Mississippi State Football: Are the Bulldogs Ready to Take the Next Step?

If bowl games truly do serve as a momentum builder for the following season, then very few teams in America will be able to match the type of momentum that Mississippi State will enter the 2011 season with.

After thoroughly obliterating Michigan 52-14 in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day, the boys from Starkville have reason to feel good about themselves as they get prepared and ready for their upcoming campaign.

Mississippi State returns 16 starters—nine on offense, seven on defense—from a team that finished the 2010 season at 9-4 and came away with victories over the likes of Florida and Georgia, and came within one score of pulling off upsets of Auburn and Arkansas, the conference’s two BCS representatives.

Many figured coach Dan Mullen would be able to turn the forlorn program around in due time, but nobody could have predicted it would happen this quickly.

After just two seasons at Mississippi State, Mullen has completely reshaped the offense, stabilized the defense and changed the entire team’s attitude and focus.

We saw glimpses of what was to come back in 2009, Mullen’s first season on the job, when the Bulldogs gave both LSU and Florida, two top 10 caliber teams, a run for their money. And it now looks as if Mullen’s bunch aren't ready to just hang with the big boys of the conference; they’re ready to start beating them on a routine basis.

In the SEC, college football’s most hostile territory, you need to have a stockpile of talent just to survive, and although Mississippi State’s depth chart won’t overwhelm you in the same way as Alabama or LSU, this is a group that’s got some potential breakout stars sprinkled throughout the roster.

It all starts with the team’s linchpin for success, Chris Relf, an athletic dual-threat quarterback who perfectly fits the mold of what Mullen’s looking for to run his unique spread offensive attack.

Relf has made great strides as both a player and a leader since taking over the starting job last year.

The 6'4", 245-pound senior still has some developing to do as a passer, but he rarely made major mistakes last year, throwing just six interceptions, and his running ability served as a major boost to the offense.

Relf rushed for over 700 yards and added a dynamic element to the offense that forced defenses to stay on their toes at all times.

The senior signal caller will once again be joined in the backfield by RB Vick Ballard, who stepped in fresh out of junior college last year and became the offense’s biggest impact player, scoring 20 total touchdowns and nearly breaking the 1,000-yard rushing mark.

Ballard has rarely been mentioned with the likes of Marcus Lattimore, Trent Richardson and Knile Davis, the so-called elite backs of the SEC, but his production speaks for itself.

The 5'11", 215-pound senior’s 5.2 yards per carry average is good for third best among the conference’s returning rushers.

Ballard and Relf won’t be the only two players toting the rock in 2011. Sophomore LaDarius Perkins is the team’s future go-to back, and he will demand touches.

Perkins ran for 566 yards and scored six total touchdowns in his first season, and he should only improve on those numbers this year.

Opening the holes for Relf, Ballard and Perkins will be an offensive line that loses its undisputed top player from a year ago, tackle Derek Sherrod, a first round pick in this year’s NFL draft. But it’s also a group that returns three solid starters, including center Quentin Saulsberry, one of the best interior linemen in the SEC, and guard Gabe Jackson, who earned a spot on the conference’s All-Freshman team last year.

We know that Mississippi State should have no trouble running the ball, but if the offense really wants to become lethal, the passing game will need to improve.

The Bulldogs have an intriguing receiving trio made up of returning starters Chad Bumphis, Arceto Clark and Chris Smith.

Bumphis, a junior who led the team with 44 catches last season, is the clear-cut top dog, and he should be Relf’s favorite target once again, but Clark and Smith, who combined for 49 catches in 2010, will need to continue to progress.

Junior Brandon Heavens, who hauled in 22 passes last year, will also be in the mix.

Mullen’s offense will no doubt be the focal point of the team this year but if the Bulldogs really want to contend in the disgustingly difficult SEC West, they’re going to need a consistent performance out of their defense week in and week out.

It's a defense that was steady, yet not overly spectacular in 2010, ranking third in the SEC in scoring defense and eighth in total defense.

Mississippi State figures to be strong up front and in the back end, as the unit returns three starters on the defensive line, as well as all four starters in the secondary. But the Bulldogs lose all three of their linebackers from a year ago including the team’s top two tacklers K.J. Wright and Chris White, who were both picked in this year’s NFL draft.

The defensive line will boast one of the best defensive tackle duos in the country with Josh Boyd and Fletcher Cox and returning defensive end, Sean Ferguson should be able to help ease the loss of Pernell McPhee, a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft.

The experienced secondary, which should be one of the best the SEC has to offer this season, is loaded with battle tested veterans and it will be much improved from last year’s unit that let up over 3,000 yards through the air.

CB Corey Broomfield has an NFL future, and he's the most talented player out of all the defensive backs.

Broomfield and fellow corner Johnthan Banks each recorded three interceptions a year ago.

SS Charles Mitchell is the team’s leading returning tackler after finishing last season with 93 total takedowns, and he’ll be counted on to be one of the leaders of the defense this year.

The linebacker corps will be the real question mark of the defense, but there is some emerging talent there with guys like Brandon Maye, a Clemson transfer who should be the key cog of the group at middle linebacker.

One look at Mississippi State’s schedule reveals that things certainly won’t come easy this season.

The Bulldogs will have three tough road tests at Auburn, Georgia and Arkansas and the home slate, which includes match ups with LSU, South Carolina and Alabama, three Top 10 ranked teams, obviously won’t be any easier. However, the pieces are now in place for this Bulldogs team to compete with anybody on any given Saturday.

The SEC West appears to be the most stacked division in all of college football this season and LSU and Alabama will be the heavy favorites going into the year. But expect Dan Mullen to have a few tricks up his sleeve.

QB Chris Relf may not be the next Cam Newton or Tim Tebow, but he has the potential to be one of the league’s biggest breakout stars of 2011.

If Relf can keep the offense running smoothly in a consistent rhythm, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Bulldogs pull off a few big upsets and maybe even finish with their first double-digit win season since 1999.

Considering the type of competition in the league this year, saying Mississippi State is capable of wining an SEC championship this season may seem like a stretch at this point, but there’s no denying that Mullen has this program moving in the right direction and this team looks like it could be on the cusp of making major moves in the years to come.