Mississippi State Football

Missouri made some nice cash the last couple of seasons, going 20-8 against the spread, but betting trends are born to reverse themselves eventually, and the offensively challenged Tigers are just 2-6 ATS this season. Missouri also rides a dismal three-game losing streak into a home date with Mississippi State Thursday night in Columbia.

Point spread: Bulldogs opened as 7.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 35.0-23.8 Bulldogs

Why the Mississippi State Bulldogs can cover the spread

MSU won its third game in a row two weeks ago, beating Kentucky 42-16, covering as a two-touchdown home favorite. The Bulldogs then had last week off.

Mississippi State spotted the Wildcats an early 7-0 lead, but sometimes that's the best thing that can happen to a big home favorite; it's like a good slap in the face. The Bulldogs responded by outscoring Kentucky 35-6 over the last three quarters. On the night, MSU out-gained the Wildcats by 160 yards, ran the ball for 204 yards and won the turnover battle 3-1.

Just before that, the Bulldogs beat Louisiana Tech 45-20, and just before that, they beat Troy 45-17. So MSU is averaging 44 points over its last three games.

Why the Missouri Tigers can cover the spread

Mizzou started well enough this season, going 4-1, beating South Carolina to reach 1-1 in SEC play, but the Tigers have lost three games in a row, including a 10-3 decision at Vanderbilt two weeks ago. The Tigers then also had last week off.

Missouri again played without quarterback Maty Mauk (who's now been suspended for good) against Vandy, and did very little offensively. But the defense kept the Tigers in the game, allowing just 304 yards of Commodores offense. Mizzou had a chance to force overtime late, driving into the Vandy red zone, but ran out of downs.

Three weeks ago, the Tigers lost at Georgia 9-6, but they held UGA to 298 yards and covered as two-touchdown dogs. Just before that, they lost to Florida 21-3, allowing just 337 yards of Gators offense. If Missouri could just move the ball a little and put up 17-20 points, they could win this game outright.

Smart pick

The Tigers have scored a total of 12 points over their last three games. However, the Bulldogs, while putting up some good numbers against lesser foes recently, only scored 19, 17 and 17 points against LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M. It might be tough taking a team that hasn't scored a touchdown in a month, but the smart choice here is with the defensive-minded home dog.

Betting trends

The total has gone under in 10 of Missouri's last 11 games at home.

Missouri is 8-0 SU and ATS in its last eight games in November.

Mississippi State is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and get the free odds-tracker app.

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Rufus Warren is a marked man this season, and he knows it.

Wearing No. 77, the Mississippi State senior is a first-time starter—one of three on the offensive line—and playing a crucial role on the 2015 Bulldogs: left tackle.

That means his primary responsibility is to protect Dak Prescott’s blind side. With the quarterback who finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting last year as the undeniable key to MSU’s success this season, one could argue that Warren is therefore the most important player on the roster.

If that doesn’t put enough pressure on his shoulders, consider that Warren is a converted tight end.

“When you got a guy like Dak behind you, yeah,” Warren said. “Every freaking snap you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I just have to make sure that my man doesn’t even get close to him.’ 

“That’s what makes it good and fun, but it’s also a lot of pressure. It’s a pressure that I want.”

Fittingly, when Warren was recruited out of Gentry High School in Indianola, Miss., it was more for his potential than anything else. Rated by 247Sports as the 40th-best prospect at tight end and 25th-best player in his home state, he arrived in Starkville as a 6’5”, 238-pound project.

After redshirting, he spent the next two years working his way up to playing maybe 10-15 plays a game—mostly on special teams—and caught the only pass thrown his way for a 23-yard gain.

The thing was, Warren was still growing and filling out. The scale continued to rise up to 240, 250, 260...

“He was underdeveloped when he got here as a recruit,” offensive line coach John Hevesy said. “I told him about three years ago if he keeps eating he’ll end up in my room and he was like, ‘No, I’m not.’”

When Warren got to the point that it was a challenge for him to keep his weight near 270 pounds, the coaches gave him a choice. He could continue to fight against his natural body size at tight end or try playing on the offensive line and probably have a better shot at eventually starting.

Knowing that Blaine Clausell’s third season starting at left tackle in 2014 would also be his last, Warren agreed to the switch and to serve as an understudy for a year.

