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Posted on Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 6:11 a.m.

Getting to know Mississippi State, Michigan's Gator Bowl opponent

By Rich Rezler

Dan_Mullen2.jpg

Dan Mullen has become a hot commodity after two years at Mississippi State.

Associated Press

Mississippi State may not be one of the marquee programs in the Southeastern Conference, but second-year coach Dan Mullen seems to have the Bulldogs headed in that direction.

The Michigan football team will face Mississippi State in the Jan. 1 Gator Bowl, beginning a four-year contract that matches teams from the Big Ten and SEC.

"To get to play in a big-time game and play the winningest program in college football, Michigan, is special," Mullen said.

"To get a premier matchup makes this a special, special football game. We couldn't be happier."

Mullen replaced Sylvester Croom after the 2008 season and went 5-7 in his first year. The Bulldogs seemingly turned the corner this season, beating everyone on the schedule outside SEC powers Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Arkansas.

Mullen got a signature win at Florida, his former coaching stop, and nearly knocked off No. 1-ranked Auburn.

So while the Bulldogs attempt to reach the nationally renowned status of some of their conference brethren, AnnArbor.com compiled the following facts and figures to give you a head start:

Mullen a hot commodity
Mullen's quick success in Starkville has led to his name being mentioned in conjunction with coaching vacancies at Minnesota, Miami and others.

During a Gator Bowl teleconference, Mullen said he and Mississippi State are working “on a deal that will suit everybody” and that he wants to be the coach of the Bulldogs for “a long time.”

Of course, that was days before Florida coach Urban Meyer announced he was stepping down. Mullen, a former assistant for the Gators, has been mentioned on the short-list of possible replacements.

Going bowling
Mississippi State is playing in a New Year’s Day bowl for the first time since 1998, a 38-11 loss to Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Reports indicate a little old-fashioned stumping may have helped land the Bulldogs a coveted Jan. 1 date.

The Bulldogs were projected to possibly slip to the Music City Bowl, the third-to-last option on the Southeastern Conference selection list.

The Clarion Ledger reports that “MSU fans flooded the Chick-fil-A and Gator bowls' e-mail and Twitter accounts with pleas to choose State.” Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin started his own campaign, sharing facts and figures about MSU's ticket sales and TV ratings.

The Bulldogs are 3-0 in bowl games since their last appearance on Jan. 1, beating Clemson 17-7 in the 1999 Peach Bowl, Texas A&M 43-41 in the 2000 Independence Bowl and Central Florida in the 2007 Liberty Bowl.

The university reported it sold its entire allotment of 15,000 tickets before its bowl destination was announced. Gator Bowl president Rick Catlett expects a sellout at 77,000-seat EverBank Field.

Stats and such
Mississippi State likes to run the ball, and the Bulldogs are good at stopping the run. The Bulldogs’ 215.8 rushing average ranks 16th nationally and they allow 121.7 rushing yards per game, the 20th-best total.

The MSU passing game ranks 91st (178.6) and pass defense 89th (236.4).

More: Team stats | Roster | Schedule/Results

Chris White leads defense
Chris White, once a lightly recruited junior college transfer, has emerged into the Bulldogs’ best defensive player. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound senior inside linebacker made 105 tackles, including 15 1/2 for a loss.

Mullen said White was one of his first recruits when he took the job two years ago. South Florida was the only other Football Bowl Subdivision program to offer him a scholarship.

"He believed in the program we were building and showed up for us from day one," Mullen said.

All-SEC
White and senior offensive lineman Derek Sherrod (6-6, 305) are the Bulldogs’ representatives on the All-SEC first team. Running back Vick Ballard was an honorable mention selection.

Youth movement
Freshman running back LaDarius Perkins, who backed up Ballard most of the season, moved into the spotlight during a regular-season-ending win over Ole Miss. He caught three passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 98 yards on 13 carries.

