Season 3 Wk: 12 Bulldogs Win Fifth Straight Over Razorbacks Fayetville, AR- The Bulldogs entered this game riding a 4 game winning streak and boat load of confidence after their win the week before against Alabama. The Bulldogs played one of their most impressive peformances of the season all around. They controlled the clock by nearly tripling the Razorbacks in time of possesion, They gave up only 1 turnover while at the same time forcing one of their own. They also held the Razorbacks to under 300 yards of total offense. "We came to play today" said Coach Broth. "Not much more needs to be said really. Arkansas s a good football team, and when you can do the things we did to them today, you have to be proud of your guys. Wins don't come easily in the SEC, and we need to keep winning to build this program to the level we should be at. I promised people a National Title when I got here, and I haven't forgotten that promise." QB Daniel Bowen looked better in his second outing back from injury as he passed for 232 yards as well as 3 TD's with only 1 INT. He is yet to have a game this season where he is interception free. The Bulldogs next week play the battle for th Golden Egg against archrival Ole Miss.
Season 3 Wk: 14 Bulldogs Win Golden Egg Oxford, MS- After losing last years battle for the Golden Egg the Bulldogs came into the game with something to prove. "This game isn't about hugs and kisses, this game means something. Take no prisoners, run up the score, don't play nice" said Coach Broth in his heated post game interview. The Bulldogs clearly brought that mindset into the game as they scored 28 unanswered points in the 1st quarter. The onslaught from the Bulldog offense wouldn't stop as they accumulated 45 points on 512 yards of total offense. Meanwhile the Ole Miss offense struggled against the unrelenting Bulldog pressure. They struggled to move the ball, and ended up with only 13 points on 334 yards. More importantly the Bulldogs held their opponent to 0 yards rushing on 14 carries. They forced 3 turnovers to go along with 2 sacks. QB Daniel Bowen returned to form along with the Bulldog offense as he accumulated 174 yards on the ground with 3 rushing TD's, to go along with his 194 yards passing and 3 TD's. Nick Griffin kept up the rushing attack with 134 yards of his own. With the win the Bulldogs have recieved an invite to play in the Outback Bowl against Nebraska. The team met earlier in the season in a game the Bulldogs won 59-38.
Season 3 Wk: Bowl Bulldogs Win Outback Bowl Tampa, FL- After falling behind quickly to the Cornhuskers, the Bulldogs came roaring back. After 28 unanswered points it was clear who was in control. The Bulldogs ran away to a 38-16 lead and never looked back. "It's a bowl game and it is supposed to be fun and a good opportunity to get some extra practice in, but it is still a game you want to win. And when your tam comes out and fights the way we did, you gotta be proud. It gives us momentum to hit the recruiting trail into the offseason, and it gives us some strength and momentum for next season as we try and make a title run." QB Daniel Bowen put together his first truly impressive performance in awhile as he passed for 271 yards and 4TD's and did not throw an INT for the first time this season. He helped the Bulldog offense accumulate 451 yards on the ground. Nick Griffin had a decent day on the ground with 101 yards rushing and scored 1TD. The Bulldog defense was also impressive on the day. Despite not forcing a single turnover the Bulldog defense was able to hold the Nebraska offense to only 247 yards of total offense. "When you have already seen a team earlier in the season it is sometimes easier to stope them, you know what to expect and you can play differently. Fortunately for us we started a new offensive and defensive scheme and they have been changing since week 1, so it's not really the same thing you saw, whereas Nebraska has been running something similar, so we had an advantage" said Coach Broth. With the win, the Bulldogs will finish the season inside the top 10, with a 10-3 record.
