Mississippi State Football

Mississippi State may be 4-0 and ranked in the Top 25 in both major polls, but head coach Dan Mullen isn't satisfied with early-season success.

He wants championships now.

The fourth-year head coach of the Bulldogs got his wish on Thursday, but perhaps not the exact championship he has been searching for.

Mullen ate 24 chicken wings in five minutes to claim the title in an eating contest at Buffalo Wild Wings, according to USA Today. Mullen ate an average of 4.8 wings per minute to claim the title and wing-eating glory.

Now THAT'S "SEC speed."

An ecstatic Mullen commented on his championship victory to Brandon Marcello of the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger.

Dan Mullen, wing eating champ: "It's not really a Man vs. Food type challenge to where you get to the point of it being painful."

— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 28, 2012

Images of the event were posted on Twitter by @bristewart31 (h/t USA Today).

Emily Eaves just took on @coachdanmullen in a chicken wing eating contest #dawgsfinnaeat twitter.com/bristewart31/s…

— Bri Stewart (@bristewart31) September 28, 2012

Before everyone freaks out and asks why Mullen isn't out game-planning and studying film, Mississippi State is off this week and plays at Kentucky next week.

Game-planning is optional in Starkville for the foreseeable future.

Competitive eating may not be the bye-week hobby of choice for most coaches, but it's nice to see coaches let their guard down from time to time and have a little fun.

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They aren't a pushover anymore.

Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen got the monkey off of his back earlier this month when his Bulldogs beat an SEC West team not named "Ole Miss" for the first time since taking the job.

But did the 28-10 win over Auburn signify a shift in the pecking order behind Alabama and LSU in the SEC West?

We will have to see the rest of the season play out a bit before answering that question. What it did do, however, is put the SEC West juggernauts on notice that they shouldn't sleep on Mississippi State anymore.

The reason is simple: Mississippi State can play defense.

Don't be fooled by the fact that they currently rank ninth in the SEC in total defense. That's an anomaly due in large part to the fact that they gave up 572 yards to Troy. That's not to excuse that game, but the inflated number makes it more of a statistical outlier rather than the sign of a trend.

Specifically, the Bulldogs force turnovers and protect the football.

They currently lead the SEC in turnover margin, gaining 3.25 turnovers per game. For the season, the Bulldogs have gained 15 turnovers and only lost two.

That's strong.

For perspective's sake, LSU and Oklahoma State were the top two teams in the country last season in terms of turnover margin, and those two teams finished No. 2 and 3, respectively.

Everyone focuses on Johnthan Banks and his three interceptions, but fellow cornerback Darius Slay is tied for the top spot in the country with four picks, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

The ability to force turnovers is the great equalizer for any team. LSU and Alabama both protect the football, so something is going to have to give when each of the two SEC West stalwarts face off against the Bulldogs.

Offensively, the Bulldogs aren't world-beaters, but they're smart with the football and capitalize on their opportunities.

Tyler Russell has thrown eight touchdowns and only one pick, while running back LaDarius Perkins has proven that he's not just a changeup running back by averaging 97.25 rushing yards per game.

Mississippi State probably isn't good enough to contend for the SEC West this season, but if it can continue to win the turnover battle on a consistent basis, it can certainly stay in every game. 

If you're in every game, all you need is a couple of breaks to perhaps spring the upset.

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Former Mississippi State booster Robert Denton Herring allegedly paid defensive back Will Redmond and his former coach in order to recruit him to the SEC school. 

Yahoo Sports’ Pat Forde writes the following: 

In an interview with Y! Sports, Nashville-based seven-on-seven coach Byron De'Vinner—recipient of the lodging and meals—explained in detail how former Mississippi State booster Robert Denton Herring broke multiple NCAA rules in 2011 and '12 in an effort to land Memphis East High School defensive back Will Redmond. 

The report also notes that the school has already taken action against Herring. Forde reports, "In July the school sent Herring, who lives in Roswell, Ga., a letter informing him that he had been disassociated from the athletic program for 'impermissible contact' with a recruit." 

Redmond is a 5’11”, 175-pound freshman for the Bulldogs. Rivals.com rated him as a 4-star recruit and the 21^st-best prospect in the nation at his position.

This news comes less than a month after assistant coach Angelo Mirando resigned for "unforeseen personal issues,” according to SportsIllustrated.com. However, Forde implicates Mirando in the recruiting violations. 

The report does not implicate other coaches, but does quote De’Vinner saying that Redmond is not the only player who received benefits. Per Forde’s article, he said, “I don't think there were no other coaches in the know, but Denton was dealing with a lot of players over there. Will was the one caught up, but he was dealing with a lot of players."

Forde’s article notes that the NCAA and Mississippi State have been investigating these claims over the past several months, and all of De’Vinner’s information has been shared with both parties.

Redmond has not seen the field this season for the Bulldogs, who are 2-0 after wins against Jackson State and Auburn. The school will take on Troy this Saturday. 

Mississippi State proved that it should be ranked in the next AP Top 25 poll with a dominant victory over Auburn.