"(Perkins) is a really explosive player," Mullen said. "We are not loaded with playmakers. We have guys who make plays, but we are not loaded with playmakers and he is one of them. We needed him to step up and he had a huge game."

MissState_QBRelf.jpg

Mississippi State quarterback Chris Reif (14) leads the Bulldogs in rush attempts.

Associated Press

Running game starts with QB
Like Michigan’s, the Mississippi State running game starts with quarterback Chris Reif. His 179 carries (for 831 yards) are the most on the team, 13 more than Ballard. Reif has completed 111 of 197 passes (56.3) for 1,508 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.

In comparison, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson has 245 carries (116 more than Vincent Smith) for 1,733 rushing yards. He has completed 155 of 250 passes (62.0) for 2,316 yards, 16 TDs and 10 interceptions.

Respectable losses
The Bulldogs (8-4, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) are one of only four AP Top 25 teams with four losses, and for good reason. The losses have come against Auburn, Arkansas, LSU and Alabama — teams that are ranked first, eighth, 11th and 15th, respectively.

Michigan (7-5, 3-5 Big Ten) lost to No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Michigan State and unranked Iowa and Penn State.

Getting paid
The Clarion Ledger reports that Mississippi State’s payout for the Gator Bowl is $2.2 million. Michigan's payout, which is a "little bit more," was not released because of a confidentiality clause with the Big Ten, Catlett said.

Declining Newton
The biggest national news to come out of Starkville this season may have been allegations surfacing that Cecil Newton, the father of Auburn quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Cam Newton, asked two Mississippi State coaches for up to $180,000 to secure his son’s commitment to the Bulldogs.

Former Mississippi State player Kenny Rogers, who claims he organized the meeting, says the coaches declined the request and that all of the school’s employees acted properly. Cecil Newton has denied any wrongdoing.

We need more cowbell!
Locally, there was an even bigger story. The SEC threatened to fine Mississippi State for improper ringing of cowbells.

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Mississippi State's cowbell tradition has come under fire this season.

Courtesy Mississippi State

Seriously.

The conference instituted a new rule in 2010 that prohibited the use of noisemakers during plays. It was a big deal for Bulldog fans, who have been loudly and proudly ringing cowbells at games for decades.

Legend has it that a jersey cow wandered onto the field during a 1930s MSU win over rival Ole Miss and students adopted it as a good luck charm. Once the tradition of bringing a cow to a football game became impractical, they stripped it down to just a cowbell.

After a 9-1 vote by SEC schools (guess who voted against it?), cowbells were ruled a disruption and they were banned.

Mississippi State struck a compromise with the SEC in June that allowed bells to be brought into games if they were only used at certain times.

The athletic department stressed compliance all season, but results have been mixed. Since the compromise was a one-year trial, it'll be revisited at the conference meetings next June.

Gator Bowl president Rick Catlett announced cowbells would be allowed in the EverBank Field and Bulldog fans “can ring them any time they want to.”

“We would prefer them do it in the way they’ve learned to do it this year and not do it during plays,” Catlett said. “But we are going to allow them to ring their cowbells.”

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez is familiar with the noisemakers, and said his players will be, too. Rodriguez’s 2006 West Virginia team played Mississippi State.

“To try to prepare for the road game in Starkville, we purchased a bunch of cowbells and were ringing them all week in practice,” Rodriguez said. “Our guys were annoyed with it. We’ll hear a lot of cowbells (at the Gator Bowl), so our guys will hear them in practice here the next few weeks.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Comments

Blu-n-Tpa

Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 2:22 p.m.

Hey 47, have Coach Harbaugh stop by for a visit on his way to AA. It's not that far from the airport. LAX that is.

brnzadawgfan

Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 12:55 p.m.

