MSU Begins St. Petersburg Bowl Prep

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Two weeks removed from a dominating Egg Bowl performance and learning a postseason destination awaits, Mississippi State football returned to the practice field with a two-hour workout Friday evening in preparation for the St. Petersburg Bowl.

The Bulldogs (5-7) will play in their school-record seventh straight bowl game on Dec. 26 against Miami (Ohio) (6-6) at 10 a.m. CT on ESPN. Tickets for the contest are available at HailState.com/Tickets.

Practices Saturday and Sunday are open to the public outdoors at the Seal Complex. Saturday’s practice is 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. and Sunday’s workout is 11:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m.

Head coach Dan Mullen put the squad through a helmets only practice on Friday, a day when several seniors on the program earned their college degrees and participated in commencement ceremonies. The Bulldogs qualified for a bowl with a strong NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 971, which is 12 points above the national average

“We are getting to go to a bowl game because of academics and because of the work our guys have done,” Mullen said. “I think it is one of the great lessons that guys in our program will learn during their whole career here that is was academics and things off the field that got them rewarded with this trip this year.”

Mullen announced that junior Damian Williams will serve as the backup quarterback for the St. Petersburg Bowl. Sophomore Nick Fitzgerald, in his first season as a starter, led the Southeastern Conference in total offense with 3,530 yards.

The Bulldogs will practice all next week and conclude Starkville practices on Saturday, Dec. 17. The squad heads to St. Petersburg via a charter flight on the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 21.

Dan Mullen Media Session Quotes

On how the team is doing getting ready for the bowl game…

“They are doing well. We were only in helmets today. We kind of just ran around a little bit and stretched out. We haven’t done a whole lot of football so it was a really short practice today. We will put some pads on tomorrow. We will be opening practice for the next couple of days, 10:45am-12:45pm Saturday and Sunday from 11:45am-1:45pm. Our fans and everyone can come watch practice and enjoy themselves out there.”

On how these bowl game practices will help the young players out…

“Right now, it is all about the young guys. A lot of the guys that maybe did not get a lot of reps during the season or guys who were maybe redshirted, it is their opportunity to really jumpstart and refresh their brains. They have to go run our offense and defense and get that jumpstart going into the off season. Really, to me, the next four practices we have will be just about that. (It’s) about total player development, base offense, base defense and learning and improving. Everyone is at a different level and we have to improve the level they are at and we will get into game prep starting Wednesday.”

On how much has he looked at Miami…

“Flying around recruiting, I am kind of catching up here and there watching film, but looking at them as a team, much different team obviously, the first half of the season and the second half of the season. They were one of the top defenses in the MAC. Their quarterback comes back after the second half of the season and a new quarterback is in there lighting it up. All of a sudden you get momentum and they tied for first in the eastern division in the MAC championship. They are a much different team at the back end of the season than they were at the beginning of the season just based on the confidence they play with and how to win games. It is going to be a great challenge for us.”

On reaching a bowl game based on academic achievement…

“I think it is God’s way of teaching and showing them a lesson in life that it is more than just football that we are here for. We are getting to go to a bowl game because of academics and because of the work our guys have done. We are getting to go to a bowl game, I think, because we had 17 guys to graduate today and the work that they do in the classroom beyond the just the football field. I think it is one of the great lessons that guys in our program will learn during their whole career here that is was academics and things off the field that got them rewarded with this trip this year.”

On what it means to him to have players graduate today and get their degrees…

“It is always something that I am so proud of. They all love football so I know when they go play football we are getting their best, but seeing these guys and a lot of them, they are the first person in their family to graduate, guys who never thought they could or people always questioned it and to see the guys that are out there. All the guys that are graduating are players not just guys that may not play much. All of the guys who were the players and were the leaders who made things happen on the field are the guys graduating today and making things happen off the field.”

On the excitement of going to a seventh straight bowl game…

“I think it is huge. We have gotten used to it now and I think our fans have gotten used to it and everyone is getting used to it. When I came here eight years ago, we wanted to change the program and what it was. We wanted to build a successful program and going to seven straight bowl games is the type of program we envisioned building when we came here.”

On experimenting with position changes during bowl practices…

“We haven’t yet. We have talked about it as a staff. It is something I am thinking about doing, but we haven’t yet. If we do, you may see it tomorrow, we may try to more a guy here or there to see what they can do in different spots.”

On different guys playing at different positions…

“We are going to give a lot of guys reps. These first four practices are going to be a lot about the young guys. The older guys will get some reps here and there to keep themselves up and fresh, but it is more about the younger guys. We are going to rotate a lot of different guys in at center to see who is comfortable doing it.”

On how players feel about spending their Christmas break getting ready for a bowl game…

“We started practice with our Christmas music right there. There is nowhere you’d rather spend your Christmas break than here. Christmas break started today in college and this is exactly where you want to be. I certainly would not want to be at home trying to explain why I am at home. You want to be out practicing for a bowl.”

On rotating the center position in the future…

“We will give Elgton Jenkins some reps and Martinas Rankin. Deion Calhoun will end up getting reps. Harrison Moon will get reps. I have had Stewart Reese snap a little bit. We try to get everyone the ability to learn at a great time. We want guys learning how to snap, but whether or not they are going to be a center for us we will see moving forward.”

On when does he decide when to have a set center…

“I think you want to have several in the spring. I think coming out of the spring you want to have at least three that you feel good about; three guys that you feel good about.”

On Miami (Ohio) being a good matchup…

“We are going to get this team’s best effort. I’ve been there coaching at Bowling Green. I know the opportunity these guys feel, the excitement they feel and especially being a team that is on a hot streak. We are going to get this team’s best effort.”

On coaching rumors…

“I love being here. We built this program and when you get a chance to build a program the way you want to build it, whether it be with the facility or the personnel, it is a good thing. My kids were born here, it is all they know. I don’t know what my son would do. He loves it here. It is all my family knows. I love being here and they do too, and I think the coaches love being here also.”