The Bulldogs looked impressive on both sides of the ball as they trounced their SEC West opponent 28-10 and improved to 2-0. The team received just three votes in the Week 2 rankings, but it will certainly get more attention this week.

The first half against Auburn made it look as though it would be another close battle between these two teams, as Mississippi State took a 7-3 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Tigers appeared to set the tone when Onterio McCalebb started the third quarter with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

But the Bulldogs responded with 21 unanswered points to close out the game. 

In this game, Mississippi State junior quarterback Tyler Russell proved that he can be efficient and effective. He did not try to force throws and ended the game with 222 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. 

Russell hit tight end Marcus Green for two of his touchdowns and spread the ball around, completing passes to nine different receivers.

Senior cornerback Johnthan Banks has established himself as one of the premier cornerbacks in the country. His reputation usually leads teams to throw the ball away from him, but Auburn’s Kiehl Frazier opted to take his chances, and Banks punished him with two interceptions.

The Bulldogs secondary is incredibly talented, but the front seven showed how effective it can be today, as well. Auburn’s rushing attack was stuffed for just 91 yards on 39 carries, and no Tiger was able to average more than four yards per carry. 

While Auburn will certainly not be a national powerhouse this season, they are still an SEC team coming off an 8-5 season. Easy games do not exist in the SEC, and the Bulldogs made this victory look simple.

With the talent Mississippi State has on both sides of the ball and the performance they put on this weekend, the Bulldogs certainly look like one of the 25 best teams in the country.

It is no secret the pressure is on Mississippi State's Dan Mullen.  Despite all he has done for Mississippi State football, the one thing that people always come back to is his inability to win in the SEC West.  

Despite beating the likes of Georgia, Florida and Michigan, people always ask "when are you going to beat someone not named Ole Miss in the West?" 

With recent short comings verses LSU, Auburn and Arkansas, the Bulldog faithful long for their team to close the deal in one of these close games and step into that "next level" of the SEC West. 

That step comes this weekend as we look at three reasons why Mississippi State will finally get over the hump and defeat the Auburn Tigers when they meet this Saturday for the Bloody Mary game at 11 a.m. CST on ESPN. 

Reason One: Mississippi State will make Kiehl Frazier throw the football. 

Auburn totally flipped schemes and coordinators in the offseason, going from Gus Malzahn and the spread to Scott Loeffler and back to a pro-style offense.  

Auburn mustered 374 yards of offense last week verses Clemson but looked out of sync at times and for Kiehl Frazier, it is going to take some time to go from the spread to a pro-style of play.  Frazier was recruited to be a spread quarterback and now his growing pains are showing in this new offense.  

Look for Mississippi State to stack the box, and make Kiehl Frazier throw the football.

It is apparent that the Tigers want to lean on running backs Tre Mason and Ontario McCalebb.  Mississippi State defensive coordinator Chris Wilson will make sure to take the running game away from Auburn and lean on that experience in the secondary to make plays when Frazier has to throw the football.

The Bulldogs will lock either John Banks or Darius Slay on Emory Blake and with the experience in the secondary and the ability to rush the passer, Mississippi State wins this battle all day long.  

Reason Two: Mississippi State will be successful running the football

Auburn's inability to slow people down on the ground last year was a concern as the Tigers gave up 189 yards per game. In steps new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder to help head coach Gene Chizik fix the Tigers' defensive issues—but it is going to take some time. 

Last week Clemson piled up 320 yards on the ground verses the Tigers and if you are a Mississippi State running back, you are salivating watching game film.  The Bulldogs last year rushed for 333 yards against the Tigers and look for State to again have success running the football. 

Yes this is Tyler Russell's team and yes Dan Mullen has said the Bulldogs will throw the ball more often, but do not let the head coach fool you.  

Everywhere he has been, Mullen has shown he wants to run the football and look for State to set up the run with Russell's arm in this game.  The Bulldogs do not have that "feature back" established yet like in years past, but the quartet of Ladarius Perkins, Nick Griffin, Josh Robinson and Derek Milton will provide plenty of yards and issues for the Tigers. 

Reason Three: Dan Mullen's coaching and staff trumps Chizik's everyday and twice on Sundays

With the exception of the recent exit of wide receivers coach Angelo Mirando, Dan Mullen has done a good job of keeping his coaching staff in tact.  Chris Wilson was promoted to defensive coordinator after Many Diaz left for Texas in 2011, and the transition seemed seamless last year.  

The players seem to be very comfortable with this staff as most of the coaches have been with Dan Mullen since day one in 2009. 

The same cannot be said for Auburn and Gene Chizik.  Chizik is replacing offensive and defensive coordinators this season and changing schemes.  This drastic of a change in not only coaches but scheme takes time to see positive results for anyone.  

You will continue to see blown assignments from both units this weekend for the Tigers as they are still learning under new coaching and developing new schemes. 

Finally, Gene Chizik does not impress me as a head coach.  Yes he won a National Championship but thank Cam Newton for that.  

