Third in a series previewing SEC football teams.
HOOVER, Ala. — Dan Mullen doesn’t have a longrange plan for winning Mississippi State’s first SEC West title since the Bulldogs shared it with Arkansas in 1998.
The Bulldogs’ second-year coach figures why wait when asked about his timetable for taking his team to Atlanta to play in the SEC Championship Game.
“Our plan is this December,” Mullen said at SEC media days. “I’ll be honest, I don’t look at our schedule and say, ‘We’re going to lose that game.’
“We’re going to try to find a way to win every single game we play. If we do that, we’re going to find ourselves in Atlanta.”
Mississippi State appears to be a program on the rise after going 5-7 last season, only the second time in the past nine years the Bulldogs won five or more games.
Adding to the excitement for the Bulldogs and their fans is that Mississippi State ended last season with a 41-27 victory over Ole Miss and returns 14 starters.
“I think the way we finished the year off, our guys believe they can compete with any team in the league,” Mullen said. “Our goal this season, as it will be every year that I’m head coach, is to find a way to win the SEC West.”
Mississippi State junior strong safety Charles Mitchell said beating Ole Miss by two touchdowns was a huge confidence boost for the Bulldogs.
“When we get together now, we look back for the reasons we played the way we did in that game,” Mitchell said. “We look at the week of preparation and we realize how much focus and how much attention to detail and how much time we really put in that week to prepare for those guys.
“We’ve said, ‘That’s what we’re going to need each week to be successful in the SEC,’ so that’s what we’re going to try to do to get over that hump and finish those games we couldn’t last year.”
Mullen is counting on a big season from senior quarterback Chris Relf, who rushed for 131 yards and threw two touchdown passes against Ole Miss.
“When my time came, I was ready to go out there and make a play,” Relf said.
Spending the season as a backup to Tyler Lee, who was a senior, Relf rushed for 500 yards and passed for 283 yards and 5 touchdowns.
“Chris is a completely different player than he was last year,” said Mullen, praising Relf’s development as a passer in off-season drills and spring practice and his commitment for extra work in the film room. “He’s getting that demeanor that he has to be better than the other guys on the team if he’s going to be the leader.”
Mullen, who came to Mississippi State after being Florida’s offensive coordinator, said all of the players should feel more comfortable and confident in his second season on the job.
“A lot of times in year one, your players are still grasping,” Mullen said. “We’re in year two. Hopefully, they know what to do.”
Mitchell said the Bulldogs are a mature team and know what the coaches want and expect.
“We’re very excited. We feel like we’ve got our whole town and community excited,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been working extremely hard to improve ourselves and the team, giving people a reason to come support us.
“We’re trying to go out there and gain some respect.”
NEXT Florida2010 schedule DATE OPPONENT SEPT. 4 Memphis SEPT. 9 Auburn SEPT. 18 at LSU SEPT. 25 Georgia OCT. 2 Alcorn State OCT. 9 at Houston OCT. 16 at Florida OCT. 23 Alabama-Birmingham OCT. 30 Kentucky NOV. 13 at Alabama NOV. 20 Arkansas NOV. 27 at Ole Miss
Sports, Pages 19 on 07/24/2010