The winner of the "Better than RCR Blog Name Award" goes to For Whom the Cowbell Tolls, SBNation's MSU blog. We exchanged five questions with Jeremy, the proprietor of said blog, and this is what we got back. Check out our answers to theirs over there sometime.
1. This season, Tyson Lee has thrown 4 TDs to 13 INTs. Why do you think that Dan Mullen chose to stick with him? Is Chris Relf really that bad?
Good question. Although Relf has a stronger arm and is More capable of breaking off a run, his accuracy is not that great. Early in the season, Relf and Lee split playing time more. Now it seems Relf only comes in for 4 downs here and there.
I think Tyson was able to pick up the new offense quicker than Relf, and sine he is our most legitimate passing threat, he gets more playing time.
2. Anthony Dixon appears to be running with more power and speed than last year. I'm sure that some of it has been the changes he made to his diet, etc. in the offseason, but some must be attributed to the system. Explain how Dixon is being used differently than the past three seasons more than just explaining that you run the power spread.
Dixon is running like a msn possesed this year. He was able to rack up over 1000 yards in 7 games after sitting out the season opener. I think that moving to a spread style system, along with having legitimate receiving targets like Bumphis, Berry, Wilder and McRae, has allowed the offensive line ablittle room to breathe. They are able to open up the lanes that Dixon needs. You are also seeing Dixon involved in more tosses, options and roll out pass plays, which gets him out of the box where he can really turn and burn.
3. How would you scheme to defeat Mississippi State on offense and defense?
On offense, if you can shut down our running game, you have a pretty good chance to shut down our offense. We have a few playmakers at receiver, but our starting QB often throws the ball over their heads or it gets batted down and intercepted at the line.
On defense, we are strongest at the line and in the middle. The secondary is where our main weakness is. We lost a lot of speed with the graduation of Pegues and Fitzhugh, and if you have a receiver with rockets on his shoes, he can easily out run our safety and corners.
4. Who are the best players on offense and defense about whom no one is talking?
On defense, true freshman Jonathan Banks made a splash in his second career start against Florida, snagging two Tebow passes, one for a 100 yard return to TD. Also, K.J. Wright is making plays as well.
On offense, JUCO tranfser Leon Berry has really given us great field position on punt and kick-off returns. Oneil Wilder, who is also on the track team, has stepped up at receiver as well as true freshman Chad Bumphis.
5. What's your prediction for Saturday's game? Provide a score as well as how you think the game plays out.
Rivalry games are always hard to predict. Both teams bring their best, and leave it all on the field. I look for this to be a close game, and will of course give the nod to my Bulldogs, winning by a field goal.
I see our defense putting lots of pressure on Snead early, as he seems to crack a bit when under pressure. Our defense is very opportunistic, so I wouldn't be suprised to see them score at least a touchdown, maybe 2.