If you take the 2010 season out of Chizik's resume his overall record would be 21-30.  Gene Chizik is an average coach at best and after Saturday, the heat will be on him from the Auburn faithful as his Tigers will have started the 2012 season 0-2.

As for Dan Mullen? The monkey will be off his back as he will have finally beaten someone else in the west not named Mississippi. 

Put up or shut up, Make hay or roll on in, go big or go home. Those are all sayings for show me what you are working with or please sit down, kind sir.

Dan Mullen, now in his fourth year at Mississippi State, has done some remarkable things for a program that has only a handful of successful seasons. From season-ticket sales going through the roof, to beating his arch-rival three straight times, to proclaiming the state of Mississippi belongs to the Maroon and White, to two straight bowl wins, he's made an impact.

Mullen has given his fanbase much to be proud of, But the brash, cocky coach, much like many coaches of his generation, can sometimes get carried away if he is not careful. Mullen has proclaimed that Mississippi State is not that far from competing on the national stage and more.

The old saying, "fake it 'till you make it," or power perceived is power achieved, has to be Mullen's motto. But when you look at his resume in SEC play—3-12 versus the SEC West—it is hardly championship-caliber.

For all he has done, Mullen still has not beaten anyone besides Ole Miss in the SEC West. That sort of talk will amp back up this week with Auburn set to come to Starkville on Saturday.

Yes, the SEC is shooting for its seventh straight national championship in football. And, yes, three of those champions hail from the SEC West.

It's also probably true that Arkansas would win the Big Ten or ACC and that the SEC West is by far the toughest division in college football.

But all that is moot now and Mullen must produce. He must take his team to that next level if anyone is going to ever take him seriously.

His first opportunity comes this weekend against a coach who has gotten the best of him in more ways than one.  Gene Chizik not only has stolen two straight from Mullen in heartbreaking fashion, he also was able to land prize recruit Cam Newton a few years ago when many felt Mullen had the edge on Newton due to their previous relationship at Florida.

After Saturday night's season-opening win over Jackson State, Mullen quickly turned attention to Auburn, which lost a heartbreaker to Clemson to begin its 2012 campaign.

When asked about the importance of this game, Mullen told ClarionLedger.com:  "We've been right there with opportunities to win and didn't pull it out, so I think our guys are motivated."

With Auburn taking one on the chin this past Saturday, the drama now intensifies. Chizik's team can ill afford to go 0-2. So you know Auburn will come ready to play and expecting to beat a team it has beaten 10 out of the last 11 tries. 

A loss to Mississippi State would put Auburn in a serious hole and place Chizik on a hot seat with the Auburn faithful. The Tigers will throw everything they have at Mississippi State this coming Saturday.

Mullen and his team will no doubt be prepared.  An 18th straight sellout is expected, and a nationally televised audience will be able to watch the first Saturday SEC game of the season. We have all seen this scenario before.

Getting to bowl games and beating your rival make alumni happy, but for only so long in this day and age of what have you done for me lately. Today, you have to continue to show improvement. Mullen gets that chance against a team he has had on the ropes before.

Saturday is another chance for Mullen to knock one of the big boys down and say—I told you so, we are not that far away.

Mississippi State opened the Dan Mullen era in 2009 with a 45-7 defeat of Jackson State.

Four years later, the Bulldogs are looking to ultimately win their third consecutive bowl game for the first time in school history. Yet, for some reason, the Bulldogs are once again flying under the radar.

But Jackson State has improved, as well. In fact, the Tigers finished last season with nine wins and only two losses. They will have to replace quarterback Casey Therriault, who threw for 3,791 yards and 27 touchdowns last season.

The Tigers do have an experienced defense with nine senior starters. However, they do not play in the SEC, whereas the Bulldogs do and should be in everyone’s top-25 rankings.

The offense will look much different this season. QB Chris Relf has departed but Tyler Russell is now the signal-caller. At At 6'4", 220 pounds, Russell may be the guy that Mullen has been looking for.

The position to keep your eye on is running back. Mississippi State is replacing one of my all-time favorite players, Vick Ballard, with LaDarius Perkins. At 5'10" and 190 pounds, Perkins is not the bruiser that Ballard was. However, if RB Nick Griffin is able to evolve, he and Perkins could lighten the blow of Ballard's departure.

On defense it should be a breakout year for Josh Boyd.

The 6'3" and 300-pound defensive linemen landed on my preseason All-SEC second team. Last season Boyd had 51 tackles and four sacks. Those numbers will improve drastically this season. Boyd will be the centerpiece of Mississippi State's defensive line and his defensive teammates will build off of his individual prowess.

While the Bulldogs will not show all of their cards on Saturday, they must fire on all cylinders so as to ready themselves for the Auburn game the following week. If Mississippi State beats Auburn, a 7-0 start is not out of the question.

Prediction

 Mullen will have his team fired up to play and the scoreboard will reflect it. The most important thing for the Bulldogs is to jump on the Jackson State fast and put the reserves in soon after to avoid injury.

Score Prediction

 Mississippi State wins 52-13.