Gator Bowl 2010: 10 Things You Need to Know About Michigan vs. Mississippi St.
As is the case every year, New Year's Day 2011 will feature a bevy of exciting bowl games, not the least of which will be the Progressive Gator Bowl.
This year's edition of the clash in Jacksonville pits the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten against the SEC's Mississippi State Bulldogs.
While most eyes in the college football world will be on Pasadena, California and Glendale, Arizona, there will still be plenty of interest and intrigue to keep track of at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.
Without further ado, here are 10 important factors to watch for in the Gator Bowl.
Michigan Wolverines: Winding Road to Jacksonville
1 of 10
The 2010 season began rather auspiciously at the Big House as Michigan started fast at 5-0, with wins over old rival Notre Dame and eventual Big East champion Connecticut.
The Wolverines promptly followed up their ascent into the Top 25 with three straight losses to Big Ten foes Michigan State, Iowa and Penn State before recovering with a thrilling triple-overtime victory against Illinois and a 27-16 triumph over Purdue.
At 7-3, Rich Rodriguez's team looked poised for at least one good showing between games against Wisconsin and Ohio State but was ultimately throttled in both.
The 37-7 defeat to the Buckeyes was particularly harrowing for Wolverines fans, extending Michigan's current drought in college football's best rivalry to seven games.
Hence, the Maize and Blue march into Jacksonville looking to right a rocky ship in Ann Arbor.
Mississippi State Bulldogs: Sequential Success in Starkville
2 of 10
While the Michigan football program has stagnated in recent years, the team at Mississippi State would appear to be on the upswing.
A year after going 5-7, the Bulldogs find themselves with an 8-4 record, including a midseason six-game win streak and victories over Florida and in-state rival Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl.
While a fifth place finish in SEC West may not seem all that special on the surface, consider the four teams that finished ahead of them.
Auburn, Arkansas, LSU and Alabama.
All four of the Bulldogs' losses on the season came to those teams, though they fell to Auburn, the current No. 1 team in the country, 17-14 and endured a gut-wrenching defeat to Sugar Bowl-bound Arkansas in double overtime.
Hence, MSU could just as easily finished the season with a 10-2 record and, perhaps, a spot in the BCS.
Dan Mullen: A Rising Star in the Coaching Profession
3 of 10
Mississippi State's improvement has come under the guidance of second-year head man Dan Mullen.
Mullen is better known as the man responsible for the success of quarterbacks like Josh Harris at Bowling Green, Alex Smith at Utah and, of course, Tim Tebow at Florida, all of whom Mullen tutored while working under Urban Meyer.
His ascension within the college coaching profession has continued since taking over in Starkville following the largely unsuccessful tenure of Sylvester Croom.
The Bulldogs improved to five wins in Mullen's first season after closing out Croom's career at 4-8 and have since jumped to 8-4.
The college football world has taken notice, with Miami (FL) and Florida both considering for their previously vacant head coaching positions the latest rising member of the so-called "New Hampshire mafia," which includes the likes of Oregon's Chip Kelly and former BYU head coach Gary Crowton.
A win in the Gator Bowl against a storied program like Michigan would serve as yet another feather in the well-decorated cap of Dan Mullen.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Rich Rodriguez: On the Way Out, Win or Lose?
4 of 10
On the flip side, Rich Rodriguez's star has fallen just about as quickly as Mullen's has risen.
Rodriguez was hired as the head coach at Michigan in 2008 following the "retirement" of Lloyd Carr and carried with him a résumé that included four Big East titles in seven seasons at West Virginia, his alma mater.
Oh, and a preference for the spread offense that drew the ire of traditional Wolverines fans and Big Ten aficionados alike.
After starting his tenure in Ann Arbor with consecutive losing seasons (3-9 in 2008 and 5-7 in 2009), Rich Rod has managed to demonstrate some level of year-to-year improvement in the Big House, though certainly not to the extent that Blue and Maize boosters would like.
As such, should the Wolverines fall to the Bulldogs in the Gator Bowl, the administration at Michigan might very well seize the opportunity to show Rich Rod the door.
If that happens, they'd do well to arm themselves with a team of contract lawyers (search: "Rich Rodriguez," "West Virginia," "burning bridges").
Denard Robinson: Biggest Heisman Snub in the Country
5 of 10
A lion's share of the credit for whatever success Michigan had this season belongs in the hands, and fleet feet, of quarterback Denard Robinson.
