MSU’s Mullen: 2011 Was “A Great Season”

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Talk about positive spin.  Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen said the following after his team won the Music City Bowl to insure a winning record:


“You know what?  To me, it’s a great season.”


That’s a rather liberal use of the word “great” isn’t it?  We are talking about a veteran team that entered 2011 with big expectations following a 9-4 season in 2010.  But the Bulldogs failed once again to knock off a single SEC West foe that doesn’t have the word “Ole” in its title.  State had to win its last regular-season game just to become bowl eligible and then had to snuff out Wake Forest 23-17 in Nashville to finish 7-6.

Here’s guessing most MSU fans don’t view that as a great season.  But it was another step forward in Mullen’s overall rebuilding job.  And that much is positive.

The Bulldogs slid backwards from year-to-year, yes, but they didn’t slide as far back as State has slud — thank ya, Dizzy Dean — in past years.  They reached a second-straight bowl game for the first time since 1999-2000.  They continued their recent mastery over rival Ole Miss, winning a third-straight Egg Bowl for the first time since 1942.

Those are signs of growth.  They’re reasons for Mullen and MSU fans to remain upbeat moving forward.

But great?  That’s a bit of a stretch.