STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen has no doubt Dak Prescott will be prepared for his first professional start.
Last weekend, the former MSU quarterback was named the starter for the Dallas Cowboys after veteran Tony Romo was injured last Thursday in a preseason game against Seattle. Romo suffered a broken bone in his back and could miss six to 10 weeks.
Prescott, who started 33 games at MSU, could be the only rookie quarterback who starts in Week 1.
“I’m sure it’s not how he wants to become the opening-day starter, but knowing a guy like Dak, he’s going to be 100 percent prepared for that moment,” Mullen said. “He’s going to handle the moment well. He’s been in a lot of pressure situations, played in a lot of pressure situations. He’s going to prepare the right way.”
Dallas is 1-2 this preseason with a victory against Miami and losses to Los Angeles and Seattle. It will play host to Houston 7 p.m. Thursday in its last preseason game. Dallas will play host to the New York Giants at 3:25 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11 (WLOV), at AT&T Stadium to open the regular season.
Dallas went 1-11 without Romo last season when he was twice sidelined by a broken left collarbone, and the Cowboys slumped to 4-12 a year after winning the NFC East at 12-4.
Prescott, 23, was the eighth quarterback taken in the 2016 NFL draft with the 135th overall pick. After starting training camp as Dallas’ No. 3 quarterback, Prescott began his climb up the depth chart when backup Kellen Moore broke his right ankle in practice. Dallas owner Jerry Jones hasn’t given any indication of the Cowboys will try to sign a veteran quarterback prior to the season opener. If they do, he figures to be a backup for now. The current No. 2 is Jameill Showers, a second-year player who hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game.
Prescott has thrown for 454 yards and five touchdowns (no interceptions) in the preseason. The Haughton, Louisiana, native has 53 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
“It’s the same way I’ve been preparing since I was drafted,” Prescott said after finding out he was the starter. “Nothing really changes in my preparation, the way I go about studying the game, studying my opponent and how to make myself better.”
Prescott, who broke 38 school records at MSU, has been compared to another Mullen taught quarterback. Prescott has drawn comparisons to Tim Tebow, who played for Mullen at Florida. Tebow was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2010 and played two seasons before being traded to the New York Jets. In his three-year career, Tebow started 14 games and had 2,422 yards.
But Prescott seems more suited for the NFL.
“Dak came to work every day and gave you everything he had every single day,” Mullen said. “He was not going to shy away from the spotlight and everybody sees that now and how he’s performing now. He’s going to handle the spotlight very, very easily.”
Mullen said he has talked to Prescott some during the preseason and told him to continue to put the work in to be successful.
Prescott has a chance to become the full-time starter for the Cowboys and Mullen knows he will give it everything he has in both preparation and execution.
“Knowing Dak, he would have prepared the same way if it was the second play of the game and he went in,” Mullen said. “He’s going to give everything he has to that team and help the team be in a position to win. When I see what he does, I’m just proud of him, I’m proud of what he’s accomplished. To have the opportunity to play for the Dallas Cowboys is an honor.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Reports from The Associated Press were used in this story.
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
