ESPN’s Erin Andrews will appear as a special guest at the 2010 Women’s Clinic. Andrews joined ESPN in May 2004 as a reporter for the network’s NHL coverage. Since the 2004 season, Andrews has served as a reporter for the ESPN College Football Saturday telecast, the Saturday Primetime college basketball game and Big Ten college basketball coverage. In 2005, she began reporting from the sidelines of the ESPN College Football Thursday Primetime series and added Major League Baseball sideline reporting to her responsibilities. She is now also assigned to the season-long Monday Night Baseball telecast.
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Razorbacks take their first road trip of the season to nearby ORU.
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“Mark Ingram sustained a knee injury late in Monday’s practice. It was a situation where everyone involved thought it would be better to take care of now, so he would not have any issues with it later in the season.”
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Well guys, we are 2 days away from College Football, and 4 days away from seeing our beloved Bulldogs and the SEC Brethren play. Something that fell through the cracks last Friday, that hasn’t been forgotten here in Memphis, was Larry Porter’s refusal to cooperate with Dan Mullen and State’s ‘white-out’ efforts. In order to comply, Memphis would have to wear their Blue jerseys, which the Tigers sport during their home games. Long story short, whether or not Memphis has yet to receive their new blue jerseys, that’s the excuse that Porter used in responding to MSU’s request. The few Memphis Football fans that actually exist, are choosing to look at the situation as Porter standing up to Mullen and MSU. When Mullen was asked about whether or not he viewed Memphis’ response as a snub, Mullen answered with slight sarcasm, and you could tell he was mildly perturbed.

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For MSU, the 2008 season ended with a 45-0 dismantling by the hands of arch rival Ole Miss. The 2009 season, ended with a sound whipping of the “The School Up North“. In 2008, 4 wins and coach who appeared to have lost any passion he once had for the game, was enough to erase any memory of a bowl win and a successful 2007. In 2009, 5 wins and dramatic improvement in almost every facet of Bulldog football, were enough to revive a fan base, and holding the Golden Egg felt just as good as any bowl trophy would have. Though finishing one win shy of a bowl invitation, there’s no doubt that MSU’s 2009 was literally inches from being re-written. This year, Dan Mullen hopes to win those inches instead of losing them, and he appears to have the personnel to do so. Before taking on one of the Top 5 toughest schedules in the country, the Bulldogs have some questions to address, but it will take kicking off the 2010 season to begin to answer them.

Can Dan Mullen run an effective and efficient 2 QB system? Who will replace Anthony Dixon as the go-to RB? Will the additions of coaches Manny Diaz and Chris Wilson, return MSU to the hard-nosed, defensive style of play the Bulldogs are known for? Is MSU’s defensive front 7 one of the SEC’s Top 5? Can the WR core quiet any questions critics have about the depth at the position? And, will MSU go bowling this holiday season? Let’s take a look at the 2010 MSU Bulldogs…

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As we mentioned yesterday, the MSU team, the coaches, and the fans are looking for something else to sink their teeth into. So, Friday will be the third day of State’s preparations for their season opener vs Memphis, which is scheduled for next Saturday. In order to get a better feel for game day conditions, the Bulldogs will practice at Scott Field. Mullen shared his intentions: “We’re going to do a mock-game tomorrow night. A lot of just cleaning things up, of what we do on a regular game. I mean from run out of the tunnel to stretch lines and all that stuff.” As for Thursday’s practice: “I liked it. It was a little bit better, a little bit cleaner today. It was a little bit better understanding and the tempo of practice was better.” Thursday’s scrimmage featured full pads, and work against the scout team. On the past two days of practice, Mullen had this to say:“You know, when you start changing scout teams for the first time and you’re really getting a game practice and game planning, it can be a little sloppy the first day. So I think we got that corrected on the film; what is expected, how the period is supposed to look, the effort and the energy on the field.” Mullen was also questioned about the kicking game, which will also be a huge part of Friday night’s mock-game: “Heath has really cleaned-up, he’s become much more consistent. He’s a guy who last year had some talent coming out of junior college, but has really cleaned up his consistency and become a pretty solid punter. He had the leg strength, last year you’d see a 60-yarder followed by a 30-yarder. This year you’re seeing consistency.” And finally, on injured Bulldogs: “We’re still protecting them right now. They’ve been cleared to practice. So we’ve kept the red jerseys on them. They’re cleared to go full, we’re just protecting them.”

Dan Mullen isn’t the only one who has had the tape recorder in front of him, Scout.com also sat down with new Bulldog Safety Nickoe Whitley. Here’s some quotes…   

• Last year to now: “Since last season, I have much better technique and know a lot more about the defensive game, just become a smarter player. I’m just playing up to my ability.”
• On the Diaz Style of D: “I like it because it is fun. The way his defense is set up, it really helps the secondary out, so everything is actually easier for you. There are easier reads, so you don’t have to think too much back there. You just play ball. Diaz’s defense gives everybody the opportunity to make plays. It has a fast tempo and allows you to run to the ball and create a lot of big plays. And if you wait your turn your play is going to come your way, sooner or later.”
• Game week approaching: “I am not getting nervous, I’m just ready to get out there and play.”

