STARKVILLE — In his first practices as Mississippi State’s safeties coach, Ron English has been understanding as he installs his schemes and the Bulldogs learn his processes.
The adaptation is the latest step MSU players are going through after Todd Grantham replaced Peter Sirmon as defensive coordinator in the offseason. Even though MSU has changed from Geoff Collins to Manny Diaz to Sirmon to Grantham in recent years, English isn’t allowing the Bulldogs to use that as an excuse. In fact, the former head coach and defensive coordinator said the Bulldogs’ effort has to improve.
“What I told them after practice was our effort’s not even close to where it needs to be,” English said. “We need to finish plays better. We need to get to the ball better.”
In between, English said the intensity of the practices might be affecting the players’ effort.
“I think we get caught up in the number of snaps,” English said. “I’ve never been around a place where you get 74 snaps in team. That’s a huge number.”
English hasn’t seen as big an emphasis on intense team drills in spring practice in his 23 years as a college football coach, which includes five as a head coach at Eastern Michigan.
With so many new faces on the roster and on the coaching staff, prioritizing the team aspect of practices could be a way to speed up the installation process. A number of early enrollees are going through their first spring, which also is an adjustment to Grantham’s style of play. English, tight ends coach D.J. Looney, and quarterbacks coach Brett Elliott also are new to the coaching staff.
English believes the Bulldogs will benefit from seeing as much action as they do in practice.
“I think there are real pluses to playing football,” English said. “There are people that believe you should never condition and you should get in shape by playing football. You can do all the winter conditioning you want. You’re still not going to be in football shape. You have to play football to be in condition to play it. I like it, and I’m going to like it more as we get to know better what we’re doing and I can coach effort and toughness more than I’m coaching execution.”
Buckley intent on finishing
MSU’s interception numbers from last season — 14, which was sixth in the Southeastern Conference and 35th in the nation — were respectable, especially considering it ranked toward the bottom of the SEC in passes defended.
MSU cornerbacks coach Terrell Buckley isn’t looking at the 14 interceptions from an efficiency standpoint. He remembers the interceptions lost.
“We gave up some plays that we’re there that they make the play and we don’t,” Buckley said. “You’re talking about a touchdown or an interception.”
Buckley said he intends to improve upon the six interceptions his players were responsible for last year. Returners, Jamoral Graham, and Jamal Peters, had five of those. Cedric Jiles had one before exhausting his eligibility.
Buckley hopes his players’ experience will help them improve the interception numbers.
“The difference between this year and last year is I have enough guys that’s played,” Buckley said. “We’re emphasizing is finish. We’re talking about six picks. It could have been 12 from the corners. Finish.”
Injury report
Offensive linemen Elgton Jenkins and Deion Calhoun missed practice Tuesday, the first in pads, due to injury. Wide receiver Jesse Jackson, running back Alex Murphy, and defensive back Tolando Cleveland also didn’t participate due to injury.
While Cleveland recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that ended his junior season early, he already has made his impact as a leader of the younger players in his position group.
“You really don’t know how important it is until you don’t have him. It’s been a totally different atmosphere,” Buckley said.
Buckley said he will have to be careful to monitor Cleveland because he knows he wants to get back on the field.
“He’s one of those guys you have to pull back. He’d go out there and try, three months or four months away,” Buckley said. “He took his knee brace off one day like, ‘I’m about to go.’ Man, you better put that back on.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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