“It just kind of became a situation for us where you’re almost fighting the inevitable,” head coach Dan Mullen said. “Instead of trying to make him lose this weight and stay as small as he can to remain at tight end, [we said] “Hey, go have another burger at lunch or eat a biscuit at breakfast and go play left tackle.”

Warren’s now listed at 6’7” and 299 pounds without looking heavy. He played in all 13 games as a reserve last season—including some at right tackle—and in addition to doing a lot of film study, he continues to pick the brains of his predecessors about what to look for and expect.

Like with most first-time starters, his debut was a bit of a mixed bag last Saturday against Southern Miss.

He had the key block on what should have been a 10-yard touchdown run by Ashton Shumpert, only the running back fumbled into the end zone for an early turnover.

When pulling, which is more typical of an interior lineman, Warren contributed to both a 35-yard run by Brandon Holloway and 49-yard carry by Prescott.

However, late in the second quarter on 3rd-and-11 at the MSU 10-yard line, he was bull-rushed by Ja'Boree Poole, a 6’2”, 250-pound defensive lineman who sacked Prescott from behind.

In the third quarter, he got beat on the outside by linebacker Darian Yancey, who subsequently flushed Prescott out of the pocket. The quarterback tried to force a bad pass over the middle that came very close to being a pick-six.

Mississippi State finished with 205 rushing yards and 237 passing yards, and the line was flagged just twice—both holding calls, but neither on Warren—despite being on the road. Prescott didn’t necessarily play like a top Heisman candidate during the 34-16 victory, but he also didn’t take too many hits.

“I think all them improved very alike during the course of the game,” Mullen said about the new starters. “Hopefully I’ll see huge improvement this week because now they’re used to what game situations are like, making adjustments, talking on the sideline and playing. A lot of times at practice you have a bad play, you can do it over if something goes wrong.”

“To be honest with you, from start to finish I thought all three of the starters handled the situation very well. We can play a lot better.”

It’s kind of crucial with the upcoming schedule. Although Warren is really looking forward to facing Missouri because of the Tigers’ reputation for having a strong defensive line in the past couple of years, next up on the schedule is LSU on Saturday (8:15 p.m. CT, ESPN).

Two weeks later, Mississippi State begins a nasty back-to-back road swing through Auburn and Texas A&M. The Tigers notched four sacks against Louisville and the Aggies had nine against Arizona State.

So junior Jamaal Clayborn may be new at center and junior Devon Desper has taken over at right guard, but there’s little doubt who will be challenged the most: the former tight end.

“To me, it’s much easier,” Warren said about his position change. “At tight end, I have to know what the receiver’s doing, what the running back is doing, while with the O-line it’s just strictly learning how to protect Dak and [my assignments]. It’d definitely easier and it’s fun.”

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Every year, football players all say the same thing, about how each game is just as important as the others, and you have to take them all one at a time.

Don’t blame them. The clichés keep everyone from providing excessive bulletin board material and getting into trouble with their coaches.

But when it comes to Mississippi State, there really is one early game that needs to be circled on the 2015 schedule, because it’ll likely dictate the tone of the whole season.

It’s the same game that essentially started last year’s epic run, LSU, which had previously won 14 straight meetings, and 21 of 22 against the Bulldogs.

This time the Tigers will be visiting on Sept. 12 (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). Win, and everything is possible. Lose, and Mississippi State could quickly find itself in a very big hole in the Southeastern Conference’s West Division.

Perhaps that’s why Dan Mullen stated at SEC media days: “This is my seventh year coming here, and I think all seven years they've pretty much picked us to finish last in the West. It's kind of like a tradition, I guess.”

He said that before his team was listed last in the predicted order of finish, and on the outside looking in of the Top 25 in the preseason Associated Press Poll. Mullen’s been playing the respect card so loudly that one wouldn’t be surprised to see him followed around by a person carrying a boombox playing Aretha Franklin.

The Bulldogs know this tune well, as it’s a theme they’ve heard over and over again over the years, about how no one gives them enough credit and they’re left proving their critics wrong.

“I definitely have a big chip,” senior quarterback Dak Prescott said. “We’re never predicted to be at the top of the SEC, so we go in every year with a chip. To have the kind of season that we had last year and to be placed wherever we’re placed, that chip is going to grow a little bit.”

