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10. Secondary- This group will be one of the best in the SEC and that means in the nation. They return all 4 starters,altho F/S Nickoe Whitley- who made Freshman All-SEC by the coaches, has lost his starting job. With 3 of the 4 starting for the 3rd season in a row- this group will be outstanding. Look for them to disguise coverages better and make some big plays- especially with the inexperienced QB's in the SEC this season. </p>
9. Offensive Line- State has finished 1st and 2nd in rushing under Mullen the last 2 seasons. We are 3rd in the SEC in OL starts returning with 80. Carmon will is going to be an outstanding run-blocker as well. Depth could be an issue, but the staff feels like we have 7 guys that are ready to play, with an 8th getting close. (and we only had 8 guys in the mix last season). Improved WR play will also help this group and take some of the pressure off in the box. </p>
8. Ballard and Perkins- These guys are the SEC's #5 and #9 returning rushers, and the SEC's #2 returning RB combo. Ballard is a tough runner and scored 20 TD's last season, and Perkins is a solid runner that is very good in the passing game. Both had impressive seasons getting adjusted to SEC football, and should be even better this year
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7. Fletcher Cox and Josh Boyd- These 2 guys are probably the best DT combo in the SEC. Cox is set to have a standout season in 2011. They were a big reason for Chris White's success at MLB- he wasnt getting touched by opposing OL's very much last season. A MLB's best friend, this duo will help ease us breaking in a new one. Having these 2 guys in the heart of your defense makes people around them better- it's that simple. </p>
6. WR play- finally have 8 WR's that can play at the SEC level, and some speed to stretch the field and keep the safeties out of the box. This will be State's most improved group in 2011. Everybody knows about Bumphis, but Ricco Sanders and Micheal Carr are 2 names you should hear a good bit this season. Brandon Heavens got alot better in 2010 and will continue to make plays. Clark and Smith are solid starters. And then throw in a couple of redshirts from last year, and this group will be tremendously improved in 2011. </p>
5. Depth- there are some concerns on the OL and DL- but everywhere else on the field is at least 2 deep. Even with concerns of losing all 3 starting LB's, transfer Brandon Maye has been unable to crack the 1st group. Deonte Skinner hasnt taken the OLB from Lawrence yet either, and I know Skinner can play. State has never had this kind of depth at WR and in the Secondary. Hell, even if Relf went down, we would still be a bowl team with Russell at QB- just not as good of one.
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4. Schedule- State gets its 3 toughest games at home- LSU, SC, and Bama. If they are ever going to win games like this- 2011 will be the time. We get 2 extra days to prepare for a very young Auburn team, and getting them early is a plus. We also have an off week, Kentucky, and then Tenn-Martin before we start the Bama, UPig, Mississippi home stretch. </span></p>
3. Matt Balis- having one of the top strength coaches in the nation has been a huge addition to our program. We have guys losing 50 pounds in a year and completely transforming their bodies. We have had very few injuries the last 2 years because of the shape we are in. You can really tell the difference between our players now and the ones under Crooms- it's like night and day. Ask Florida about our strength program- they will agree.
