Evaluating Mississippi State at the Halfway Point

Sep 26, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Sean White (13) runs the ball while defended by Mississippi State Bulldogs linebacker Richie Brown (39) during the fourth quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mississippi State defeated Auburn 17-9. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Most Valuable Player: Richie Brown

Richie Brown gets the nod here. This choice was as difficult as the Offensive most Valuable Player was easy. I probably could have chosen three or four different players for this spot.

The reason I went with Richie Brown over A.J. Jefferson, Beniquez Brown, or Will Redmond is two fold. Brown was s asked to replace former Middle Linebacker Benardrick McKinney. And he was asked to match McKinney’s production. An argument could be made Brown has exceeded McKinney in the production category.

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Richie Brown currently leads the Mississippi State Bulldogs in tackles with 54 on the season. More importantly, he is rarely missing a tackle.

Tackling for the Bulldogs this season has been very hit or miss. There are times when the Bulldogs have done an excellent job of wrapping up a ball carrier and bringing them down. Then there are long stretches of the game where the Bulldogs can’t seem to bring anyone down.

There have been a few isolated exceptions, but overall, Richie Brown hasn’t had this applied to him. Whenever there has been a play for him to make, he’s usually done it. For this reason, Richie Brown gets the choice of Defensive MVP for the first half of the season.

Next: Offensive Most Surprising Player