STARKVILLE –When asked why the carries among the four tailbacks at Mississippi State University weren’t split evenly like in the previous two weeks, Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen had a simple answer.
“Because LaDarius got a bunch and was pretty good,” Mullen said with a laugh when asked about Derrick Milton and Nick Griffin getting no touches. “(Perkins) is the leader of that group. At key moments in the game, those are when your guys have to step up and Perkins certainly did in those situations.”
LaDarius Perkins is one they trust to tote the football around. As the oldest member of the MSU backfield, the junior tailback put up a career-high 179 yards on 23 carries in the 30-24 victory over Troy University. Perkins was the primary reason MSU (3-0, 1-0 in Southeastern Conference) was able to run the clock down on its final scoring drive of the contest.
“I feel like coming into the season I was working real hard to get bigger, faster, stronger so I could be the guy,” Perkins said. “People on the sidelines were telling me we had to move the ball late in the game and I felt like the pressure was on me.”
The 23 carries for Perkins Saturday matched his total from the previous two games where MSU was more willing to hand the football to the other three tailbacks in the rotation including sophomore Nick Griffin and redshirt freshmen Robinson and Milton.
Robinson was the only other MSU tailback to receive a touch by getting 14 yards on five carries.
With all the seven dropped passes in the passing game, Perkins’ ability to get 7.8 yards per rush really allowed the Bulldogs to continue to be able to move the ball. It was such a consistent element to the game plan that didn’t go unnoticed by the MSU starting quarterback.
“I told LaDarius at halftime we can’t really complete anything right now so you’ve got to step up,” MSU junior quarterback Tyler Russell said. “He did that in the second half and made some big plays for us.
Mullen enjoying lack of surprise and intrigue over national ranking: MSU football coach Dan Mullen saw less of an explosion of excitement from the fan base this week when the news was released the Bulldogs are in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ poll.
“I guess that’s a good thing. I guess, for us, it is,” Mullen said. “It’s good teaching for our guys of our expectations as a program that we do expect big things and I think, for our fan base, there is a lot of excitement. My Twitter, I guess, seems to blow up a lot with the excitement of all our fans with this opportunity. I do want it to be something that is expected for this program, to be a top 25 program year in and year out.”
One of those expectations would be handling a South Alabama program, which is transitioning itself into the Football Bowl Subdivision this season, at home as a the Jaguars (1-2) face their first Southeastern Conference opponent in program history.
“I think scheduling-wise it’s beneficial for us, because it plays into what we look for within being able to schedule locally,” Mullen said. “I know we down there, and the Coast is a big recruiting area for us to go play at in a couple of years. A couple of years ago it was different. They’re a little bit more of an established program. I know they’re trying to build it from scratch, but it’s not like this is their first year in football.”
The MSU football program is ranked this week for the first time in both of the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches’ poll in just over a calendar year.
The Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 in Southeastern Conference), which defeated Troy University 30-24 Saturday night in its first road trip of the 2012 season, was ranked in the 23rd spot in both polls.
The last time MSU was ranked in either the AP or USA Today coaches’ poll was Sept. 15, 2011 and fell out after losing 19-6 in Starkville to No. 1 Louisiana State University.
The national AP voter with MSU ranked the highest on his Top 25 ballot was Los Angeles Daily News reporter Scott Wolf, who has the Bulldogs in the 17th spot.
In order to keep the ranking, Mullen will have to increase its non-conference winning streak to 14 in a row since his arrival in Starkville.
“I think scheduling-wise it’s beneficial for us, because it plays into what we look for within being able to schedule locally,” Mullen said. “I know we down there, and the coast is a big recruiting area for us to go play at in a couple of years. A couple of years ago it was different. They’re a little bit more of an established program. I know they’re trying to build it from scratch, but it’s not like this is their first year in football.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.