STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen feels like there is a lot of work to do following his team’s first scrimmage Thursday night at Davis Wade Stadium.
“We’ve got a lot of young football players, a lot of young guys in our two-deep. We’ve got to get a lot better,” Mullen said.
MSU will have another scrimmage Friday, so Mullen wants to see the team take a huge step forward. MSU will play host to South Alabama at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3 (SEC Network), at Davis Wade Stadium to open the season.
Mullen said installation is pretty much done.
“There are little things we’re adding here and there, little packages on offense, little packages on defense,” Mullen said. “Most stuff is in. Now, we’re going to find the guys that are committed, want to learn, and want to get on the field and excel at a high level.”
Sophomore quarterback Elijah Staley, who announced Friday he will transfer, didn’t participate in the scrimmage. Junior Damian Williams, sophomore Nick Fitzgerald, and redshirt freshman Nick Tiano remain in competition for the starting quarterback job.
Mullen wasn’t impressed with the execution of the quarterbacks. He said none of them played very well.
“It’s fixable things,” Mullen said. “Fundamentals weren’t very good. Everything kind of really happened fast for them, instead of trusting their reads, doing what they’re supposed to do and great fundamentals and technique. They kind of started slow, made some mistakes, and then started to try to make plays. That made it worse.”
Senior wide receiver Fred Ross didn’t participate in the scrimmage. He had groin surgery before spring camp and missed all of spring drills. Mullen said they were going to limit him in fall camp to make sure he is ready to go for the opener.
MSU, Tulane schedule series
MSU and Tulane have scheduled a home-and-home football series for the 2020 and 2023 seasons, the programs announced.
In the spring, Tulane canceled its agreement to play at Davis Wade Stadium this season. MSU replaced Tulane with Massachusetts. MSU will play UMass on Sept. 24 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. UMass will play in Starkville in 2017 and 2020.
“It’s been a pleasure working with Tulane AD Troy Dannen to renew the longstanding football series between the Bulldogs and Green Wave,” MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin said in a statement released by the school. “New Orleans is a great destination for our Bulldog fans and a place we hope to get to more often in the future.”
The Bulldogs and Green Wave will met Oct. 3, 2020, at Davis Wade Stadium. MSU will play at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans on Oct. 7, 2023.
MSU is 30-26-2 all-time against Tulane.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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