MWN Mailbag: Vandy Week

Nov 8, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; A Mississippi State Bulldogs fan waves a bulldogs flag against the UT Martin Skyhawks during the first quarter at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

It’s Thursday, so that means it’s time to find out what is on the mind of our readers and try to get you guys some answers. A lot more questions than I expected for the Vandy game, so lets jump straight in.

The one player that sticks out is ILB Nigel Bowden. He is a redshirt freshman and leads the team in tackles by a wide margin. He has 74 tackles and the next closest is 55. Outside of him, there isn’t a whole lot of players that stand out. They don’t have a ton of offensive playmakers, and they don’t do a whole lot on defense. There is a reason that Mississippi State is a 30.5 point favorite as they enter this game.

It’s hard to say. Assuming Mississippi State beats both Vandy and Ole Miss, there won’t be anything that Baylor, TCU, or Ohio State could do with the opponents they have on their schedule still to make themselves a more attractive option for the playoff committee. The only team that worries me is Ohio State. The Buckeyes will likely play Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship. That one game could propel the Buckeyes past the Bulldogs. I don’t think it should, but there is a good possibility that it might just do that. There will be lots of pressure on the committee to not put two teams from the SEC in the playoff and a 12-1 Ohio State team with a Conference Championship game win over Wisconsin might be just what the Committee needs to justify replacing the Bulldogs.

I actually wrote about this very topic yesterday. This assumes that the Bulldogs win both of their final two games, and the committee doesn’t find an excuse to bump the Bulldogs, but yeah, it’s almost like the Bulldogs were rewarded for losing to Alabama. The Bulldogs would want nothing more than to finish in the top 4 and play their first game in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl. Right now, that is exactly what would happen. I don’t think they would want to play Alabama in the first game, but you have to figure you need to beat them at least once, so it might as well be in New Orleans when you are likely to have your most fans there. Not playing in the SEC Championship game would be ideal if you know you are going to end up as one of the Final Four. One less tough game and less opportunity to accumulate significant injuries. But like I said earlier, I’m afraid the Committee is going to look for excuses to knock the Bulldogs out.

Dak is certainly coming back next year. The only projections I have seen have put Dak as a 2nd or 3rd round pick. It has nothing to do with the amount of interceptions he has thrown. It has everything to do with needing to improve as a passer. Look at the status of all the mobile quarterbacks in the NFL right now. The ones that have played a few years are hurting and struggling. Dak is a tough player, but his body can’t take the beating like he does in the NFL as he has in Starkville. He just can’t do it. The mobile quarterbacks who continue to rely on their feet as a weapon will eventually struggle at the next level. They can make some dazzling plays for a few years, but the beating they take will eventually catch up them if they don’t learn to refine their skills as a pocket passer.

That being said, I think the offense will look great next year. Dak should be back along with Josh Robinson. We lose Jameon Lewis, but we have De’Runnya Wilson, Fred Ross, and Fred Brown coming back who have made significant strides as receivers. To replace Jameon in the slot, we will either turn to Gabe Myles or Jamoral Graham. Graham has struggled with punt returns, but he was brought here to be a slot receiver. He is going to impress a whole bunch of people once he gets an opportunity to play some in the slot.

The biggest concern will be on the offensive line and tight end. We lose Dillon Day, Ben Beckwith, and Blaine Clausell. We also lose Malcolm Johnson at Tight End. Those guys will be tough to replace, but we have done an excellent job building up depth. We have lots of options on the offensive line to replace those guys with. Waiting in the wings will be Devon Desper, Jocquell Johnson, Kent Flowers, among others. I’m guessing that Gus Walley will be the leader going into spring practice to replace Malcolm Johnson as he has gotten most of the minutes as the back up tight end this year.

Thanks for the questions, and I look forward to getting a whole bunch more next week for one of the most highly anticipated Egg Bowls in the history of the series!