Last year, of course, Mississippi State was on top of the college football world for a while. After being unranked in the AP poll for all of September, it knocked off three straight top-10 teams, including No. 2 Auburn, to move into the No. 1 slot.

Year, Team	Took over No. 1 in AP poll
2014 Ohio State	Final poll
2013 Florida State	Dec. 1
2012 Alabama	Final poll
2011 Alabama	Final poll
2010 Auburn	Dec. 5
2009 Alabama	Dec. 6
2008 Florida	Dec. 7
2007 LSU	Final poll
2006 Florida	Final poll
2005 Texas	Final poll

It stayed there until running into Alabama a month later, and combined with subsequent losses against Ole Miss and Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl finished No. 11.

What Mississippi State learned during its first trip to the top of the rankings was just how difficult being the bullseye can be, and that it’s a lot tougher staying No. 1 than getting there.

“Definitely to stay,” Prescott said. “To go from hunting to being the hunted. We were just getting everybody’s best shot.”

“That’s why we tip our hats to the Alabamas of the world, or the Ohio States or Oregons, because it’s hard to do that, to get to that spot and maintain it,” defensive end Ryan Brown said.

Only no team has really been able to do so over the past 10 years. The most recent champion, Ohio State, followed everyone else’s example in that it didn’t land at No. 1 until the end of last season. The only program to buck the trend and regain No. 1 in the final AP poll after losing it during the season was Alabama (in 2009 and 2012).

Give Mississippi State a ton of credit for getting a good look at college football’s promised land, but Mullen knows this season has the potential to be comparable or possibly play out even better for the Bulldogs, which he’s been preaching, but very few people outside of the state have been hearing. 

Here’s what they see when they look at the 2015 team:

Four returning starters on offense.

Four returning starters on defense.

An offensive line that has to find three new starters and has a big question mark at center.

No one in the backfield had more than 300 rushing yards last season.

The defense was last in the SEC in passing yards allowed (No. 117 nationally) and 10th in total defense. It gave up 532 yards in the Egg Bowl and 577 to Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

Now here’s what Mullen sees:

Numerous players returning with game experience. For example, running back Ashton Shumpert had 207 rushing yards over the final four games of last season, and Mississippi State appears to have some depth at the position.

Seven players who have caught a touchdown pass returned, giving Prescott numerous options.

Defensive lineman Chris Jones has just three starts while playing in 26 games, and has totaled 58 tackles, 10½ for a loss and six sacks.

Beniquez Brown was second in team tackles in 2014, and Gerri Green has a lot of potential at middle linebacker.

Last year’s defense was clutch on third downs and in the red zone. New defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who held the same position in 2010 before being hired away by Texas, will try to maintain that while striving to improve the pass defense.

Will Redmond has played in 20 games, with 74 tackles, 5½ for a loss and three interceptions, giving the coaches a second senior corner, with the other being Taveze Calhoun.

“They're not returning starters because they didn't play the first play of the game,” Mullen said. “I don't view that as a real negative, which I love that maybe people look past us, underestimate us, say they don't have much of a chance this year.”

Considering the way the Bulldogs have started to add some depth, the key may be how long it takes things to come together. Thus, the LSU game features to be huge because two weeks later, Mississippi State plays a tough back-to-back on the road at Auburn and Texas A&M.

The obvious danger there is an 0-1 conference start could snowball into 0-3. As long as Mississippi State avoids that, it’ll be in the running when the division is finally decided in November.

That’s when the Bulldogs finish up with a brutal stretch of games at Missouri, Alabama, at Arkansas and finally Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. All four teams were ranked in the preseason polls.

“We talk about it every day,” Calhoun said. “When things get hard, we’re working out, running or whatever it may be, we always think about the last three games of last year. We have to learn how to finish.” 

It should have all the motivation it needs.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer.

Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.

Mississippi State defensive lineman Ryan Brown described the scene from last month as just an ordinary day, with an ordinary trash bucket and an athlete who is anything but ordinary.

Dak Prescott was leaving the locker room with teammates when he picked up a piece of garbage and took a shot at the can from about 20 feet away. He missed.

Even though they all had places to go and things to do, Prescott kept going.

