STARKVILLE — Deddrick Thomas’ 20-yard catch against Stephen F. Austin helped catapult Mississippi State to the top of national rankings in explosive plays. Austin Williams’ 13-yard touchdown catch against Kansas State put the game out of reach in the third quarter. Keith Mixon was the receiver of the game in Week Three, catching four passes for a team-high 80 yards.
What these three have in common is they’re all doing it from the slot.
The overarching question of No. 14 MSU’s preseason — wide receiver — has gotten its answer in places. Stephen Guidry has played so much his backup, Jamal Couch, transferred and on the other side, Osirus Mitchell is second on the team in receiving yards and one of two Bulldogs with multiple receiving touchdowns. In the slot, no such answer exists and MSU (3-0) is perfectly fine with it. It has no hesitation to unleash any of them 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) against the 3-0 Kentucky Wildcats.
“This is definitely not a one-man show,” offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Luke Getsy said. “You have three guys that are all doing really good things. We continue to let them battle it out, let them all play and show what they got. We’ll try to create as many opportunities as we can for them, and I think that’s one of those things that ultimately plays itself out.”
The position does have a set starter in Williams, who has four catches for 68 yards and a score, but the rotation both behind him and how many snaps he gets within it remains fluid. As head coach Joe Moorhead put it, “We need Deddrick and Keith, and certainly those guys will all fight for playing time during the week.”
So far, that fight has been successful enough: Both have more receiving yards than Williams, Mixon with 101 on six catches and Thomas with 73 on three catches. The people in that battle don’t see it as a position battle as much as they do a battle for reps; it’s not a matter of if you will get opportunities, but how many you get.
“All of us are playmakers. We’re all greedy, we all want to be out there,” Mixon said. “I’m not going to say we’re competing for that job, but we can all make plays and we’re hungry for the ball.”
Thomas added, “It’s three good guys. Of course you want everybody playing, so it’s back and forth. If one guy has the mojo that week or that game, of course you want that player to keep going because you don’t want to knock him off his rhythm.”
So far, riding the hot hand has benefitted all of them. Thomas has been targeted with 10 passes, Williams nine and Mixon six.
The target numbers suggest MSU wants to make sure each of them get the ball, and it has done something to help in that regard. Thomas has gone to one of the outside positions at times — thus putting two of its three slot players on the field — and that possibility remains open
“It’s different because coming from the slot, you don’t have press, you’re basically running free,” Thomas said. “On the outside, sometimes it’s a little more thinking because you have to base it on what they’re doing and what’s already happened.”
Whether Thomas is on the outside to add more firepower or part of a rotation in the slot, he knows his opportunities will come and his two partners in the slot know the same. Thomas also knows, with each other’s help, they can terrorize any opponent left.
“Defenses don’t like fresh legs.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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