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2. Chris Relf- Herm Edward's favorite Bulldog has come farther than any player I've ever seen in 2 years under Mullen. He has gone from hitting port-a-potties on the practice field with his throws to being a competent passing QB. He is the top returning starting QB in the SEC in turnovers- only throwing 6 INT's in 13 games. He is also the top returning rusher among QB's. He has looked like a different QB since the UPig game last season, and was more of the same for him in the Spring Game. His offense was among the top in the SEC in 3rd down conversions last year, and there is no reason to believe that wont get even better now that he has more weapons. All he has left to do is lead this team to a win vs a top 10 type team. Look for this to happen in Game 3 this season. </p>
1. Dan Mullen- the man has totally changed the perception and mindset of our program. We are as well-coached as any team in the nation, and better than most. He has our team playing with a chip on its shoulder, and has them believing they can win every time we step on the field. I have no doubts that we will handle the preseason expectations well under him. The rest of the SEC wants him out of Starkville, and that tells me all I need to know. </p>
10 wins in 2011 folks- IT'S COMING</p></span>
10. Secondary- This group will be one of the best in the SEC and that means in the nation. They return all 4 starters,altho F/S Nickoe Whitley- who made Freshman All-SEC by the coaches, has lost his starting job. With 3 of the 4 starting for the 3rd season in a row- this group will be outstanding. Look for them to disguise coverages better and make some big plays- especially with the inexperienced QB's in the SEC this season. </p>
9. Offensive Line- State has finished 1st and 2nd in rushing under Mullen the last 2 seasons. We are 3rd in the SEC in OL starts returning with 80. Carmon will is going to be an outstanding run-blocker as well. Depth could be an issue, but the staff feels like we have 7 guys that are ready to play, with an 8th getting close. (and we only had 8 guys in the mix last season). Improved WR play will also help this group and take some of the pressure off in the box. </p>
8. Ballard and Perkins- These guys are the SEC's #5 and #9 returning rushers, and the SEC's #2 returning RB combo. Ballard is a tough runner and scored 20 TD's last season, and Perkins is a solid runner that is very good in the passing game. Both had impressive seasons getting adjusted to SEC football, and should be even better this year
<span lang=""></span></p>
7. Fletcher Cox and Josh Boyd- These 2 guys are probably the best DT combo in the SEC. Cox is set to have a standout season in 2011. They were a big reason for Chris White's success at MLB- he wasnt getting touched by opposing OL's very much last season. A MLB's best friend, this duo will help ease us breaking in a new one. Having these 2 guys in the heart of your defense makes people around them better- it's that simple. </p>
6. WR play- finally have 8 WR's that can play at the SEC level, and some speed to stretch the field and keep the safeties out of the box. This will be State's most improved group in 2011. Everybody knows about Bumphis, but Ricco Sanders and Micheal Carr are 2 names you should hear a good bit this season. Brandon Heavens got alot better in 2010 and will continue to make plays. Clark and Smith are solid starters. And then throw in a couple of redshirts from last year, and this group will be tremendously improved in 2011. </p>
5. Depth- there are some concerns on the OL and DL- but everywhere else on the field is at least 2 deep. Even with concerns of losing all 3 starting LB's, transfer Brandon Maye has been unable to crack the 1st group. Deonte Skinner hasnt taken the OLB from Lawrence yet either, and I know Skinner can play. State has never had this kind of depth at WR and in the Secondary. Hell, even if Relf went down, we would still be a bowl team with Russell at QB- just not as good of one.
<span lang="">
4. Schedule- State gets its 3 toughest games at home- LSU, SC, and Bama. If they are ever going to win games like this- 2011 will be the time. We get 2 extra days to prepare for a very young Auburn team, and getting them early is a plus. We also have an off week, Kentucky, and then Tenn-Martin before we start the Bama, UPig, Mississippi home stretch. </span></p>
3. Matt Balis- having one of the top strength coaches in the nation has been a huge addition to our program. We have guys losing 50 pounds in a year and completely transforming their bodies. We have had very few injuries the last 2 years because of the shape we are in. You can really tell the difference between our players now and the ones under Crooms- it's like night and day. Ask Florida about our strength program- they will agree.
<span lang=""></span></p>
2. Chris Relf- Herm Edward's favorite Bulldog has come farther than any player I've ever seen in 2 years under Mullen. He has gone from hitting port-a-potties on the practice field with his throws to being a competent passing QB. He is the top returning starting QB in the SEC in turnovers- only throwing 6 INT's in 13 games. He is also the top returning rusher among QB's. He has looked like a different QB since the UPig game last season, and was more of the same for him in the Spring Game. His offense was among the top in the SEC in 3rd down conversions last year, and there is no reason to believe that wont get even better now that he has more weapons. All he has left to do is lead this team to a win vs a top 10 type team. Look for this to happen in Game 3 this season. </p>
1. Dan Mullen- the man has totally changed the perception and mindset of our program. We are as well-coached as any team in the nation, and better than most. He has our team playing with a chip on its shoulder, and has them believing they can win every time we step on the field. I have no doubts that we will handle the preseason expectations well under him. The rest of the SEC wants him out of Starkville, and that tells me all I need to know. </p>
10 wins in 2011 folks- IT'S COMING</p></span>