“I was like ‘Brother let’s go,’ but he just continued to shoot,” Brown said. “And when he made that, he wanted to scoot back.”

They eventually had to make him stop.

“I’ve never seen anyone who loves to compete like he does,” Brown added. “He didn’t want to let it go.”

With that in mind, try to imagine how the three losses from 2014—against No. 1 Alabama, rival Ole Miss and Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl—have been eating away at the quarterback since January.

Or how he took it when the Bulldogs, after spending more than a month at No. 1 last season, were recently predicted to finish last at SEC media days.

It also helps explain how Prescott made the decision to come back for his senior season instead of leaving school early for the National Football League. In addition to not wanting to sit on a bench this fall learning a new system, he wanted another shot.

“I remember one time that he said he wanted to be the best in everything,” cornerback Taveze Calhoun said. “Running sprints, dressing or maybe even sleeping, it doesn’t matter what it is. That gives him the edge that he has, and being a quarterback, I think he needs that.”

Usually, heading into a season, there’s a debate about who the best quarterback is in each conference, but this year in the SEC, there’s no doubt.

Prescott was first-team All-SEC and a finalist for essentially every national quarterback award in 2014. He placed eighth in voting for the Heisman Trophy, Mississippi State’s best finish ever.

That designation is something Prescott’s going to have to get used to because previously the list of outstanding quarterbacks at Mississippi State pretty much started and ended with Jackie Parker (1952-53).

Twice named the SEC’s MVP, the All-American led the nation in scoring as a senior. He went on to have a prolific 14-year career in the Canadian Football League, during which he won the MVP award three times and was named All-Pro nine times.

Meanwhile, Prescott has been drawing comparisons to the other famous quarterback Dan Mullen used to coach while at Florida, Tim Tebow. With similar size (Tebow was 6’3”, 235 lbs, while Prescott is listed as 6’2”, 230 lbs), they’re both tall, strong, big, fast and tough for a defense to bring down.

With 10 more rushing touchdowns by Prescott, they’ll be the only two quarterbacks in SEC history to run for 40 touchdowns and throw for 40 in a career.

“I was a big Tebow fan,” said Prescott, who picked Tebow’s No. 15 to wear when his high school jersey number wasn’t available as a freshman. “That was cool.”

Even Tebow’s numbers from his Heisman Trophy year and Prescott’s from last season are comparable. The big difference is Tebow ran in more touchdowns and had fewer passes intercepted in 2007.

Player	Rushing	TDs	Passing	Yards	TDs	Int.	Rating
Prescott 2014	210-986	14	244-396	3,449	27	11	151.7
Tebow 2007	210-895	23	234-350	3,286	32	6	172.5

But that points to the one thing that Prescott has to be careful of this season—trying to do too much. Although the Bulldogs have some promising quarterbacks behind him, with Damian Williams, Nick Fitzgerald and Elijah Staley, Mississippi State’s hopes clearly ride with Prescott.

“Dak is a proven leader,” Calhoun said. “Everybody trusts him on the team. Everybody follows him. Just going on, knowing the kind of guy that he is, knowing that he’s going to be prepared and ready to lead the team, ready to step up in the leadership role, I think that gives up confidence as a player. You can always depend on him no matter what the situation in the game.”

However, Prescott’s one of just four returning starters on offense, with the others being prolific wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson, and linemen Justin Malone and Justin Senior. The rest of the line is a question mark going into training camp, while numerous playmakers also need to step up.

With the departure of Josh Robinson, none of the returning running backs had more than 294 rushing yards last season (Brandon Holloway), although Ashton Shumpert tallied 68 yards on 10 carries in the Egg Bowl. The team needs to find a replacement for slot receiver Jameon Lewis. The defense will have seven new starters.

It can’t just be Prescott alone, especially when considering Mississippi State’s schedule features an early showdown with LSU on Sept. 12 (9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN), back-to-back road games at Auburn and Texas A&M, and a brutal November against four teams all ranked in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll.

Mullen even touched upon it indirectly when talking about what his quarterback worked on the most this summer.

“I think the first thing that you see that Dak's really improved on this offseason is getting rid of the football in his hand,” Mullen said. “Understanding where he wants to go with the ball in any situation, getting to the third or fourth read in a progression, knowing where his checkdown is, knowing when to hold the ball for a second and take a shot down the field, or just get it out of my hands quick and let's worry about playing the next play.”

