STARKVILLE — This is officially Tyler Russell’s offense at Mississippi State University.
For nearly three years, the junior quarterback has been referred to as the future, but Saturday he proved his present is something to behold.
Russell, a former Parade All-American from Meridian High School, completed a career-high 20 passes to lead MSU to a 28-10 victory against Auburn University before a sellout crowd of 56,111 at Scott Field at Davis Wade Stadium.
But MSU coach Dan Mullen was most impressed with Russell’s leadership and demeanor.
“Everything we put on him, he managed throughout the course of the game,” Mullen said. “You could see the poise in which he handled things today. He got us in the right plays, made great throws, and hung in the pocket when he needed to do that.”
Russell was effective on first and second down out of the Pistol formation. With the tailback standing right behind Russell in a shotgun snap, the play-action element was disguised extremely well and gave him extra time to complete short, high-percentage throws.
“I really think we kept their defense paused for that half-second debating if it was a run or pass, and that half-second is just what we need to break a big play,” Russell said.
The Pistol is a formation Russell feels comfortable in because he’s ready to throw or hand the football off immediately after receiving the snap.
“He better be comfortable with that because we’ve tweaked it specifically for him,” MSU offensive coordinator Les Koenning said. “It’s two different issues with the Pistol because it gives him more time to get rid of the ball and still fake what we’re doing.”
MSU used the big play to its advantage, notching 15 plays of 10 yards or more.
“We felt like we had some things we could expose them with, and it’s not about us as coaches putting it together. It was about the kids being effective with what we had in store for them in a professional manner,” Koenning said.
That laid-back, business-like approach that has suited Russell as he attempts to take control of the spread-option offense. He would much rather carve up a defense with solid fundamental quarterback play. His 222 passing yards and his 167.41 passing efficiency rating suggest he was confident.
“This whole team is different, and it’s not just me,” Russell said. “We all work harder and have bigger goals than we’ve ever had. This is a new Mississippi State, and right now things are going well.”
It’s a contrast of styles between Russell and Mullen, but it’s one that has matured since the previous spring.
“I go back to watching him in the state championship game in high school and he’s not the biggest rah-rah guy, not running up and down to pump up the crowd, but he’s a competitor in a huge way,” Mullen said.
With all the discussion about Russell’s lack of mobility, Russell showed pinpoint accuracy on designed rollouts and play-action bootlegs. Two of his three touchdown passes came on designed rollouts to Chad Bumphis and Marcus Green in the back of the end zone.
Two years ago, Russell’s teammates teased him about his lack of speed and mobility against sophisticated SEC defenses. His ability to step away from pressure, to set his feet, and to deliver strikes to open receivers that kept MSU drives alive.
“We used to call him shaky legs when he was younger because his legs would wobble if he felt pressure,” MSU senior offensive lineman Tobias Smith said. “We don’t call him that anymore. It’s more like, ‘Hey Tyler, look at what you can do now.’ ”
Said Mullen, “We need him to play like that if we’re going to win a championship, and, frankly, we need him to play that way every week. I’ve gone from screaming, ‘Throw the ball already’ to ‘Great job’ with Tyler.”
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