A national broadcaster's viewpoint

[Paperdog]

I am not taking a pro-Mullen or anti-Mullen stance, simply going to make an observation...

Tim Brando appeared on the Finebaum Show today. Paul asked Tim what he thought about the Mississippi State football program

Basically, in summary this is what Brando said....
1. MSU is averaging 30 points per game which is good enough to win games in the SEC
2. Prescott is the first quarterback that Dan has had that can run the type of offensive system that Dan wants to run
3. The main problem with MSU this season is youth in secondary ... He said the defense was too young in too many spots
4. MSU will be much older and much better next year ... And has a chance to be "very very good" ... Possibly a 10-win team
5. Mullen is the right man for the job and is headed in the right direction even though this season has been a disappointment in certain areas

In other words, this is what will keep Mullen in place for many years to come. Stricklin will not step up to the plate and take on the heads-on criticism that would come for all corners if a coaching change was made. Brando is just one opinion ... but he covers the SEC and has a national platform daily on radio.

The only thing that will remove Mullen from his present position is a complete collapse at the box office (that is what got Coach O in Oxford and Jeff Bower in Hattiesburg). If MSU averaged say 30,000 fans per game next season there would be cause for concern by the AD. However, as long as the box office numbers are good and next year's team makes it way to 6-6 ... Things will go on as is

Now anyway ... back to the baseball countdown

 

[Hump4Hoops]

I hope he's right.

 

[godlluB]

sigh....

It's always next year.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

I refuse to believe that Mississippi State, who is only in the news when we play Alabama, make an historic hire, or violate NCAA rules, would be much more than a blip on the national radar if we fired Dan Mullen tomorrow or after the Egg Bowl. It would make good fodder for MAYBE 24 hours. Maybe. And if we fire him on the Friday after the Egg Bowl, with LSU and Oregon among others playing that day and a full slate on Saturday including the Iron Bowl, it would barely get noticed. By Monday, we would be forgotten.

 

[DerHntr]

Averaging 30 points per game including our non-conference opponents. We are averaging 22.5 against the SEC which really isn't terrible traditionally in the conference. There are several in the conference that are putting up a lot more points than in the past though.

 

[RocketDawg]

I pretty much agree with what he said.

Not so sure about a 10-win season next year though. Possible, but not likely. But I think we might win 8.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

Didn't Brando also say it was a shame we fired Crooms?

 

[cheewgumm]

NIGHTMARE SCENARIO is where we are headed.

1) 2013 - We retain Mullen after 5 wins this year.
2) 2014 - Next year our schedule is much easier, so we get 7 wins( 4 barely breathing OOC, Kentucky, Vandy, still down Arkansas)
3) 2014 - Music ****** Bowl - yay
3) MSU "braintrust" celebrates and thinks things are "back on track".

In reality at this point, things are not back on track. In fact they are worse becasue we have lost a year.

4) 2015 Uh oh, guess what? Our schedule still contains 4 OOC cream puffs and Kentucky. However, Kentucky(who has outrecruited us for a few years now) beats our ***. However,. Bilema is in meltdown at Arkansas an we beat them for 6 wins.
5) 2014 - Birmingham Bowl at 6-6...yay.


I won't go further, because this horse is dying slowly...like our program if this happens.

I pretty much agree with what he said.

Not so sure about a 10-win season next year though. Possible, but not likely. But I think we might win 8.

 

[mparkerfd20]

I am not taking a pro-Mullen or anti-Mullen stance, simply going to make an observation...

Tim Brando appeared on the Finebaum Show today. Paul asked Tim what he thought about the Mississippi State football program

Basically, in summary this is what Brando said....
1. MSU is averaging 30 points per game which is good enough to win games in the SEC
2. Prescott is the first quarterback that Dan has had that can run the type of offensive system that Dan wants to run
3. The main problem with MSU this season is youth in secondary ... He said the defense was too young in too many spots
4. MSU will be much older and much better next year ... And has a chance to be "very very good" ... Possibly a 10-win team
5. Mullen is the right man for the job and is headed in the right direction even though this season has been a disappointment in certain areas

In other words, this is what will keep Mullen in place for many years to come. Stricklin will not step up to the plate and take on the heads-on criticism that would come for all corners if a coaching change was made. Brando is just one opinion ... but he covers the SEC and has a national platform daily on radio.

The only thing that will remove Mullen from his present position is a complete collapse at the box office (that is what got Coach O in Oxford and Jeff Bower in Hattiesburg). If MSU averaged say 30,000 fans per game next season there would be cause for concern by the AD. However, as long as the box office numbers are good and next year's team makes it way to 6-6 ... Things will go on as is

Now anyway ... back to the baseball countdown

Brando is and always has been an idiot. I take what he thinks/says with a grain of salt. When he was on the afternoon drive time show (a few years ago) he never had a good thing to say about State.

 

[maroonmania]

Good gracious Brando is the last person I would want assessing our football program. First I don't think much of his expertise in the matter but besides that he is tied at the hip with the OM program and Freeze with his daughter being a student at OM.

First, our defense is ranked fourth in SEC in total defense I believe so our defense has played pretty well. Certainly better than last year. Secondly, if you take out the 51 points against Alcorn and the 62 points against Troy our offensive production is VERY average in today's college football. In fact we haven't scored more that 28 points against anyone other than those 2 teams.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

Point 1 is wrong. We have never averaged 30 or more points per game in any of Dan Mullen's seasons. That's factoring in our annual SWAC fest game and blowout OOC games (when we actually do blow them out).
Point 2 shows how bad Mullen is with adapting his offense to his players. He's still obsessed with running the spread option offense and not running the best possible offense.
Point 3. Our only senior in the secondary is Nickoe. Nuff said.
Point 4. A 10 win team, not counting a bowl game, means only losing 2 in the SECW. Pick 2 SECW teams that we lose to and 4 that we beat. Not likely. 8 wins is more like our ceiling.
Poing 5. We'll win more next year due to an easier schedule, not because of some kind of magic Mullen is going to work in the off-season. Swapping OSU for USM and SC for Vandy would make us 6-2 right now.