A quicker release will aid Prescott’s NFL draft status, but it will also help him take fewer hits and hopefully keep him on the field this season.

Tebow never really replicated his Heisman numbers, but he also didn’t have to while leading the Gators to the 2008 national championship.

That’s the goal for Prescott, who when running the Davis Wade Stadium stairs for the last time as part of the offseason conditioning program did something unusual: He stopped at the top.

“I sat for a second, took a deep breath and said ‘It’s my last time. I’m going to give everything I have to make sure I do it the right way,’” said Prescott, who didn’t want to have a legacy of losing three of his last four games. 

“There’s a lot of unfinished business.”

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer.

Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.

Was Mississippi State's magical run to a 10-win season, the first No. 1 ranking in program history and its first Orange Bowl berth since 1941 a sign that the program has arrived, or simply a product of unique SEC West circumstances that allowed the Bulldogs to finish second behind Alabama in the division?

Head coach Dan Mullen began the quest to answer that question, when his Bulldogs opened spring practice on Tuesday in Starkville.

Star quarterback Dak Prescott is back to lead Mullen's potent offense that returns several stars, including wide receiver De'Runnya Wilson. Meanwhile, the defense must overcome massive roster attrition in the front seven.

What should you look for this spring in Starkville?

What to Watch on Offense

The battle to replace running back Josh Robinson will take center stage, as Brandon Holloway, Ashton Shumpert and Aeris Williams will battle to be the primary tailback in Starkville. Shumpert (6'2", 218 lbs) and Holloway (5'8", 160 lbs) split second-team carries last year behind Robinson and could provide a thunder-and-lighting combo that can kick the offense into overdrive.

Keep an eye on Williams, though. 

The 6'1", 215-pound redshirt freshman is a true all-purpose back and could provide the total package that Robinson did a year ago.

"Aeris always has a great attitude. He’s going to go as hard as he can with whatever he is doing," Mullen said in quotes released by Mississippi State. "When you look at a guy Aeris, we want to get the pads on him. He’s a physical-type player so you’re not going to see much out of his game until the pads come on."

Player	Car.	Yds.	TDs
Ashton Shumpert	45	294	1
Brandon Holloway	47	274	2
Aeris Williams	N/A	N/A	N/A

Outside, De'Runnya Wilson—better known as "Bear Force One"—leads a talented wide receiving corps that includes Fred Ross, Fred Brown, Joe Morrow and junior college transfer Donald Gray. 

Up front, though, is the real concern. 

Mississippi State lost three starters off of last season's offensive line, but it still could get tackle Damien Robinson back after the presumptive starter tore his ACL in fall camp last year and sat out the entire 2014 season. Mullen told Logan Lowery of InsideMSUSports.com that Robinson is still recovering, and the school is awaiting word on whether or not he will receive a sixth year of eligibility.

The loss of star center Dillon Day is a big concern, and all eyes up front will be on former guard Jamaal Clayborn in the middle of the offensive line.

"I think we experimented with that in bowl prep a little bit to give him some opportunities there and see if he was comfortable," Mullen said in quotes released by Mississippi State. "He’s worked all offseason snapping. I think that’s a starting point, but I think we also have to create some depth at that position."

If that offensive line can come together this spring, it will allow Prescott to get comfortable in the pocket. You saw what happens last year when the dual-threat star—who finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting—gets comfortable.

What to Watch on Defense

The front seven is undergoing a massive overhaul, after five of the seven starters from last year's final two-deep moved on to the NFL.

Specifically, star defensive tackle Chris Jones has to step up and become the leader.

The former star recruit played more of a rotational role last year in the veteran defensive tackle rotation, but he has all the talent in the world. At 6'5", 308 pounds, he has the size to play a 0-techinque and line up over center, but he has the quickness to play out at a 9-technique if defensive coordinator Manny Diaz lets him (he won't).

Another big loss is at linebacker, where Benardrick McKinney jumped early for the NFL. Keep an eye on freshman Gerri Green, a 6'4", 240-pound redshirt freshman from Greenville, Mississippi, to step up this spring and make a push for playing time. 

Mullen knows that his roster is loaded with youngsters.