I expect Michigan to load the box and try to force Relf to beat them with his arm. Relf will make a great throw one play, and miss a wide open receiver the next. If Michigan can force negative plays and make State play behind the sticks, they probably win. If Relf/ Ballard/ Perkins are able to get 3-4 yard runs with 8 in the box, it will be a long day for Michigan's defense. State's defense will blitz from anywhere at any time. Big plays killed us against Bama and Arkansas. They are a pressure defense, but try to bend without breaking. How well Robinson deals with the multiple looks he'll see will determine his success. Watch out for MLB Chris White #50, D end Pernell McPhee #90, and Safety Charles Mitchell #4. All three are fast, and big hitters. I can't wait to head to Jacksonville! Should be an interesting game. GO STATE!

umgoblue47

Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 10:21 a.m.

matt... michigan has an offer to kicker CONNER LOFTUS (anaheim, ca)according to the web-site mgorecruit.com...he has not missed a field goal under 40 yards this season and has two fg's over 50 yards. GO BLUE...

Steve Pepple

Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 9:49 a.m.

A comment attacking another commenter - in violation of our conversation guidelines - was removed.

superbuck

Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 8:45 a.m.

OOPS they are 8-4 my bad

superbuck

Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 8:40 a.m.

Remember this is a SEC team that is 10-2 and almost beat Auburn, They are fast and great on defense. You guys beat 5 good high school teams. You only scored 7 against our BUCKEYES. And now the bad news you still have RR as your head coach. But I will give you credit Santa might bring you a miracle but it is doubtful. I think Brady Hoke would be a great fit for Mich. at least he will put a rivalry back together for the OSU Mich game again. Miss 38- Mich 10 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year especially if they name a new head coach.

Sean T.

Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 3:10 a.m.

This will be a game where the SEC talent will be too tough to overcome. Our kids are not close to being ready for this challenge. Our only shot at winning is to be able to pass effectively and the the rest of the game will come together. (On offense)

Blu-n-Tpa

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 9:23 p.m.

Did the OSU guy just school you guys at AA.com? Hunwick was just a tease, as was the line about emergency punter. Unfortunately, you failed to cover the story about Michigan playing at OS without a kicking game, at the time or since, so he just got you to take the bait and he set the hook. Good job.

3 And Out

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 5:27 p.m.

It seems that Mullen not even getting a whif of the Florida job, after everyone speculated that it was his one-week ago... will probably motivate the heck out of the guy to have his team ready and to coach up a storm vs. the beleagured Rich Rod. Mullen will be extra motivated, and it is unfortunate for RR and company that he did not get the Florida gig and will not be distracted at all.

The OSU

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 5:06 p.m.

1) With regard to the story, is it just me, or are the authorities taking all the fun out of live football? Banning cowbells? (Penalizing players for making an "O" after an tOSU touchdown or penalizing Purdue when the Pete Purdue hugged a receiver after he made a TD catch.) Come on. Cowbells are a Miss St tradition. Glad the Gator Bowl is going to permit them. 2) It's hard for a Buckeye to compliment anything/anybody at UM. But congrats are due to your emergency goalie at the Big Chill. It's hard for a rarely used player to come into any game but even more so when the games usually have small crowds and the game in question has 110,000+. (Can Rich-Rod learn to say, "Emergency punter?)

PortageLkBlu

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 4:42 p.m.

racer, chill we're all just having fun these sites are just meant for kicks enjoy.

BlueGator

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 4:15 p.m.

In the picture above, why is Mullen heading off the field looking like he's ready to puke? Has someone just told him he's already lost out on the Florida Job?

ecmichman

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 1:36 p.m.

racer - Theo's posts are not to be taken seriously. His poetry is legendary on these boards, however. Thanks again for another sterling post Theo. Your momentary escapes from reality are refereshing. tualsatom - great analysis. If MSU makes up their mind to pound the ball they should have success against the three man front. If they choose to pass, the absence of a U-M pass rush and the weakness in the U-M secondary should allow MSU to have a big day through the air as well. Look for MSU to roll up 500 - 600 yards of offense. The only way U-M wins is to have less than four turnovers and score with big plays. The longer it takes the U-M offense to move up the field, the greater the chance of a turnover. If it is close and comes down to the kicking game.... well - let's not go there.

rnich231

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 1:24 p.m.

