2011 Mississippi State Football Predictions


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After winning just nine games combined in 2008 and 2009, the Mississippi State Bulldogs finished the 2010 season at 9-4 thanks to a 52-14 blowout win over Michigan in the Gator Bowl. A lot of credit needs to be given to head coach Dan Mullen, who is entering his third season at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs don’t appear to have the talent to win the SEC West this season, but with home games against both Alabama and LSU you can’t rule this them out just yet.

To get a better idea of what this team will look like in 2011, lets take a closer look at who they are expected to start on both sides of the ball, plus I will give my predictions on where they will finish the year in the SEC West.

Offense:

The Bulldogs have nine starters back on the offensive side of the ball, and will look to build of their 29 points  a game in 2010. The Bulldogs do most of their damage on the ground, where they racked up 215 yards a game last year.

This unit could really take the next step if senior quarterback Chris Relf continues to improve throwing the football. Relf completed 58.6% of his passes in 2010, but finished with just 1,789 yards with 13 touchdowns to six interceptions. He does the majority of his damage in the running game. He finished second on the team with 713 yards and five touchdowns.

Mississippi State returns their top two running backs from last year in senior Vick Ballard and sophomore LaDarius Perkins. Ballard led the way with 968 yards and 19 touchdowns, while Perkins made an immediate impact as a freshman with 566 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground and 247 yards and three touchdowns in the passing game. When you combine these two with what Relf can do in the running game, Mississippi State figures to have one of the best rushing attacks in the country.

While the Bulldogs don’t throw it much, they return their top four receivers from last year. Senior Chad Bumphis is the biggest threat on the outside, and he easily led the team with 44 catches for 634 yards and five touchdowns. The experience coming back is a big reason why Relf should have  a much better year throwing the ball.

The biggest concern for the offense comes up front on the offensive line. Mississippi State has to find a new starter at right guard and left tackle. After spring practices it looks like junior Tobias Smith will take over at right guard, while senior James Carmon steps in at left tackle. These two have to play well for the Bulldogs to have any shot at winning the West.

Defense:

This unit deserves a lot of credit for the Bulldogs turnaround in 2010. Mississippi State allowed just 19.8 ppg last year and were solid against both the run and the pass. They bring back a lot of experience with 7 starters returning, but they lose two great linebackers in Chris White and KJ Wright.

The defensive line should be solid again this season with three starters back from last year. Juniors Josh Boyd and Fletcher Cox are two of the top defensive tackles in the SEC and only figure to be better with another season under their belt. Junior Trevor Stigers will be called on to take over at the starting defensive end spot opposite of senior Sean Ferguson.

White (110) and Wright (98) led the Bulldogs in tackles last year, and were both selected in the recent NFL draft. That loss of talent is going to be extremely hard to replace. Clemson transfer Brandon Maye will be counted on heavily to step in and be a force for this defense, but they are also going to need sophomore Chris Hughes and junior Cameron Lawrence to come in and play well for this defense to avoid a major let down this season.

The strength of this defense should be their ability to shutdown opposing teams passing attacks. Mississippi State returns all four starters from a unit that allowed just 238 yards through the air in 2010. Juniors Johnthan Banks and Corey Broomfield return as the starting corner duo, and each had three interceptions last year. They also have a talented young safety in Nickoe Whitley, who intercepted three passes in 11 starts as a freshman.

SEC Prediction: 3rd SEC West - Even though the Bulldogs get both LSU and Alabama at home, it is going to be very difficult for them to win either of those games. They also have to host South Carolina and go on the road to face Georgia out of the SEC East. Still I think with the talent this team has coming back on both sides of the ball they will be the third best team in the SEC West this season.

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