"I bet 40 percent of our team has never played in a game," he said in quotes emailed by Mississippi State. "That’s redshirt freshmen, true freshmen and a lot of guys just graduated early and got in here as mid-year enrollees. A lot of guys that have never played in the game, and this is, to me, their first time to absorb it."

At the back end, Mississippi State lost starting cornerback Jamerson Love, safety Jay Hughes and Kendrick Market is still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered late last season. That is going to put a ton of pressure on some young players, including safeties Deontay Evans and Kivon Coman, as well as converted safety Jahmere Irvin-Sills.

Freshman to Keep an Eye on

Redshirt freshman Brandon Bryant.

The 5'11", 200-pounder from Tunica, Mississippi, is in a perfect position to make waves this spring considering the uncertainty that exists at safety on the roster. Bryant is good in coverage, has a nose for the football and isn't afraid to stick his nose in on run support.

What's more, with so many teams operating out of the nickel now, there's an even bigger chance that Bryant—and any other safety on the roster—will earn some playing time this spring.

Coach Mullen's Toughest Task

Managing expectations.

As many have noted, there's going to be a $4 million head coach in the SEC West who finishes last in the division in 2015. Will that be Mullen?

Last season's success was phenomenal, but with so much roster turnover, there's a decent chance that the Bulldogs take a massive step back from a record standpoint in 2015. That doesn't mean it's truly a massive step back, though.

The return of Prescott, Wilson and Mullen's ability to make an offense click regardless of personnel should keep the Bulldogs in plenty of games—even against the SEC West's big boys. That experience last year, though, played a big role in them winning most of those contests, and that doesn't exist on this year's squad. 

Mullen's crew may only take a minor step back in terms of overall talent and production, but a big one in the win-loss column. Mullen's ability to keep Mississippi State competitive will signal that it's still in the mix and has staying power, which would be a tremendous statement for the Mississippi State program.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.

Mississippi State wide receiver De'Runnya Wilson was reportedly one of four people arrested following a traffic stop in Alabama on Friday night.

River Falls police chief Greg Jackson told WSFA that officers detected the scent of marijuana after the vehicle the four were traveling in was pulled over for speeding. A K-9 unit was brought in to the stop, which occurred around 9 p.m.:

Wilson, Artis Cleveland, Keith Middleton, and Isaiah Maston were charged with possession of marijuana second degree and possession of drug paraphernalia and booked in the Covington County Jail.

Jackson also told WSFA the group was headed for a birthday party before the arrests. The police chief explained to a separate outlet, WAAO, that "all four occupants inside the vehicle admitted they couldn't pass a drug test."

Barrett Sailee of Bleacher Report provided a statement from head coach Dan Mullen on his team's disciplinary issues:

Statement from Mississippi State HC Dan Mullen on recent arrests pic.twitter.com/UXn0eZKyRU

— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) March 16, 2015

Wilson led Mississippi State in receiving last season with 47 catches for 680 yards and nine touchdowns. The production was nearly double what he put up during his freshman campaign. He's expected to play a key role in the Bulldogs' passing game again next fall.

There has been no word on whether the incident could lead to any potential discipline from the school. The report also didn't note when he's due in court to face the charges.

It wasn't a matter of "if," it was a matter of "when" Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen would receive a raise and contract extension.

"When" came on Thursday, when the school announced that Mullen would receive $4.275 million over the next four years—four years being the maximum duration allowed under state law.

"It’s a privilege to represent our university, our program and our fans here at Mississippi State," said Mullen in a release from the school. "I appreciate Scott Stricklin and our administration who have given us the tools and resources to be successful and develop Bulldog football into a national brand over the last six years."

Is it appropriate? You bet it is, given the current landscape of college football.

It may seem like Mullen is being rewarded for one good season—one in which his Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 for the first time ever, won 10 or more games for just the third time in history and earned an Orange Bowl bid for the first time since 1941.

To a point, that's accurate, but everything is relative. Relatively speaking, the fact that Mullen can say the program is even in the ballpark of becoming a "national brand" is nothing short of a miracle.