You all know this is just going to be another embarrassing loss and reason to get rid of richrod. UM really shouldn't have even made a bowl game. Thier only wins came from terrible teams and got blown out by anyone decent. This team will suffer for years.

tulsatom

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 1:02 p.m.

Miss State lost 17-14 to current #1 Auburn and lost to Arkansas in double OT. Not too shabby. They did lose by 22 at LSU and by 20 at Alabama so they are beatable, but their resume on paper looks stronger than that of U-M. It will be interesting to see how the two teams match up on the field. Expect Miss State to use their strong running game and offensive line to pound U-M defense and use ball control to keep the U-M offense off the field like the top-tier Big Ten teams did. Look for Miss State to put 8 in the box to stop Denard's running and force him to beat them passing the ball. For U-M to win, the defense will have to find a way to make some stops or get some turnovers while Denard and the U-M offense will need to have a good passing day. U-M is justifiably the underdog but an upset is not out of the question and I hope U-M can rise to the occasion.

azwolverine

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 11:04 a.m.

flintmaize, I don't think most fans think it will be an easy victory, if it will be a victory at all. This is a winnable game though, in that UM should be mostly recovered from the physical beatings they took over the course of the B10 season and the fact that Miss St has been blown out a few times along the way, too. Old school UM, we win in a blowout. This version...we may win in a shootout.

racer

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 10:46 a.m.

Theo212, Have you ever noticed that none of your over inflated scoring predictions ever come though? When you forecast a near 30 point victory in the Gator Bowl, after the season that Michigan has had, it makes one wonder of the validity of your conversation yesterday with DB. As far as the kicking situation. Ask you close connections in the athletic dept. about the all state kicker from Ohio that was recruited by RichRod and gang for 2 years, (and was wanted by OSU, but the kid wanted to go to Michigan) only to not be offered a scholarship, or any explanation on why after 2 years of recruitment he was not wanted. All of this was to Jim Tressels astonisment.

Matt

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 10:39 a.m.

Does anybody notice how Michigan has not even recruited a kicker this year? Under ESPN, there's not even a kicker considering us.

FlintMaize

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 9:54 a.m.

Anyone thinking this is going to be an easy Michigan victory, think again. You are probably one who also predicted Michigan victories over Michigan State and Ohio State as well! Mississippi St. is the real deal. Fast, quick, explosive defense, great running team, etc. With a couple breaks the Bulldogs could of been 11-1 or 10-2. Also, we are not going to have our usual home crowd of 113,000 in the stands rooting for us. This will be a tough, tough match-up! Go Blue.

azwolverine

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 9:08 a.m.

Wow, Mullen has turned Miss St into an 8 game winner in only two years...in the SEC no less. I'm sure the cupboards were just absolutely stocked when he got there, though.

PortageLkBlu

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 9:06 a.m.

Hopefully a win but either way the dinner and party is on at my house for New yrs. day cause my wolves will play another day.

Blu-n-Tpa

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 9:01 a.m.

Wow, a "big named kicker" right after the new year? Why wait if "the King" is going to stay. And don't we already have a kicker on scholarship? Didn't you or maybe one of the other "faithful" riducule me for even suggesting wasting two scholarships on kickers. (I didn't suggest that. I said you should be prepared for injuries, so someone should have practiced punting just in case you lose the starter. Or leave him at home vs OSU). And who's going to coach him on special teams? Bozo the clown? During your talk with RichRod, did he mention just who he was recruiting to play defense? And who was going to coach the "D"? By the way great win over MSU yesterday at the Big House. At least one coach from Michigan can win a game there vs Michigan State. It'll be a great trivia question: Name the coach who shutout MSU at the Big House in 2010?