favre’s ego wouldn’t allow him to accept that he couldn’t start at Mississippi State. He decided to transfer to Pearl River Community College and use it as a stepping stone to another SEC school. Once again, things didn’t go as planned. Favre played for a terrible team at Pearl River. Instead of multiple SEC schools knocking on his door, Favre was lucky to get an offer from UT Martin. He got the offer from UT Martin despite getting arrested for possession of marijuana and charged with intent to sell after the season was over.

Things haven’t gone as well at UT Martin either. Favre has only played in 6 of the 10 games the Skyhawks have played this season. The new starter is Jarod Neal. Neal has been the far more successful quarterback. Favre no doubt wants to get on the field Saturday to show Mississippi State and Dan Mullen what he is capable of, but he may not get that chance until the game is in the blowout stage, and the Skyhawks’ coach wants to get his starter out to avoid injury. Favre in his time at quarterback this year has completed 60% of his passes and 4 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Turning the Page

One of the best remedies for a runaway ego is to gain a little bit of maturity. Favre recently became a father. It’s a big task to raise a child, especially at such a young age. What little I have heard about it, Favre has accepted the responsibility with open arms.

I don’t know what the future holds for Dylan Favre. I hope that he is able to rebound from his failed dreams in football. He was once a Bulldog, so I will be pulling for him in all that comes his way. Whatever happens to him, we can all learn the lessons of controlling our ego instead of letting it control us.