STARKVILLE — In the short term, the Mississippi State football team would like to upset the No. 6 University of Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday (WCBI) and become bowl eligible.
The long-term plan involves using Arkansas’ strategy to attain the Razorbacks’ level next season.
Arkansas is 20-5 in the past two-plus years, and is 9-1 (5-1 Southeastern Conference) for the second time since joining the SEC in 1992.
However, MSU believes the key to Arkansas’ success the past few years starts long before kickoff. Their success has been mapped out on National Signing Day in February.
MSU coach Dan Mullen pointed to Arkansas’ ability to dominate the in-state recruiting every year makes its plan of action easier but not impossible.
“It’s a huge thing. You look at all these great seniors they have and all of them are from Arkansas,” Mullen said. “It’s a pretty good way to start building your program, getting great players in your state to come play for you.”
Unlike Arkansas, Mullen has to compete against the University of Mississippi, which also is in the Southeastern Conference, and Conference USA power Southern Miss, which consistently qualifies for bowl games and is ranked in The Associated Press’ top 25 this week.
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino credits the state of his program to his first recruiting class that included quarterback Tyler Wilson, wide receivers Joe Adams, Greg Childs, and Jarius Wright, and defensive end Jake Bequette. All of those players were prospects who opted to stay home and have become All-SEC performers.
“This senior class has done a lot for us, and really changed a lot of things around here and set the standards very high, so I’m excited
about them,” Petrino said. “I’m excited to finish this year off the way we need to finish and then what lies ahead of us.”
However, the statistics don’t represent an in-state focus for Petrino and his staff. Only 33 of 115 signees from the past three recruiting classes have come from the state of Arkansas. In the 2012 recruiting class, only five of the 20 verbal commitments Arkansas has received are in-state prospects.
“I see Mississippi State in the same way,” Mullen said. “If all the top players in Mississippi come here to play for us, that allows you to be a top-10 team nationally and to compete for national championships. Once you get that done you expand and fill in some pieces out of state. They have some guys that have been together a long time, and decided to all come and represent their state about four or five years ago on signing day.”
The Bulldogs missed out on one of the Magnolia state’s best prospects in the class of 2012 when Olive Branch High School wide receiver verbally committed to Arkansas in July.
“They have a great coaching staff and excellent facilities with a high-powered offense that features the receiver,” Cowan said. “Everything about it makes me think I’m a great fit for their program.”
Arkansas and MSU (5-5, 1-5) have a similar philosophy about redshirting players to help them develop. Petrino said Monday the majority of his program’s latest recruiting class, which is ranked 24th according to Rivals.com, will redshirt.
MSU has held back 17 members from last season’s 22-player signing class. Two of those players who were junior-college transfers saw immediate action.
“It’s always a tempting (to play freshman early),” Mullen said. “There’s a bunch of guys we’d like to get on the field, and I could look and say there are some guys we probably would be playing some more reps if we hadn’t redshirted them. But I also think for the young men, it’s much better in the development of their future to do those things. I think in the long term of our program when you get some experience and you are able to redshirt some guys there’s going to be some good things happen.”
Mullen hopes MSU can get a signature win Saturday to help make it bowl eligible ahead of next week’s regular-season finale against the University of Mississippi. He said a chance to play in back-to-back bowl games is critical to remaining competitive in the best conference in America.
“We have so many young guys on our team,” Mullen said. “Those extra practices really are important to the development of your program and what we’re trying to do.”
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