-What do you guys expect from Nickoe Whitley this season? Better than Banks, or right on par?

Also, Chad Bumphis was recently interviewed by SDN. Quotes…

• “To be honest, last year any play we called I was just floating around. This is not an easy system to pick up right away but this year I understand my job and the concepts of the offense.”
• I think we’re getting it and I couldn’t tell you who’s going to start right now. At my position it could be me or Brandon Heavens starting and outside receivers you Leon Berry, Rico Sanders, Chris Smith and Arceto Clark that could all easily start right now.”

-If Bumphis was just grasping some of the basics in his Freshman year, and still led the team in receiving, what do you expect of him this season, now that he seems more mature all around? What about from Heavens and the rest of the WRs?

OL Coach John Hevesy was asked about the most recent developments on the Line. It appears that youngster Gabe Jackson has somewhat dethroned veteran Quentin Saulsberry at LT. That doesn’t mean that Quentin isn’t an essential part of our offense, because he is, and so is Tobias Smith. Hevesy: “All three of them can start, all three of them can play. Who will start, I don’t know. Whoever I might pick out of a hat, I’ll put one of them in.” I know one thing, it’s just nice to have some depth at OL.

State’s basketball schedule has been released. Link

MSU’s JC Brignone makes Rimington List, with 5 other SEC linemen. Link

Mel Kiper has his top SEC prospects. Guess he can’t wait to criticize the heck out of them. Link

Dooley says that the Volshave 26 things to clean up, after their mock-game. Link

TSUN’s defense, headed for special season? Link

Hotel-Gate, could cost South Carolina. If you ask me, the more and more confusion they add, the better chance USM has to go up there and catch them off guard. Link

Looks like BYU is staying in the Mountain West. Link

When it rains, it pours. UNC now expecting an academics probe. Link

Your thoughts, questions, and comments? Happy Friday Boys!

Content provided by All Things Maroon – A MSU and SEC blog.

When Steve Spurrier was hired by South Carolina, the entire SEC family took a deep breath. Would he be as dominant at USC as he was at UF? Would he raise up yet another Heisman QB? And, many wondered if he could throw the Cocks into the race for the SEC East crown, breaking the usual routine of a UT, UGA, or UF winner. 5 years later, Spurrier has yet to deliver more than an 8 win season in Columbia, issues at signal caller have dominated the Visor’s talking points since Day 1, but this year is probably Spurrier’s best chance to make a move in the East. Does that mean they will?

On Offense: 7 Starters Return-Stephen Garcia returns for his Junior season, after putting up more yards in conference play than any other SEC QB. Garcia finished 2nd to only Arkansas’ Ryan Mallet, throwing for 2,828 yds, 17 TDs, and 10 INTs. Even though last season was his first year as the ‘full-time’ starter, Garcia has been amongst the conference leaders in offensive production, over the past 2 seasons. If Garcia gets the hook, Fr. Connor Shaw seems to have Spurrier’s trust. Shaw was the #19 rated duel threat QB coming out of high school, and Spurrier has already announced that both QBs will see the field in USC’s opener vs USM…

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I woke up Saturday morning and a smile immediately came over my face. All I could think about, was the fact that in 2 weeks, I’ll either be on my way to Starkville, or waking up to College Football Gameday…ahh.

As for this past weekend, Dan Mullen followed in the steps of his former head coach, Urban Meyer, by hardly revealing anything about Friday night’s scrimmage, that was held under the lights at DWS. What we do know, is that many players who had already earned their positions were held out, while players who had limited or no game experience were given their chance to shine, and were evaluated. The scrimmage included 130+ scheduled plays, special teams work, and even some official Matt Balis conditioning sessions, for the 1st Stringers who were held out. Mullen: “I didn’t need to see everybody. There’s a lot of guys that I’ve seen play live in big-game situations. It was more for us to evaluate the younger guys. A lot of it was us counting reps and making sure the right guys got the right reps for us to evaluate.” As far as what Dan the Man thought about the scrimmage: “You could see it was a lot of first-game mistakes that were made, silly things that we’ve got to get corrected. Alignment issues and all of those things that a lot of times you see in the first game. We’ve got to get that stuff fixed.” MSU will not be able to address those areas until Tuesday, because the Bulldogs have Monday off.

Here’s some leaked info provided by Buzzard:

QB: All of the QB’s looked very good. Lots of completions especially Tyler Russell. Relf looked good on moving around and putting the ball where it needs to be and Russell did a good job of checking off from the first option and hitting the number 2. On Favre’s first drive, he marched down the field with 6 to 8 yard completions all the way down the field…  

RB: Ballard looked good at reading the hole quickly and hitting it hard. He is very shifty and hard to bring down. Elliot did good at making moves and using speed to get outside but didn’t have as many eye-catching runs as Ballard and LaDarius. Perkins is the real deal. I can honestly say I think he will be our every down back during his JR and SR years. The kid is really good. I look for him to get plenty of touches on the year. Griffin ran the ball hard as well and never quit on any plays

WR: Bumphis showed out as usual and had many nice catches with a bunch of YAC. Most of the other receivers did well but not many stood out, mostly just due to the shortness of our passes, but they still made most of the catches. There weren’t many drops

TE: Marcus Green was the most impressive player on the field. He caught EVERYTHING. He constantly went up in between defenders and made tough grabs. A number of them in the endzone. He is definitely our number one red zone option. He is going to be huge for us this year.

