The Mississippi State Bulldogs might not have achieved everything they wanted to achieve through two months of the 2018 season, but they have at least prevented a collapse. They have stabilized, ensuring that while their ceiling might not be very high, their floor won’t be very low. The season hasn’t soared, but neither has it spiraled out of control, which represents a decent start for first-year head coach Joe Moorhead.
By Matt Zemek
Every head coach who inherits a highly-publicized quarterback in Year 1 at a new school would love to make a splash. Moorhead hasn’t done that, but he has also successfully avoided what Year 1 coaches need to avoid: a disaster. This past Saturday’s win over Texas A&M, which followed a home win over Auburn weeks earlier, should give Mississippi State fans confidence that this will continue to be a bowl-game program under Moorhead, and that the gains and improvements made by Dan Mullen will not be lost. That was crucial to achieve this season. While 2019 might be a tough season, Moorhead’s ability to prevent the house from falling down in 2018 sets the groundwork for being able to sell a vision for 2020 and beyond.
With all that having been said: Moorhead will want to make sure that his players don’t snooze and let down their guard against Louisiana Tech. The main keys to this game are mental more than tactical.
1 – ENJOY THE PROCESS
This is not “trust the process,” but a call to enjoy the process for the Bulldogs. What do I mean by that? Mississippi State has labored this season. The Bulldogs, in moments of victory and defeat, have worked really, really hard. The Florida and LSU losses were tough games. The Auburn and Texas A&M wins were tough games. Nothing since the Kansas State game has been easy, regardless of result.
Many people will quite naturally say – and they are not wrong to say it – that this is a letdown game, an occasion in which Mississippi State might get bored and not play with any intensity. That is a genuine and foremost concern heading into Saturday. How can the Bulldogs fend off that temptation to drag through this game?
The answer is this: After so many weeks of having to struggle to win, and having games come down to the fourth quarter for better or worse, wouldn’t it be great to win a game emphatically, by the middle of the third quarter? Wouldn’t it be great to stomp on throats and display physical dominance? This needs to be a night when the Bulldogs play a brilliant first half and then get to rest the starters in the second half. That’s a great way to lead into a game against Alabama.
2 – REDSHIRT ALERT
The teams in the SEC which are playing huge games this weekend – Alabama, LSU, Georgia, and Kentucky – might not be able to afford playing freshmen many minutes, but teams in MSU’s position sure can. The four-game redshirt rule should give Moorhead a chance to hand out snaps and playing time to freshmen who can still be redshirted.
3 – DEEP BALL
This game is a time to practice the deep passing game, which has not been there all season. MSU will need it against Alabama.
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