JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Twenty four hours before Mississippi State and Michigan kickoff the 2011 Progressive Gator Bowl, the head coaches and selected players from each team met with the media for the last time today.
Naturally, the comparisons between the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference were the major talking points for both teams.
The Big Ten”s dismal 8-14 cumulative bowl record over the last three seasons, including a 2-4 mark in BCS bowls in that span, has garnered the conference criticism of not being able to compete with teams that have more speed.
The SEC, on the other hand, has won the last four BCS national title games and could make it five straight when Auburn faces Oregon on Jan. 10.
The SEC is 19-8 in bowl games over the last three years.
Teams from the SEC and Big Ten will face one another in four bowl games this season, three of which — Mississippi State-Michigan; Alabama-Michigan State; and Florida-Penn State — will be played Saturday. Arkansas and Ohio State will play in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 4.
Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez admits the key to changing the Big Ten”s reputation is to start winning bowl games.
Rodriguez pointed to the Big Ten teams” offensive performances as evidence of the tide turning.
“I think our mixed reputation has grown and it will continue to grow,” Rodriguez said Friday. “I think this past year, I think there were nine quarterbacks, including (UM quarterback) Denard (Robinson) that were nominated Big Ten first team quarterback, and very rarely do you see that many quality quarterbacks in one league in one season. I think that speaks to the overall play of our league.”
Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen”s reply to the perception of Big Ten athletes being a step slower than SEC players steered toward one of his toughest individual scheming assignments this season.
“Well you watch Denard Robinson, and the first thing that comes to mind is not slow,” Mullen quipped.
Mullen praised Rodriguez”s work with Michigan”s offense, and said the evolution of the spread system across the Big Ten will help change the current perception.
“I think football is very cyclical, with what does in these different runs of times,” Mullen said. “There”s a lot of spread teams in the Big Ten, and they”re going to have a lot more athletes running around on the field, and that might change the perception more from power ”I” formations where it”s three yards and a cloud of dust.
“I think it”s just maybe more the perception of the style of play more than the actual athletes that are on the field.”
Mullen said recruiting to compete with the teams on your schedule trumps looking for the fastest athletes.
“We say, when we go out and recruit, we”re going out to recruit against the SEC West, not the Big Ten,” Mullen said. “In recruiting, a lot of that takes precedent over how you”re recruiting the speed.”
—No set plans for Tyler Russell
With most of the backup quarterback attention surrounding ineligible Michigan signal caller Tate Forcier, MSU”s Tyler Russell has been an afterthought.
Russell, who has passed for 635 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions this season, saw most of his playing time early in the season when Mullen opted to bring in Russell on the third series of each game.
From there, he”d determine playing time based on how Russell and starter Chris Relf were playing in the game.
Toward the middle of the season, though, Relf solidified his role as the full-time quarterback.
Friday, Mullen said he had no definite plans to bring Russell into the game, but didn”t rule out the possibility of the redshirt freshman playing.
“We”re gonna see how it goes early on,” Mullen said. “I always like to get Tyler in early just to get him into the flow of the game, because the worst thing you could do is have to call on him late, if it”s an injury or whatever is, if he”s not in the flow of the game. And he”s done a great job in bowl prep.”
—Weather more of a concern for Michigan
Dan Mullen has stated all week his players welcome the projected forecast of 75 degrees for tomorrow”s Gator Bowl.
Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez admits his team”s depth, rocked mid-season by injuries, will be tested in the unfamiliar winter-time heat.
“Seventy-five will feel like 95, so we”ve got to have a lot more guys prepared to play,” Rodriguez said. “There”s going to be more people playing than when games were a little bit cooler. We”ve really harped on our guys to hydrate well.”
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