STARKVILLE — Moving on.
That’s what Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen wants his team to do after a 51-3 loss to No. 1 Alabama last Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Bulldogs were outmatched in every facet of the game and the Crimson Tide threw their weight around.
But MSU doesn’t have much time to dwell on the loss as it has two games left, games that it must win if a school record seventh straight bowl game will be a possibility. MSU (4-6, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) plays host to Arkansas (6-4, 2-4) 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU) at Davis Wade Stadium. MSU then travels to in-state rival Ole Miss Saturday, Nov. 26, in the Battle for the Golden Egg.
“You have your backs to the wall and you’ve got to go win two games to get to a bowl game,” Mullen said. “It doesn’t have much to do with this game, it has to do with how we’re going to respond and come back this week.”
The Bulldogs were in a similar situation in 2013. Entering the final two weeks at 4-6, MSU beat Arkansas 24-17 in overtime on a Damian Williams 25-yard touchdown and then beat Ole Miss 17-10 in overtime as Nickoe Whitley forced a Bo Wallace fumble on the final play. MSU beat Rice 44-7 in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee.
Linebacker Richie Brown was a redshirt freshman on the 2013 team. Like the seniors on that team, the Long Beach native doesn’t want to panic and put pressure on the young players.
“The older guys, guys my age, have been there before and we stuck it out and made a bowl game,” Brown said. “I think as leaders, we just have to make sure we lead the team and keep positive energy around the facility and keep practicing and making plays.”
The loss to Alabama was the most points given up and the most lopsided loss in the Mullen era. The Bulldogs had 274 yards of total offense and gave up 615. A 47-yard Westin Graves field goal in the third quarter were the only points MSU scored.
Brown said the loss is tough but said the team is “forced” to move on with a shot at postseason football on the line.
Junior wide receiver Donald Gray agreed that it will be hard to move on, especially for him because he said he has a competitive heart. But knowing two wins down the stretch means one more game, Gray finds that as a consolation prize.
“It helps a lot,” Gray said. “It gives us something to play toward and let’s us know there is a second chance and another week to get better and another week to grind.”
After starting the season 2-2 (losses to South Alabama and LSU and wins against South Carolina and UMass), MSU lost three-straight, including a 38-14 home loss to Auburn, a 28-21 double overtime loss at BYU and a 40-38 loss at Kentucky.
“You just look at the season we’ve had we some ups and downs, but we’ve always tended to bounce back. I don’t think this is going to be any different,” sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald said.
Since taking over the program in 2009, Mullen has missed out on the postseason once and that was in his first year when the Bulldogs finished 5-7. In six bowl games, Mullen is 4-2.
Under Mullen, MSU is 4-3 against Arkansas, including a four-game winning streak, and 4-3 against Ole Miss, but Ole Miss has won the last two games.
“They’re all the same to me. I’m going to have the film graded by the time we get back. Probably not going to be as happy (Saturday night) as I was last Saturday. Wake up (Sunday) morning and find a way to go beat Arkansas,” Mullen 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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