2016 Opponent Previews

MSU enters post-Prescott era

Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen checks on the condition of an injured player during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Kentucky at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. Mississippi State beat Kentucky 45-31. (AP Photo/David Stephenson)

This is the 11th piece of a 12-part series previewing Arkansas' 2016 football opponents.

Mississippi State is coming off a 9-4 year capped by a 51-28 win over North Carolina State in the Belk Bowl. The Bulldogs went 4-4 in SEC play, finishing sixth in the western division.

2016 Football Previews

WholeHogSports will preview all 12 of Arkansas' 2016 football opponents in the following days. Here is a schedule of when each preview will be published:

-http://www.wholehog…">Louisiana Tech: Monday, June 13

-http://www.wholehog…">TCU: Tuesday, June 14

-http://www.wholehog…">Texas State: Wednesday, June 15

-http://www.wholehog…">Texas A&M: Thursday, June 16

-http://www.wholehog…">Alcorn State: Friday, June 17

-http://www.wholehog…">Alabama: Monday, June 20

-http://www.wholehog…">Ole Miss: Tuesday, June 21

-http://www.wholehog…">Auburn: Wednesday, June 22

-http://www.wholehog…">Florida: Thursday, June 23

-http://www.wholehog…">LSU: Friday, June 24

-http://www.wholehog…">Mississippi State: Monday, June 27

-http://www.wholehog…">Missouri: Tuesday, June 28

2016 outlook

Mississippi State’s home game against Arkansas on Nov. 19 is sandwiched between two of its biggest games of the year. The Bulldogs travel to Alabama the week before playing the Razorbacks and then travel to rival Ole Miss the week after.

ESPN’s Football Power Index has Mississippi State at No. 31 in the country, which is 10th in the SEC and last in the western division.

The FPI also projects the Bulldogs winning 6.8 games. That is close to the 7.5 wins 5Dimes, an offshore sportsbook, gave Mississippi State when it released SEC over/under win totals last month.

Significant departures

The Bulldogs will have to replace arguably their best player in program history next season, as quarterback Dak Prescott exhausted his eligibility in 2015.

Prescott, a fourth-round draft pick, earned first-team all-SEC honors as a junior and senior and holds 38 school records. He completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 3,793 yards, 29 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He also rushed for 588 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Mississippi State also lost a pair of defenders who were drafted higher than Prescott.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones (44 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 5 QBH, 4 PBU, 2.5 sacks) was a second-round pick, while cornerback Will Redmond (25 tackles, 2 INT in 7 games) went in the third round.

Second-leading receiver De’Runnya Wilson (60 rec., 918 yds., 10 TD) declared early for the draft, but was not selected, while fourth leading receiver Fred Brown (27 rec., 412 yds., 3 TD) was dismissed from the university.

Linebacker Beniquez Brown, who blocked Arkansas’ game-winning field goal attempt last season, also declared early and went undrafted. He was the Bulldogs’ second-leading tackler, with 99 tackles, and had 11 tackles for loss, four sacks and one interception.

Three-year starting cornerback Taveze Calhoun (39 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 8 PBU, 2 INT) and two-year starting defensive end Ryan Brown (39 tackles, 10 QBH, 8 TFL, 5 PBU, 2.5 sacks) were seniors.

The left side of the offensive line – tackle Rufus Warren (11 career starts) and guard Justin Malone (29 career starts) – was composed of seniors, as well.

At tight end, Gus Walley (19 rec., 146 yds., 1 TD) had to retire because of concussions and Darrion Hutcherson (16 rec., 164 yds., 1 TD) graduated.

Key returners

Despite the losses on offense, Mississippi State has several key defensive players returning.

Linebackers Richie Brown (109 tackles, 13 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 1 INT), J.T. Gray (65 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks) and Gerri Green (49 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 INT) are back. Brown led the Bulldogs in tackles in 2015.

