STARKVILLE — The pressure was beginning to mount on Mississippi State senior tailback Vick Ballard.
In a 55-17 victory against the University of Tennessee-Martin on Saturday, that pressure valve went down a few notches after he found the end zone again.
Ballard, who broke MSU’s single-season touchdown record with 20 last year, failed to score in October and admitted doubts and concerns crept into his mind.
All of those went away after a 105-yard, two-touchdown performance that included a 54-yard sprint down the sidelines that saw him run away from defenders the minute he saw daylight between him and the goal line. Ballard’s rushing touchdowns tied him former kicker Adam Carlson for seventh all-time in school history in career scoring with 164 points.
“It was a sense of relief to find the end zone,” Ballard said “The second run made me feel a whole lot better because I hadn’t broken a long one in quite a while.”
Ballard, a co-captain, voiced his frustration with the Bulldogs’ four straight Southeastern Conference losses to Auburn University, LSU, the University of Georgia, and South Carolina after he failed to get to 100 yards in each of the past three defeats.
“He hadn’t been a big vocal leader but an example leader by working hard and doing everything the right way,” MSU running backs coach Greg Knox said. “This year he’s tried to do everything in terms of vocal and carrying the load. We like to see that in our players.”
Knox said Monday he has suspected Ballard has carried the weight of those losses personally because he is a co-captain and an integral figure on the squad’s leadership council.
MSU coach Dan Mullen said he didn’t worry about Ballard’s lack of statistical production and showcased that confidence by getting him double-digit touches in each of those contests.
“Vick always runs hard,” Mullen said. “I think he has played hard and run really well all season. I guess if you don’t score a lot of touchdowns in every game then everything is bad.”
Ballard and MSU’s running game, which has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in 31 or 34 games under Mullen, will face its toughest task of the season at 6:45 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) when they face the No. 4 University of Alabama (8-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference). The Crimson Tide have allowed just 56.3 rushing yards per game this season, which leads the nation by more than 20 yards. They have outscored the Bulldogs 61-13 in the past two matchups.
“It would take forever to explain to you why the team we’re going to face in Alabama is so good,” Ballard said. “We better be ready to improve in a hurry this week in practice and prepare to play our best.”
Last season, Ballard had 80 yards on 19 carries in a 30-10 loss in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Ballard, who is projected by some analysts to be a fourth- to sixth-round selection in the NFL draft in April 2012, will face four players Saturday who could be selected in the first round of the NFL draft.
“(Alabama) is a great challenge for our kids because if you have any aspirations of playing at the next level you’ll get your first taste of it this weekend,” MSU offensive coordinator Les Koenning said.
MSU hasn’t utilized Ballard in the same backfield with sophomore LaDarius Perkins, which has been noticeable more in the passing game. Ballard has more receptions this season (13) than he had (10) last season.
“He understands the load he carries for this football team as a senior, and he’s going to work his butt off to make sure this is a productive season,” Knox said. “Stats are not something he focuses on much or talks about when he evaluates his play to us.”
While overshadowed by South Carolina sophomore Marcus Lattimore, Alabama junior Trent Richardson, and Auburn sophomore Michael Dyer, Ballard is averaging almost 6 yards per carry this season and is one rushing touchdown behind Michael Davis for second on the all-time list.
“He’s just a very, very competitive person,” Mullen said. “You talk to Vick, he’s going to be frustrated if he gets tackled. The guys that run hard and run physical, they just expect to make plays every time they touch the ball.”
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