Few remember that Robinson was the Heisman Trophy favorite in the early going after shredding Notre Dame for 502 total yards (244 passing, 258 rushing) and three touchdowns.
Despite dabbling with minor injuries throughout the rest of the season, Robinson still managed to finish the year with 2,316 yards passing, 1,643 yards rushing and 34 touchdowns, making him the first player in the history of college football to run AND throw for at least 1,500 yards.
Robinson's efficacy at quarterback is the key not only to Michigan's offense, but to the Wolverines' hopes of victory in Jacksonville as well. As such, Mississippi State will have to come up with a way to contain the sophomore from Deerfield Beach, Florida if the Bulldogs want to come out on top.
Chris Relf: No Slouch in the Spread
6 of 10
Robinson's counterpart for Mississippi State, Chris Relf, is a pretty good player in his own right.
At 6'4" and 240 pounds, the junior from Montgomery, Alabama is an absolute load in Dan Mullen's spread offense. He may not have the 4.4 speed or lateral quickness of a guy like Denard Robinson or Cam Newton (few do), but his linebacker-like size allows him to run over and through, rather than around, the opposition.
He's done so quite well, to the tune of 683 yards and four touchdowns on the ground to complement his 1,508 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air.
Those numbers may not be entirely eye-popping, but they've been enough to help boost the Bulldogs to eight wins, and perhaps nine, pending a final score in the Gator Bowl.
Pitch and Ditch: Spread Offenses on Display
7 of 10
The success enjoyed by Relf and Robinson has come in the context of each team's spread option offense.
Mississippi State's version, which Dan Mullen engineered to such perfection at Utah and Florida, has proven to be quite a success, with the Bulldogs ranking as the 16th most prolific rushing offense in the nation.
Relf aside, no player has benefited more from MSU's option than running back Vick Ballard, who accounted for 892 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground for the 'Dogs.
Of course, few teams in the country run the spread option better than Rich Rod's Wolverines, who sport the 11th best rushing attack in the NCAA as part of the sixth-most prolific total offense.
Few have given Rodriguez credit for not only getting the spread to work at a Big Ten school, but doing so with such success that Michigan leads the Big Ten in total offense, ahead of juggernauts like Wisconsin and Ohio State.
As such, the Gator Bowl should be among the best displays of spread option offenses head-to-head that college football has yet seen.
Wolverines Defense Lacks Teeth
8 of 10
As familiar as Michigan's defense must be with playing against spread offenses, having to face one of the nation's best in practice every day, it'll be hard pressed to stop Mississippi State's attack.
Not because the Bulldogs are so dominant on offense, but rather because the Wolverines are so, well, subordinate on defense.
Michigan's defense is among the most porous in all of college football, surrendering 33.8 points (102nd in the nation) and 447.9 yards per game (108th), and is probably the biggest reason why the Wolverines finished seventh in the Big Ten standings with a conference record of 3-5.
If Michigan has any hope of winning this game, Rich Rod and his staff will need a Denard Robinsonian effort from the defense against an offensive unit for MSU that is more than capable of putting up points.
Turnover Troubles: Michigan Needs to Take Care of the Ball
9 of 10
Embedded within Michigan's defensive struggles is the team's inability to win the turnover battle on a regular basis.
The Wolverines offense accounted for 12 turnovers in the team's five losses this season, while the defense forced only three in those very same games, accounting for Michigan's minus-nine turnover differential on the season.
Such suggests that, like most teams, the Maize and Blue do quite well when they win or tie in the turnover department.
As such, Michigan's success or failure in the Gator Bowl likely hinges on both the offense's ability to take care of the football and the defense's proficiency in forcing takeaways.
Prediction: Bulldogs Defense Will Make the Difference
10 of 10
When push comes to shove, or rather pitch comes to, well, chase, in the Gator Bowl, Mississippi State looks poised to emerge from the scrum victorious.
Michigan certainly owns the edge on offense, but the Bulldogs sport a significant advantage on defense, with the nation's 19th-best unit against the run.
There's no doubt that both teams will pile up yardage and points in this one, and the winner could very well be the last team to possess the ball.
However, MSU's defense may only need to be good enough to get a few stops here and there, as the Wolverines' group is among college football's worst.
All in all, expect a shootout in Jacksonville, with Dan Mullen returning to the state of Florida for another win in what may turn out to be Rich Rodriguez's Michigan swan song.
Prediction: Mississippi State 49, Michigan 45
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
