STARKVILLE — Big plays defined the Mississippi State University football team’s closed scrimmage Thursday at Davis Wade Stadium.
That’s how MSU coach Dan Mullen described the 160-play, two-hour session at the Seal Family Football Complex to reporters, but he doesn’t know how to evaluate the action.
“I don’t know if that’s good or bad till we see it on film,” Mullen said about the big plays. “You want to make sure a big play is because all 11 players are executing instead of somebody made a terrible mistake.”
Mullen said MSU’s wide receivers and tight ends had a lot of the missed assignments and dropped passes (such as Malcolm Johnson, Rufus Warren, Fred Ross, and Fred Brown) and still aren’t practicing, so evaluating improvement for those players is impossible.
“I evaluate so much so I’m not really looking to see (something specific),” Mullen said. “A lot of times I’m looking at something down the field and I’m looking at something else completely (than the result) to see we’re executing properly.”
Mullen said freshmen defensive end Chris Jones, wide receiver D’Runnya Wilson, and running back Ashton Shumpert stood out.
“He’s coming along and learning the game a little bit, (but) he’s got a long way to go to learn how to (execute),” Mullen said of the 6-foot-6 Wilson. “I don’t imagine he’ll grade real high, but I know he made a bunch of big plays. Being consistent is going to be just as important.”
MSU will leave the farm practice fields near the MSU Veterinary School on Saturday and return to the practice fields near the Seal Family Football Complex for two-a-day practices.
In the first simulated kicking game scenarios in training camp, Mullen said he was impressed with Devon Bell.
“Devon Bell did really well and was really consistent, which is what we expect him to be,” Mullen said. “He’s a hard worker and very focused at doing things the right way. How he handles his business is what you want out of your kickers.”
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