2009 College Football Predictions: Mississippi State Bulldogs

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This is a continuation of our series on our exclusive 2009 college football predictions.  Follow all of our 2009 college football predictions here (team by team) or here (by conference).

Mississippi State Bulldogs

2008 Record: (4-8, 2-6)
Coach: Dan Mullen, 1st year (0-0 overall)
Off. Coordinator: Les Keonning (1st year)
Def. Coordinator: Carl Torbush (1st year)
Returning Starters: 11 (6 offense, 5 defense)
Ret. Starting Quarterback: Yes (Tyson Lee)

Offense: The Mississippi State Bulldogs brought in Dan Mullen, who was an assistant and offensive coordinator at Florida, to try and bring Mississippi State from the bottom of the SEC. The key will be at quarterback, where they return senior QB Tyson Lee (5-10, 200), who threw for 1,519 yards last season. However, he’s limited at 5-10 and Tyler Russell, who was a 2009 Mr. Football in Mississippi, will be given every chance to win the job. The strength will be the running game, though they averaged just 100.6 yards per game last season (105th in the nation). Senior Anthony Dixon (6-1, 235) is a workhorse who should see more holes if they develop a passing game. Senior Brandon McRae (6-4, 205) is the leading returning receiver with 518 yards. The rest of the receiving group is raw, but they will see a lot of action in the new spread offense. Up front, they return just three starters to a line that was a trouble spot last year.

Defense: The defense returns five starters from a unit that allowed 24.7ppg (60th in the nation) and 327.5 yards per game (35th in the nation). They also brought in veteran coach Carl Torbush to handle the defense. Up front, they return two of four starters. Senior DT Kyle Love (6-1, 310) returns with two seasons of regular playing time under his belt. At linebacker, junior K.J. Wright (6-4, 245), who recorded 72 tackles and four sacks last year, is a potential star. The secondary returns just one starter in senior Marcus Washington and this is a major concern.

Outlook: The Bulldogs face Jackson State at home and then it gets difficult. They go right into the SEC schedule, taking on Auburn and Vandy on the road, before they host LSU. After that, they get back to the non-conference schedule, facing Georgia Tech and Houston at home. They also face Florida and Ole Miss at home. This is a tough schedule for a team that is rebuilding under a new head coach and brand new system. If they find a quarterback, with the new spread system, they’ll obliterate last year’s 15.3ppg average.

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