Muschamp expects different Miss. State offense led by new QB
Count South Carolina senior linebacker T.J. Holloman among those who believe Mississippi State will be a more focused and energized football team when it hosts the Gamecocks Saturday night at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville (7 p.m., ESPN2).
Four days ago, Mississippi State appeared listless at times during its 21-20 loss to South Alabama. The late morning kickoff (11 a.m. local time) for that game could have contributed to the blahs.
Saturday night, though, should produce a more electrifying vibe inside the stadium, which has been expanded to over 61,000 since USC’s last visit to Starkville in 2011.
“They are going to be a completely different team,” Holloman said Tuesday. “Their backs are against the wall and this is an SEC night game. It’s their first home night game. They are going to come out aggressive and playing hard. We just have to embrace it and calm the storm.”
Will Muschamp’s message to his team mirrors Holloman’s sentiments – don’t believe what you see in the South Alabama video.
“We’ll face a different team than we see on film,” Muschamp said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. “I’ve told our players that since we met (Monday). What happened Saturday has zero to do with what is going to happen Saturday night in Starkville. We look forward to going to Starkville and playing the Bulldogs.”
Just as the Gamecock defense had to adjust to life without All-America defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the Mississippi State offense is undergoing the same type of transition without Dak Prescott at quarterback. The Bulldogs relied on Prescott to make plays, but Muschamp said his study of the video from the opening game loss to South Alabama indicates MSU coach Dan Mullen, who calls his own plays, has understandably less faith in the new crop of Bulldog quarterbacks until they have proven themselves.
“They've been very successful over the years in what they’re doing offensively and tailoring their system to what their quarterback can do,” Muschamp said. “When you lose a quarterback like Dak Prescott, it does change some things. They're not going to give that quarterback as much as they gave Dak. They put a lot on Dak last year having played them.
“Philosophically, I don’t think there's been any change as far as what they believe in, and that's being very physical up front and having the quarterback contribute in run game situations for them. They take a lot of shots and create a lot of eye control issues with the motions and the shifts and the different things they do. They create some tempo issues for you. They probably don't put as much on the quarterback because when you've got a four-year starter, you're going to give him more.”
Led by junior quarterback Damian Williams (12 carries, 93 yards), Mississippi State rushed for 239 yards against South Alabama. Brandon Holloway amassed 48 yards on 11 carries.
“They’re a pretty good run team,” Holloman said. “They have good quarterbacks that are mobile. They like to run zone reads and stuff like that. We just have to be very sound fundamentally.”
Muschamp explained when the quarterback is a running threat, it creates another gap for the defense to worry about.
“The quarterback responsibility increases,” Holloman said. “You can’t account for the quarterback when he is running, but you can account for the running back and the receivers. But the quarterback is an extra man. We just have to be very disciplined in containing him.”
Containing Williams should be a collective effort rather than scheming for one defender to focus exclusively on the quarterback, Holloman said.
“We’re all responsible for him,” Holloman said. “It just depends on the play and the scheme. Sometimes the end can be responsible and sometimes the linebackers or the safeties. It all depends on the scheme.”
Even though the scheme is similar to when Prescott was calling signals, Holloman says Mississippi State’s offensive linemen were bigger in 2013 when the Bulldogs faced the Gamecocks during Holloman’s redshirt freshman season.
“Their linemen were much bigger (in 2013), but now they are more athletic,” Holloman said. “So, they get off blocks and they zone (better). We have to do a very good job fitting our gaps and being disciplined.”
Muschamp bemoaned the Gamecocks being occasionally “displaced” in their run defense at Vanderbilt.
“We just weren’t fitting our gaps correctly,” Holloman said. “It was a simple mistake. We corrected it in the second half.”
Mississippi State, though, will likely throw more bubble screens and passes into the perimeter than Vanderbilt did in an effort to stretch the Gamecock defense.
“We just have to be very good tacklers in space and very good getting off blocks,” Holloman said. “Their receivers are very physical as Coach Muschamp has preached all week and our DBs and linebackers have to get off them in space.”
Because Mississippi State's Mullen is an offensive-minded coach, the Bulldogs' offense tends to be more varied in the play-calling than Vanderbilt’s, which relied heavily on a power running attack.
Thus, Mississippi State promises to offer the Gamecock defense more looks, forcing them to prepare for a broader range of plays.
“You know what you’re going to get when you play against Vanderbilt,” Holloman said. “We were challenged to stop the run and I thought overall we did a good job with that even with a few mishaps."
Similar to last Thursday in Nashville, Saturday’s showdown should boil down to the fourth quarter. The Gamecocks dominated the final 15 minutes against Vanderbilt. Can they do the same in Starkville?
“It’s all about winning. The fun is in winning,” Holloman said. “That fourth quarter showed our hard conditioning and all the things we went through (paid dividends). We really worked hard, and when we were out there we stood the test. We have had a complete buy-in and the results are showing. Winning is all we want these days. As long as we keep winning, everybody will keep buying in."
NOTES
-- Muschamp said the Gamecocks have made changes to the kickoff coverage unit after allowing 24.5 yards (2 returns, 49 yards) at Vanderbilt. “Our coverage units on special teams need to be much better,” Muschamp said. “Our punt coverage was OK. Our kickoff coverage was very poor. We have made some changes there.”
-- South Carolina placekicker Elliott Fry was recognized Monday as the SEC’s Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking two long field goals in USC’s 13-10 victory at Vanderbilt last Thursday. Fry got the Gamecocks on the board with a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter, then hit on a career-long 55-yard attempt with less than a minute remaining to lift Carolina to the win. The 55-yard field goal was three-yards further than his previous best, and tied for the second-longest field goal in school history.
-- Vanderbilt Wrapup: USC’s Offensive Player of the Game was Bryan Edwards. Offensive lineman of the week was Mason Zandi. Defensive players of the game were linebacker Jonathan Walton and DE Marquavius Lewis.
-- Holloman on JUCO transfer CB JaMarcus King: “He has been good. He made a couple of big plays out there on pass breakup. He is becoming more settled and doing a great job. He is a quick learner. He stayed late and got extra work and extra film sessions. He has really dedicated himself to the team.”
-- Five-star defensive end Jeffrey Simmons, subject of controversy in late May when Mississippi State announced he would be admitted into school despite an assault charge for striking a woman, is set to make his Bulldogs debut Saturday after serving a one-game suspension.
-- Holloman said every Gamecock player, including those on the offensive side, are held accountable for tackling. “We do a lot of team tackling drills, not just defense and special teams. We do a lot of thud drills. A lot of thud teams are great tackling teams. We just have to focus on getting to the ball and thud up.”
-- Muschamp said tight end Kyle Markway could play Saturday at Mississippi State after missing the opener and much of preseason camp with an injury.