Safeties Kivon Coman (76 tackles, 4 TFL, 7 PBU, 1 INT) and Brandon Bryant (63 tackles, 3 INT, 3 PBU) return in the secondary. Bryant has been clocked at 4.24 seconds in the 40-yard dash, according to his biography on Mississippi State’s official website.

The defensive line will be led by defensive end A.J. Jefferson (47 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 5 sacks, 7 QBH).

There are more question marks on the offensive side of the ball.

Both of last year’s backup quarterbacks – Nick Fitzgerald (11 of 14, 235 yds., 3 TD, 3 rush TD) and Elijah Staley (3 of 5, 51 yds., 1 TD) – are back, as is Damian Williams, who redshirted last year.

Williams, who is the only quarterback on the roster with a start, led the Bulldogs to an overtime win over Arkansas in 2013. He rushed for 112 yards against the Razorbacks after replacing the injured starter.

Who the quarterback throws to is also a little murky, with leading receiver Fred Ross (88 rec., 1,007 yds., 5 TD) and Donald Gray (21 rec., 386 yds., 2 TD) battling injuries during the spring.

With those guys out, Jesse Jackson and Jonnas Spivey, who have no career receptions, received more reps in practice and the coaches even experimented with safety Jamal Peters at receiver.

Mississippi State’s top running back last season was Brandon Holloway (92 car., 413 yds., 0 TD; 33 rec., 396 yds., 5 TD), but the only one with multiple rushing touchdowns was Aeris Williams (40 rec., 206 yds., 3 TD). Both will be back in 2016.

Ross is also the Bulldogs’ punt returner (15 ret., 157 yds., 1 TD) and Holloway is their kick returner (24 ret., 567 yds., 1 TD).

Three offensive linemen – right tackle Justin Senior (14 career starts), right guard Devon Desper (16 career starts) and center Jamaal Clayborn (13 career starts) – are back as seniors, while Elgton Jenkins, who started three games last season, is a sophomore.

The Bulldogs will have both players in the kicking game – kicker Westin Graves (15 of 18 FG, 52 of 54 PAT) and punter Logan Cooke (42.2 yds./punt, 16 inside 20-yard line) – in 2016, as well.

Notable additions

Mississippi State’s 2016 signing class was ranked No. 26 in the country, according to Rivals.

The only five-star prospect in the class, defensive end Jeffery Simmons, has been in the news a lot, but not for the right reasons.

Simmons was captured on video repeatedly hitting a woman in the face, but Mississippi State has announced it will allow him to enroll and participate in football activities, “with conditions.” He was also suspended for the Bulldogs’ season-opener against South Alabama.

Even if he doesn’t meet those conditions and ends up not playing, Mississippi State signed a trio of four-star defensive ends: Marquiss Spencer, Drelan Porter and Emmit Gooden.

Defensive back Lashard Durr and defensive tackle Tre Brown received honorable mention in Athlon Sports’ top-25 list of impact junior college transfers.

Coaching staff

Dan Mullen enters his eighth season as Mississippi State’s head coach with a 55-35 record.

His 55 wins rank third in school history, behind only Jackie Sherrill (75) and Allyn McKeen (65), while his .611 winning percentage is the best by a Bulldogs’ coach since World War II.

Mullen is a direct branch from the Urban Meyer coaching tree, serving as Meyer’s quarterback coach at Bowling Green and Utah before becoming his offensive coordinator at Florida, where he developed Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.

At the coordinator positions, Billy Gonzales and John Hevesy are entering their third season as co-offensive coordinator, while Peter Sirmon is going into his first season as defensive coordinator.

Gonzales was the Bulldogs’ wide receivers coach in 2013 before becoming a co-offensive coordinator. He is also a branch off the Meyer coaching tree, working with him at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida, before stints at LSU and Illinois.

Much like Mullen and Gonzales, Hevesy is a branch off the Meyer coaching tree. He followed Mullen to Mississippi State in 2009, serving his first five seasons with the Bulldogs as running game coordinator and offensive line coach, before being promoted to co-offensive coordinator.