Year	Record	SEC Record	SEC West Finish	Bowl
2009	5-7	3-5	T4	N/A
2010	9-4	4-4	5	Gator (W)
2011	7-6	2-6	5	Music City (W)
2012	8-5	4-4	4	Gator (L)
2013	7-6	3-5	T5	Liberty (W)
2014	10-3	6-2	2	Orange (L)

Prior to Mullen's arrival, Mississippi State had gone to just 13 bowl games in its existence (1895-2008). Since his arrival, it's gone to five straight bowl games (2010-2014) for the first time in program history.

Up until his arrival, Mississippi State being an average SEC football team was the college football equivalent of the Washington Generals beating the Harlem Globetrotters twice in a row. It was mythical.

Not only did Mullen make it reality, he built on the foundation he constructed with 2014's magical run.

Mullen said in the release:

We spent five weeks ranked No. 1 last season for the first time, but we have only scratched the surface on what we can accomplish here. We have created a winning culture both on and off the field and built a program that has sustained success in the nation’s toughest conference. I’ve always said we are going to win a championship here, and I firmly believe that.

Stability helps sustain success, and Mullen's new contract announces to the college football world that Mississippi State is stable.

Is that a mirage, or is that reality?

Nobody knows until the Bulldogs go out and prove it, but the college football's newest $4 million man furthers that perception, and perception is reality in every aspect of college football.

From the way teams are perceived by the College Football Playoff selection committee, to the things coaches say to prospects in living rooms around the country, to the Heisman Trophy, everything is about public relations, and that's why Mullen's extension is important.

This is nothing new.

"It’s a salary race," former Georgia head coach and athletics director Vince Dooley told Bleacher Report. "I don’t know where it’s going to stop. It’s always been a race. When we came to Georgia, we had the worst facilities in the world. We changed that, but before we knew it, we were getting passed again. It’s constant, and you have that with salaries now."

Is Mississippi State athletics director Scott Stricklin taking a chance by backing up the Brinks truck to Mullen's house based on "one good season?"

Maybe.

But not doing it is much more of a risk, because it would signal to the rest of the world that the administration felt that 2014 was just one good season.

That's far more detrimental than a few million bucks.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.

Mississippi State has picked up one of the top linebackers in the class of 2015 with the addition of Leo Lewis. It adds to a successful signing day for the Bulldogs.

Brookhaven High School Sports confirmed the defender's college choice:

And Leo picks... Mississippi State University!! pic.twitter.com/1sImskovNP

— BHS REDNATION (@BHSRedNation) February 4, 2015

Robby Donoho of WCBI highlighted the latest high-profile commit for the Bulldogs:

Mississippi State hit the lottery: top linebacker Leo Lewis out of Brookhaven commits to the Bulldogs over LSU. Big day in Starkville.

— Robby Donoho III (@RobbyDonoho) February 4, 2015

Lewis is a 4-star prospect who ranks just outside the top 60 nationally, based on 247Sports' composite rankings. He's also rated as the best inside linebacker in the class and the No. 3 recruit from the state of Mississippi.

All signs point to him developing into a destroyer in the middle. He sports ideal size and power, isn't afraid to take on multiple blockers and has illustrated good short-area quickness. All of the raw tools coaching staffs look for at the position are there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hq4uvg9sdo

The one area in which he'll need to improve is coverage. His technique needs work so that when he's asked to guard a tight end or a running back coming out of the backfield in a pass route, he can do a better job of making plays in space.

Otherwise, the outlook is extremely positive. He should be able to make an impact for Mississippi State sooner than later. By the time he's an upperclassman, it wouldn't be a surprise if he's one of the best linebackers in the country.

His development must continue at a steady pace to make that happen. The talent is there, though.

The wild recruiting journey for T.D. Moton has come full circle, with the 3-star defensive tackle reaffirming a pledge he originally made more than 14 months ago.

Moton took to Twitter on Monday to announce he plans to sign with Mississippi State, the school he first committed to in November 2013 only to later back off that pledge and switch his allegiance to Alabama.

Got off the Phone with Coach Dan Mullen I will be signing to Mississippi State Feb.4 Thank everyone for everything. #HailState #Dawgs

— TD Moton (@__moton) January 26, 2015

The 6'2.5", 310-pound native of Shreveport, Louisiana, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 469 player in the 2015 recruiting class and the 28th-best defensive tackle. He's ranked 22nd overall in the state of Louisiana. Moton committed to Alabama in June while attending a camp at the school, but on Jan. 22, he changed his mind and reopened his recruitment.

