STARKVILLE — After four-straight games without a break, the Mississippi State football team is getting a chance to catch its breath this week.
The Bulldogs (2-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) are in the middle of their only bye week of the season. MSU will play host to Auburn (2-2, 1-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8 (SEC Network) at Davis Wade Stadium.
MSU football coach Dan Mullen said his team is focusing on a number of things this week.
“It’s cleaning things up, getting some guys some rest and getting healthy,” Mullen said Tuesday. “We’ve been going for a while through training camp right into the season. We’re getting some guys that have gotten a lot of reps some rest and cleaning things up. We’re getting some guys that we need to play that maybe haven’t gotten as many reps some more practice reps to get them caught up rep wise so they’re ready to progress at this point of the season.”
Mullen and MSU are coming off a 47-35 victory against Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. MSU has defeated South Carolina (27-14) at home and lost to South Alabama (21-19) and LSU (23-20).
Mullen said MSU has done some things well at times. He pointed out how the UMass offense had 14 possessions. Nine of those possessions yielded 9 yards. The other five resulted in 382 yards and five touchdowns.
“That’s probably one of the best defenses in America and that’s probably one of the worst defenses in America,” Mullen said.
Senior linebacker Richie Brown, who has a team-high 28 tackles (two-and-a-half for loss), one sack, and one quarterback hurry, has been through a few bye weeks and knows the drill. He said it is crucial for the Bulldogs to rest up.
“It’s a little bit more relaxed, a little bit more fun, but for the guys that play a lot, taking care of their bodies a little more,” Brown said. “Younger guys are getting a lot more reps. It’s kind of a developmental practice, kind of focusing a little bit on the guys that haven’t been getting focused on for the last few weeks.”
Mullen said he will let the team have some time off this weekend if he receives a good academic report.
Celebrating wins
After the game against UMass, Mullen stepped into the locker room and didn’t like the attitude he saw.
His team wasn’t celebrating and the players didn’t seem to be a good mood. They had just won a game 1,313 miles from home, and Mullen thought there should have been some jubilation and praise.
“The first thing I told them, ‘Can we smile? Can we just smile, laugh, cheer, and have fun? We won a game, we should be celebrating,’ ” Mullen said. “They were like, ‘Oh, OK, so we can smile now?’ They’ve got enough pressures on them. They just need to enjoy playing football and winning football.”
Mullen recalled a victory at Kentucky in his first season helped MSU improve to 4-5. When he walked into the locker room, the mood was very different.
“The locker room after the game was wild. Guys are dancing and singing,” Mullen said.
Mullen said he understands why his players might not have been excited about beating UMass and getting back to .500. Mullen has built a winning tradition and winning is expected. However, Mullen wants his team to enjoy the game and enjoy the outcome when it results in a win.
“We have a lot of young guys on the team, so they just feel the pressure without really experiencing the joy,” Mullen said.
Midseason firings
Firing coaches in the middle of the season has become a popular trend.
After four weeks, LSU (2-2) fired longtime coach Les Miles after an 18-13 loss to Auburn. It wasn’t a surprise to most because Miles survived similar unrest last season after the Tigers regrouped from a three-game losing streak late in the 2015 season to win their final two games, including a 56-27 victory against Texas Tech in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl.
This season, a 16-14 loss to Wisconsin at Green Bay, Wisconsin, in the season opener set LSU off on the wrong foot. Miles still might have his job if the Tigers had been one second quicker against Auburn. Facing a fourth-down play from the 15-yard line with five seconds remaining, LSU quarterback Danny Etling rolled to his right and found D.J. Shark on a 15-yard pass, but officials ruled time expired before Etling took the snap.
On Sunday, LSU fired Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and promoted defensive line coach Ed Orgeron to interim head coach.
Mullen said he isn’t a big fan of midseason firings.
“I don’t know if that’s good for anybody,” he said. “Just the guys that are going out on Saturday. Is it that big a deal to do it right now? I just don’t know. If you know it’s not going to be a future, for the guys on the team, you can wait until mid-November. I don’t see them hiring a head coach this week or next week. I don’t know if it’s healthy for the organization.”
Miles went 114-34 in nearly 12 seasons after leaving Oklahoma State and taking over for Nick Saban in 2005. Miles won the SEC and the Bowl Championship Series National championship in 2007. LSU won the SEC in 2011, but lost to Alabama in the national championship game.
Mullen said Miles did a great job and has a lot of respect for him. He expects him to be coaching next fall.
Orgeron was the interim for Southern California in 2013 after Lane Kiffin was fired. Mullen expects Orgeron, who was the head coach at Ole Miss for three seasons, to do a good job.
Attending NFL game
With a bye week and no reason to be in his office Sunday, Mullen was in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday to watch former MSU quarterback Dak Prescott lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 31-17 victory against the Chicago Bears. It was Mullen’s first NFL game in two years.
Prescott was 19 of 24 for 248 yards. He also threw his first touchdown. He had 36 yards rushing on four carries and one touchdown.
“It was really kind of cool. Different,” Mullen said. “I was much more relaxed than if I was on the field. But still, I was a little tense because I was watching Dak, and I wanted him to do well.”
Mullen said he talked to Prescott briefly before the game and visited with him a good bit after the game. Mullen said it was his fourth NFL game to attend.
Injury update
Mullen said senior defensive lineman Will Coleman (back) and senior cornerback Cedric Jiles (broken right arm) have participated in practice this week.
He said Jiles has done more than Coleman. He expects them to be participate 100 percent Monday and that both should be ready to play against Auburn.
Mullen said he doesn’t expect Coleman or Jiles to play 60 snaps because it will be their first games back from injuries, but he wants them to get used to playing again. Neither has played this season.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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