STARKVILLE — It’s easy to see why Justin Malone and Justin Senior are the leaders of the Mississippi State football team’s offensive line.
Malone and Senior are the only returning starters from a line that last year helped MSU climb to No. 1 and stay there for five weeks en route to a 10-3 finish (6-2 in the Southeastern Conference). Malone, a senior left guard, has 16 career starts in three seasons with the program, while Senior, a junior right tackle, has 14 starts in his two-year career.
Even though they are veterans, the transition to the leadership role hasn’t been easy.
“It’s just one of those things where, yeah, there’s going to be mistakes. Yeah, there’s going to be arguments. Yeah, there’s going to be times where it’s not always there, but you just have to keep working with it,” Malone said.
But Malone and Senior have tried to put the bumpiness of the transition behind them and help senior left tackle Rufus Warren, junior center Jamaal Clayborn, and junior right guard Devon Desper prepare for a new season. MSU will kick off that season at 9 p.m. Saturday when it plays Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Fox Sports 1 will broadcast the game live.
“I feel like it’s my duty to get everyone ready for games,” Senior said. “The coaches take care of technique and game plan, but we’re more like the emotional part of the game, getting your mind right.”
Malone admits he and Senior aren’t the team’s most vocal offensive linemen. He said Warren, who is in his second season at left tackle after moving from tight end, earns that role. But Malone and Senior have found other ways to be leaders.
“They’re great leaders, and they lead by their actions and the way they perform on the field,” MSU senior quarterback Dak Prescott said.
Current Oakland Raider Gabe Jackson also wasn’t the most vocal guy when he played at MSU. Malone and Senior have tried to emulate his leadership style.
“He said what needed to be said,” Malone said. “He’s just going to walk up to you and grab you and say, ‘Look, this is how we do it.’ He’s going to show you how to do it.”
Malone was the starting right guard in the 2013 opener against Oklahoma State in Houston, Texas, but he suffered a season-ending foot injury. Junior Ben Beckwith stepped in and became the full-time starter for the rest of the season. MSU returned three starters in 2014, with Beckwith at right guard, Dillon Day at center, and Blaine Clausell at left tackle. Last season, Senior stepped in at right tackle and Malone moved to left guard to help MSU break 13 single-season offensive records.
“Anytime you have older veterans, you don’t want to talk as much, you want to lead,” Beckwith said. “Justin Malone and Senior are both leaders. Last year, they saw us lead. Me, Dillon, and Blaine had done it for a while.”
The NFL’s San Diego Chargers signed Beckwith earlier this season, but he was placed on injury reserve. Beckwith walked on at MSU, but he earned a scholarship and started the final 25 games of his college career.
Last year’s offensive line meetings were filled with opportunities for Malone and Senior to learn valuable lessons on and off the field.
“They were always in the film room watching stuff with us and Dak,” Beckwith said. “I fill like they’ll be more vocal this year. They are very capable of leading.”
Senior, a native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is thankful for the time he spent with Beckwith, Day, and Clausell the past few seasons. He’s going to utilize the lessons learned from those three when he has to be a leader this season.
“They have to communicate and make sure everyone is on the same level,” Beckwith said.
Desper played in seven games in his redshirt freshman season in 2013 and in 11 games last season (two starts). This will be Clayborn’s first experience at center since pee wee football. He has played in 11 games the past two seasons without a start.
“I feel very comfortable going into a game with them,” Malone said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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