Defense: A number of guys didnt play much due to already being proven (White, Wright, McPhee, Mitchell). Carmon made some good plays and is very tough to block. Nick Bell had some good plays and is quicker off the ball than I thought he was. Skinner and Brandon Wilson had some nice hits from the LB position. The most impressive player on Defense to me was Nickoe Whitley. He will definitely come up and hit you, but he also has good coverage, tight ends and receivers both. There was pretty much no pressure and there’s a big hole in the middle of the field without White, Wright, and Mitchell in the game, and that’s where most of the completions were. Banks looked good and had a pick six one time and also some nice break ups. No one else really showed out to me considering I was mostly looking at receivers and QB’s.

Buzzard asked a good question yesterday. Watch this video, and ask yourself, Which QB looks ready to lead this team? I’d have to say Russell. Relf looked like someone passed gas, and he was trying to figure out who it was for the entire interview. I really like Relf, but Russell is the ‘brain’ and the more talented passer. There’s no doubt we need Relf, and need him badly. Just consider the composure. Link to Video

What-a-ya know, Spurrier is unhappy with his QB situation. Link

Connor Shaw will play in the opener (Garcia’s back up). Link

Bama is #1 in the AP Poll, agree? Link

Where does Ryan Mallet stack up in the history of SEC QBs? Link

Nutt to play Masoli and Stanley in the opener. Link

• On this topic, there are a lot of opinions from the TSUN biased radio network here in Memphis (Flinn Broadcasting, AM Sports 56). First, many think that Nutt should play Masoli as a Wild Rebel QB, and let Stanley get the majority of snaps. Secondly, others think that Masoli shouldn’t start, because if you start Masoli and he doesn’t succeed, then Nutt will look like a fool, rather than making him the #1 over Stanley-if Stanley were to get the hook. Many think Masoli is the better QB, but if he’s the QB that has to be replaced, many feel that Nutt will only be taking a step back when he puts the weaker Stanley in. And finally, the radio guys are sick of Nutt praising all 3 guys (including Mackey), and not placing any kind of distance between the 3. They feel that lifting up all 3, might eventually mislead the QBs into a false hope about getting the nod, and lead to problems within. I think there’s no doubt who the better athlete is, but it will just come down to who fits the system better, depending on what the Land Sharks are trying to do on the field.
• Also, when asked 2 weeks ago about the difference in the SEC and the Pac10, Masoli quickly said, “D-Line, and their speed!” Inside reports from within the camp, have said that the biggest thing Jeremiah has struggled with is getting accustomed to the ‘drop back’ steps in UM’s pro style offense. Stat wise, he was a 60% passer at Oregon, but is now a 50% passer when stats are combined from scrimmages and practice. Either way, is Nutt handling the QB situation the right way? Or is it time to put some distance between the 3?

Mark Richt is grateful his Dogs made the Top 25. Link

So now, is LeGarrette Blount a ’true’ liability. It has now surfaced that he accidentally punched former Duck coach Mike Bellotti (I’ve met him), during another scuffle while at Oregon. This guy is too punchy for me. Bellotti, Boise State player, now a Titan teammate? Link

VT extends Beamer through ’16. Link

Texas and BYU, home-n-home in 2013. Link

Top SEC Out of Conference games. Link

Boxscore from 49ers and Vikings last night, Dixon did ok, 1 TD, and a Dawg Pound Rock celebration. Link

And last but not least, here’s some 2009 MSU Highlights to get yall all pumped up on Monday. Link 1  & Link 2

Content provided by All Things Maroon – A MSU and SEC blog.

Blog Question of the Day: How will you handle the cowbell situation? Especially during the Auburn game? 

The atmosphere should be electric on Sept. 9. ESPN, the whole nation watching, HUGE game for our program…makes me think we just bite the $5,000 bullet, and ring away. I’m all for “Respecting the Bell”, but I just feel this is a lost cause…

Content provided by All Things Maroon – A MSU and SEC blog.

According to Dan Mullen, no one ‘won’ Tuesday’s practice, which was the Bulldogs’ last down on the Farm. On Practice: “We did a little bit more live stuff, going against each other, and when that happened I think we got sloppy. Execution suffered on both sides of the ball. It was a lot of game situation stuff. We’re done with all of our installations, we’re working specifics. We’ve got to get ready to play a game mentality so we did a lot of game situations. Sleepless Nights? “Because I have pretty high expectations for us. So if I see one thing that doesn’t look right it keeps me up at nights. But I love our effort. That’s one thing that I’ve always wanted to preach, that we’re going to have that team that always tries hard. And I think this is going to be another team that is going to give great effort. I just want to see us be a great execution team as well…