Hevesy replaced Manny Diaz as the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator this offseason. He came from USC, where he had been the Trojans’ linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator for two seasons.

Series history

While Arkansas leads its series against Mississippi State 15-10-1, with two of Mississippi State’s win coming before World War II, the Bulldogs have won four straight matchups with the Razorbacks.

Arkansas nearly snapped the losing streak last season, but Mississippi State blocked a game-winning field goal attempt in the final minute of the game to hold on for a 51-50 win.

Arkansas ties

The only Arkansan on Mississippi State roster is Aaron Hamaker, a walk-on from Little Rock Catholic. He played tight end in high school, but is listed as an athlete on the Bulldogs’ online roster.

During the spring game, he was listed as a wide receiver, while several articles group him with the tight ends.

The Razorbacks have two players from Mississippi on their roster: offensive lineman Deion Malone (South Panola High/Northwest Mississippi C.C.) and tight end Grayson Gunter (Madison Central High).

Malone played with Mississippi State punter/kicker Jim Speights at Northwest Mississippi C.C. and Mississippi State defensive end Drelan Porter at South Panola High in Batesville, Miss.

Mississippi State quarterback Damian Williams and walk-on safety Corey Harris played with Arkansas linebacker Dwayne Eugene and cornerback Henre’ Toliver at Archbishop Rummel in Metairie, La.

Harris also played with Arkansas defensive tackle Briston Guidry at Archbishop Rummel.

Gunter was coached by Brad Peterson, who was hired as the Bulldogs’ director of player personnel and high school relations this offseason, at Madison Central High.

Thoughts from a beat writer

To get an even better idea of what Mississippi State will look like in 2016, WholeHogSports reached out to Michael Bonner, who covers the Bulldogs for The Jackson Clarion-Ledger. We asked him several questions about Mississippi State. Here are his responses:

WHS: What would you consider reasonable expectations for Mississippi State in 2016?

MB: Most fans understand this year is a rebuilding season for the Bulldogs. They lost the best player in franchise history in Dak Prescott, who played the most important position on the field. MSU is coming off 19 wins the last two seasons, which is a program record. This season Mississippi State should extend its bowl streak to seven straight, but it won't be as easy as years past.

WHS: What does the post-Dak Prescott era look like at quarterback?

MB: We don't know, which is a problem for MSU. The Bulldogs have four options and all four split reps during the spring. Damian Williams, Nick Fitzgerald, Elijah Staley and Nick Tiano finished spring practices within about 10 reps of each other with the first team, according to the coaching staff. Each flashed the talent to start, but also struggled enough to create questions. The competition to replace Dak Prescott will likely continue through the summer and into the season.

WHS: Who will the Bulldogs lean heavily on, offensively and defensively?

MB: Offensively, Brandon Holloway is the lead back for MSU. He led the running backs last year in rushing and also was third on the team in receptions. He'll team with Fred Ross, who set a program record with 88 receptions last year, as the team's offensive playmakers. Defensively, the unit should act as the spine of the team. The Bulldogs front seven should be about as strong as it was last year. They return Richie Brown, who led the team in tackles and sacks and finished a half a tackle for loss behind A.J. Jefferson's 13.5. Brandon Bryant should also act as the playmaker on defense from safety.

WHS: Are there any newcomers you expect to make a large impact this fall?

MB: The newcomer to watch this season is junior college transfer Lashard Durr. He's a corner, which is a position of need for MSU. It lost its two starting senior corners from last season. Durr is expected to provide an immediate fix.

WHS: How do you think the Bulldogs will fair against Arkansas this November?

MB: Both teams lost quarterbacks from last year but the November matchup allows plenty of time for each team to find a replacement. The team that best figures that out may be the winner in Starkville. The Razorbacks have been so close in recent years, this may be the year they finally pull through. However, it's always extremely difficult to win on the road within the division. For that reason, I'd give MSU a slight advantage as we sit here in June, but it all depends on how their quarterback competition plays out.