This came six days after making an official visit to Mississippi State and the day before taking a trip to Missouri. He has another visit scheduled this weekend to Miami (Florida), but it's uncertain if he still plans to take that visit.

#TurnUp #DawgFam15

— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) January 26, 2015

Moton's stock has been on a rapid decline since he originally committed to the Bulldogs. At the time, he was rated No. 97 overall and had 4-star status. He had remained at four stars until Jan. 19, when 247Sports dropped him to three stars and lowered his overall ranking from 293rd to 469th.

Despite going from MSU's top-rated pledge back in November 2013 to its 11th among 28 commitments or enrollees in the 2015 recruiting class, his value is still there. He is the only defensive tackle in the class, and with Kaleb Eulls graduating, the Bulldogs have an opening to fill on the interior of their defensive line.

@__moton TD is a guy who can be a star in the SEC. He's a true plugger at DT and can rush the passer. Great get for State.

— Steve Robertson (@ScoutSteveR) January 26, 2015

Alabama, now with 26 commits (including seven already in school), still has 5-star defensive tackle Daron Payne lined up to sign, while 3-star junior college transfer Jonathan Taylor has been on campus since Jan. 7.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.

Fair or not, most people have already made up their minds on whether new Mississippi State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is a good defensive coordinator.

Some remember him for his work at Mississippi State in 2010 when his Bulldogs forced 28 turnovers—the third-most in the SEC—and held opponents to 19.8 points per game and the second-best red-zone touchdown percentage in the conference (42.5 percent).

Others, on the other hand, remember his demise.

Lured away by Texas following the 2010 season, the Longhorn defense got progressively worse under Diaz, and it culminated when Texas gave up 679 total yards—550 of which were on the ground—in a road loss to BYU on Sept. 7, 2013.

Diaz was fired the next day, but his resume as a hotshot coordinator who couldn't live up to the hype was etched in stone.

Or was it?

Diaz was hired for his second go-round at Mississippi State on Monday, replacing Geoff Collins, who left to become Florida's defensive coordinator.

"When you look at the new standard Mississippi State has set and the national prominence that has come with the accomplishments of 2014, we want to continue to raise the bar here," Diaz said in a release from the school. "This is a tremendous place to develop players on and off the field and ultimately compete for championships."

It's a fantastic move for Diaz and for Mississippi State. 

This is the place where Diaz really made a name for himself, and he did it shutting down potent offenses.

Auburn won a national championship that season with quarterback Cam Newton at the helm, but Diaz held the Tigers to just 348 yards in Starkville and was a big reason why Mississippi State had the ball late with a chance to tie or win. 

Kentucky's offense finished the season averaging 427.8 yards per game behind quarterback Mike Hartline, running back Derrick Locke and wide receiver Randall Cobb. Against Mississippi State, the Wildcats managed just 347.

Those were two of the more creative offenses in the SEC at the time, and over the last four seasons that number has only increased.

As former Bulldog quarterback Matt Wyatt of Head To Head radio in Mississippi notes, he was a tremendous coach during his lone season in Starkville:

Like seeing @Coach_MannyDiaz back. Great with media. Brings LOTS of energy. Made excellent in-game adjustments. Caused turnovers.

— Matt Wyatt (@RadioWyatt) January 5, 2015

There will be some speed bumps. 

Continuity played a big role in Mississippi State's success in 2014, and that won't continue in 2015.

P.J. Jones, Kaleb Eulls and and first-team All-SEC defensive end Preston Smith will all be gone from the defensive line, first-team linebacker Benardrick McKinney could jump early and two starters in the secondary—Jamerson Love and Jay Hughes—have exhausted their eligibility.

That doesn't mean Diaz can't recapture the magic.

There's still a solid foundation up front with former 5-star recruit Chris Jones at defensive tackle and a leader at linebacker in Beniquez Brown, who finished second on the team in tackles (62). 

Diaz can build around them and continue the tradition of Mississippi State producing physical and punishing front sevens. After all, he was one of the men who helped build the tradition.

Don't be fooled by Diaz' time at Texas. It was a sinking ship at the time, and Diaz was thrown off before it went under. He can still coach, and will succeed at Mississippi State during his second stint in Starkville.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.