Back to work for Bulldogs and Blake Shapen

After a solid start to the new year, Blake Shapen and Mississippi State hit the bye week with a 4-2 record and looking to get a recharge.

The senior quarterback got just that as he spent his week getting rest and mentally refreshing before the final six games of the schedule. The Bulldogs have had some big injuries come through the roster through the first half, but Shapen knocks on wood as he continues to stay in good standing after missing the final eight games of last year with a shoulder injury.

As State gets prepared to head to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators this Saturday, Shapen discussed his bye week work, preparing for the Gators, the team’s progress and expectations the rest of the way.

Question: How did you spend your bye week?

Shapen: “I took some time off and was able to kind of get away and get some rest. Something you don’t get a chance to do during the bye week is go home and take a nap so I took full advantage of that every day. Watched a little bit of Florida but not too much. It was really good and much needed for sure.”

Q: What has been your early impressions of Florida?

Shapen: “I think they’ve got a good defense. One of the things that stands out is they’re very streaky at times. They’ll put really good stuff on tape and at times it’s not as good. But when they do put good stuff on tape, it’s really good stuff. They’ve got talented players, but it’s nothing that we haven’t seen before. We’ve got to be able to do our thing. It’s not about what they do, it’s about what we do.”

Q: How do you feel health wise?

Shapen: “I feel great. It’s a blessing to just get through six games feeling good. Obviously, you’re going to get banged up playing in this league and playing football. Other than that, I feel good and I’m excited for this week.”

Q: How is the mindset of the team after a couple of tough losses?

Shapen: “It’s still in the same spot. You’re going to play tough games and you’re going to lose games and that’s part of it. Obviously, that’s not the goal for us or what we want to happen, but it’s part of the game. You’re going to win some and lose some and you’ve got to bounce back whether it is a win or a loss. That’s the message to the guys this week is to be able to bounce back in the right way. That game doesn’t define who we are. We’ve got everything we want in front of us, we’ve just got to be able to go take it.”

Q:  How much different does it feel at this point this year opposed to last year with the team having a chance to compete?

Shapen: “I look at where we are this year compared to where we were last year and the mindset and morale of the team. To be honest with you, I think we gave up last year. I think a lot of people did. I look at our team this year and we’re sitting at 4-2 and have everything ahead of us and you kind of feel that in the locker room. There’s not a game that I feel like we go into that we are going to lose that game. The expectation is that we’re going to win that game no matter who we’re playing. The morale of the team, the energy and belief and all of that stuff is still there and that’s great.”

Q: How did the bye week help the team?

Shapen: “For one, just getting healthy. Being able to give guys a breather a little bit and take something off their legs, it starts with that. But also, the talk throughout the locker room. You look at the last game and our defense played their tail off. There’s so many good things to take away from that game defensively and a lot to learn offensively.

“If you look at it the right way, you’re going to be able to go and improve on those things the next game. That’s kind of been the emphasis for the offense and then the defense being able to pick up where they left off.”

Q: How big is it to have State fans following you guys on the road?

Shapen: “It’s so important. Anybody that you can get to the game on your side, it’s huge. We see the people in the stands that are supporting every time they come so it’s huge for us to get as many Mississippi State fans at any away game. It shows how much they support the program and shows that they care and we do really appreciate that for sure.”

Q: What are you prepared for in a road game like that against Florida’s pass rush?

Shapen: “It doesn’t change, but my mindset is that you’ve got to get the ball out of your hands. It’s not going to be pretty every time. It’s not going to look the way you want it to look. But being able to find a way to get the ball out whether it’s a check down, whether it’s being able to scramble vertically if there’s a lane in the pocket that I can squeeze through in the A or B gap… Just finding ways to limit the negative plays.

“You look back on our season, when we’re not successful, it’s the negative plays on first and second down. That’s the biggest thing going in is that you’ve got to be aware of the fact that it ain’t going to be perfect and I’ve got to be able to either make plays with my legs, find the check down or dirt it if I have to.”

Q: What has Brenen Thompson meant for the offense?

Shapen: “Anytime you have him on the field, it creates a spark for the offense. It’s tough when you have an injury and you may can play on it and may can’t. He’s doing whatever he can to be on the field every time we go out. Kudos to him. He’s a great player. It’s somebody that we need on the offense and we’re a different offense when he’s on the field. Very tough guy, leader of the team so it’s good to have him out there.”

Q: Where does the offense need to improve?

Shapen: “Negative plays on first and second down. It’s hard when you run the first play and it’s 2^nd and 12 or 2^nd and 15. Anytime you’re not getting positive yards on first down, it just puts you in a really hard position on second and third down. You’re not able to get to the 3^rd and short or 3^rd and medium that it’s a lot easier to run plays from that depth or even convert on second down where you don’t even put yourself in that third down. When we’ve been stopped, it’s because we haven’t been efficient on first or second down so we’ve got to get better at that.