 

[UIUCDog]

Totally agree with this. The national media and the average sports fan would not give two *****.

What people are really afraid of is not what the media will say or how it will be perceived, but about how that perception will affect our ability to hire a good replacement. Generally speaking, that is a valid concern. But the fact that Hudspeth (reportedly) would want the job makes it a moot point in this case.

 

[Indndawg]

Yawn

I am not taking a pro-Mullen or anti-Mullen stance, simply going to make an observation...

Tim Brando appeared on the Finebaum Show today. Paul asked Tim what he thought about the Mississippi State football program

Basically, in summary this is what Brando said....
1. MSU is averaging 30 points per game which is good enough to win games in the SEC
2. Prescott is the first quarterback that Dan has had that can run the type of offensive system that Dan wants to run
3. The main problem with MSU this season is youth in secondary ... He said the defense was too young in too many spots
4. MSU will be much older and much better next year ... And has a chance to be "very very good" ... Possibly a 10-win team
5. Mullen is the right man for the job and is headed in the right direction even though this season has been a disappointment in certain areas

In other words, this is what will keep Mullen in place for many years to come. Stricklin will not step up to the plate and take on the heads-on criticism that would come for all corners if a coaching change was made. Brando is just one opinion ... but he covers the SEC and has a national platform daily on radio.

The only thing that will remove Mullen from his present position is a complete collapse at the box office (that is what got Coach O in Oxford and Jeff Bower in Hattiesburg). If MSU averaged say 30,000 fans per game next season there would be cause for concern by the AD. However, as long as the box office numbers are good and next year's team makes it way to 6-6 ... Things will go on as is

Now anyway ... back to the baseball countdown

what ev.

 

[SmittyDawg]

Tim Brando has his finger on the pulse and knows what's best for State...yeah right!

 

[121Josey]

All these points by Brando are wrong. #1 sounds good but the points are much lower in SEC games and 2nd half.

 

[KurtRambis4]

Exactly

some keep bringing up how terrible Collins is blah blah blah. However, the truth of the matter is our offense has been pathetic in our four losses. In those games, we've averaged LESS than 20 points a game (16 and change, to be exact). Granted, we have surrendered nearly 35 points a game in those losses(the LSU game really skews this, 26 if you remove this outlier). When your offense is going 3-out or continuously turning the ball over (giving short fields) bad things are going to happen. How can you expect to compete with the big boys if you can't score and you are giving these teams chance after chance after chance?

 

[Cherokee]

I am not taking a pro-Mullen or anti-Mullen stance, simply going to make an observation...

Tim Brando appeared on the Finebaum Show today. Paul asked Tim what he thought about the Mississippi State football program

Basically, in summary this is what Brando said....
1. MSU is averaging 30 points per game which is good enough to win games in the SEC
2. Prescott is the first quarterback that Dan has had that can run the type of offensive system that Dan wants to run
3. The main problem with MSU this season is youth in secondary ... He said the defense was too young in too many spots
4. MSU will be much older and much better next year ... And has a chance to be "very very good" ... Possibly a 10-win team
5. Mullen is the right man for the job and is headed in the right direction even though this season has been a disappointment in certain areas

In other words, this is what will keep Mullen in place for many years to come. Stricklin will not step up to the plate and take on the heads-on criticism that would come for all corners if a coaching change was made. Brando is just one opinion ... but he covers the SEC and has a national platform daily on radio.

The only thing that will remove Mullen from his present position is a complete collapse at the box office (that is what got Coach O in Oxford and Jeff Bower in Hattiesburg). If MSU averaged say 30,000 fans per game next season there would be cause for concern by the AD. However, as long as the box office numbers are good and next year's team makes it way to 6-6 ... Things will go on as is

Now anyway ... back to the baseball countdown

I said last spring 6-6 is about as good as we can hope for this year but I was counting Auburn among those. Right now I put odds of 4-8 at 50%, 5-7 about 25%, and 6-6 about 25%. That said, 6-6 That said, no way is 6-6 good enough next year. Should be 8-4 or better but then again if 4-8 is our ceiling this year then 8-4 next year is a stretch.

I just want to see something that gives hope. Anything.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

Averaging 30 points per game including our non-conference opponents. We are averaging 22.5 against the SEC which really isn't terrible traditionally in the conference. There are several in the conference that are putting up a lot more points than in the past though.

Except we haven't gone 30 points a game. Have we forgotten the famous bet of 2010 when redacted bet that we would score more than 30 points per game and he fell short even though we demolished Michigan? And that was our best offensive season.

 

[dawgstudent]

With all due respect to Rick Cleveland - it would be more likely to read a Fire LT article from Rick than hear Brando be critical of a current coach in the SEC.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Was Brando critical of any SEC team ? I think probably not. What would he have to gain by being critical of Dan Mullen or any other coach in public for that matter ?

 

[esplanade91]

Every CUSA, American, and MWC school would flip their ****.

ULL's campus would burn to the ground.

Otherwise no one would care. That's small town America stuff.

 

[KurtRambis4]

It's not

that he has anything to gainas much as it is he just doesn't know anything

 

[The Peeper]

cheewgumm, you forgot item # 6. MSU "braintrust" gives contract extension and big raise to keep pace in SEC

 

[was21]

Your analysis of what Brando said doesn't match what he said. He was very positive whereas you aren't.