2016 Team Preview Offense: The Bulldogs enter this season with something to prove on offense. This unit has led the way under Coach Broth, and this season looks to be no different. The Bulldogs have depth, experience and talent at every position unlike any season previously under Coach Broth. QB: The Bulldogs are led by 2 year starter, All American Junior Daniel Bowen. Bowen has been impressive at the helm of the Bulldog offense showing the ability to make plays with his feet as well as his arm. He has improved each season he has been with the team, but has struggled mightily with interceptions and staying healthy. If he can stay in every game this season and keep his turnovers down, he seems like a likely Heisman finalist. RB: After graduating 3 talented running backs last season including 3 year starter Nick Griffin, the Bulldogs will have some new faces in the backfield. It looks like they could again have a 3 headed monster backfield, led by redshirt freshman Randy Gooden. He will likely lead the way due to his versatility and shiftiness. He is the most athletic RB Coach Broth has had since his first season with Ladarius Perkins. Sharing the workload in the backfield will be redshirt Sophomore Matt Zeigler, and redshirt Junior Luke Anderson. All bring speed to the table as it is obvious that the Bulldogs will look to out run their opponents all over the field. WR: A position that has consistently been a weaker part of Coach Broth's offense, but after the arrival of 5 star wideout Eric Jenkins, that has started to change. Jenkins could likely be a 1st round pick in the NFL draft if he decides to leave early after this season. His fellow wideout Anthony Spurlock a redshirt junior also helps lead the way. After that their is a lot of inexperience on the roster, but plenty of talent. Redshirt Freshman Eddie Jones and Matt Brown round out the corps. This is a group that has both youth and experience, and look to make good targets for QB Daniel Bowen. TE: This is a position where athleticism is key in Coach Broth's offense, and they definitely have that this year. Although it is an inexperienced bunch with only 1 player with game experience, they have that athleticism to be game changing. Each player in this group stands at least 6'3", too tall for most DB's, but also with too much speed for most linebackers. Look for them to make an impact in the run game as well as deep in the redzone. OL: Except for Redshirt Sophomore Center Chris Patton, every member of the offensive line is a redshirt Junior or redshirt Senior. This group has played together for several seasons, and with an average weight of 305lb's, can really get down hill in the run game, but also create a stable pocket for Daniel Bowen to throw from. If they can make holes for the running game and protect Bowen in the passing game, they could lead this team to a top 10 offensive standing. "We have a lot of talent on offense this year. It's experienced, but they aren't all seniors. We really have a group together that can win not only this year, but also next year. Their is a good offensive culture that has been established here, and with this group we can really establish ourselves as the dominant offensive team in the nation. Offense might not win championships, but it will win you games." -Coach BrothDefense: The Bulldog defense has been consistently the weak link on this team. Since Coach Broth arrived we have seen the secondary become one of the top units in the country, but at the same time the run defense has fallen off strong. This year they look to establish a dominant run defense. DL: John Henry. No I am not talking about the man from the tall tale, but I might as well be. Standing at an imposing 6'3" 343lb's John Henry anchors the defensive line and looks to clog up the middle. The redshirt Junior split time last year, but this season is poised for a breakout performance. The ends of the 3-4 will be manned by redshirt Juniors Tommy McBride and Keon Moore. They are a speedy athletic duo that combined with the size of Henry can get after the Quarterback and clog up the run lanes. LB: The Linebacker corps for the Bulldogs are relatively unproven. They are a speedy bunch that can reak havoc in the passing game in both pressuring the quarterback and keeping up with WR and TE. The concern is if they are big enough to shed blocks of lineman that have gotten to the next level. If these guys can make plays in the running game, this can be a to unit. This will be the key group to watch for the season, and mainly Redshirt Senior Richie Brown. DB: Mississippi State features one of the best secondarys in the country. Led by Senior Aaron George who decided to pass up the NFL draft to return for his senior season, this is an imposing group. The Bulldog corners have experience, speed, and the ability to press and play man coverage. The top 3 corners are 2 seniors and a junior. Former ESPNU 150 FS Marcus Butler, the redshirt Junior along with redshirt Senior Quadry Antoine man the last line of defense. Both are ball hawks and will disrupt the opponents passing game. Expect redshirt Sophomore Luke Norman could also get some time at SS. "We haven't played as well as I would like us to defensively in my time here. I think this year we have a unit that can flat out make plays. If we play the way that we are capable of playing, we can dominate not only the SEC, but the whole country. We can score points. If we can stop people from scoring and make turnovers and big plays, we have a National Title caliber team here." Overall:I think overall this is a very talented bunch and could have a very good 2 year stretch ahead of them. Aaron George, Eric Jenkins and Daniel Bowen could all be 1st round picks in this years NFL Draft. having that kind of talent on one team can be very imposing. If they can turn all of the talent they have into on the field success, this team could easily compete for an SEC and possibly even a National Title. I see this team finishing no worse than 8-4, and as good as 12-0.
Season 4: Wk: 1Bulldogs Fall Late to Seminoles Tallahassee, FL- The Bulldogs entered into their season opener against the #3 Seminoles. This would be the teams 2nd meeting under Coach Broth. The Bulldogs looked to change their fortunes after falling to the Seminoles previously. The game was close the whole way through. Te Buldogs appeared to have the upper hand after scoring as time expired in the half to go up 28-24 and they would recieve the ball to start the second half. But after a quick 3 and out the game turned around drastically. The 3rd quarter was one of the worst quarters in Coach Broth's time at Mississippi State as the Bulldogs failed to anything and gave up 10 points. The Seminoles would ride this lead until the closing minutes of the 4th quarter. The Bulldogs trailed by 10 with the ball and 4:31 left on the clock. Daniel Bowen looked to carry the team. The Bulldogs drove quickly down the field and into Seminole territory. As the clock continued to wind down Bowen got greedy and tried to complete a 25 yard corner route to score, but the wall was intercepted at the 1 yard line. "When we threw that pick I huddled my defense up and told them that the game wasnt over. I said we are forcing a safety or a 3 and out and getting the ball back, we aren't losing. Then they made me look like a prophet" said Coach Broth. That they did as the second play from the Seminole 1 resulted in a safety. This put the Bulldogs down 8 points with only 2:35 left on the clock. After recieveing the punt the Bulldogs milked the clock as they went in for the tying score. The Bulldogs ended up scoring a TD with only 11 seconds left on the clock. After completing a quick slant pattern for the 2 point conversion the game was tied and looked like it was going to OT. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs the Seminoles had other ideas. After returning the squib kick to the 40 yard line, they completed a pass into triple coverage down to the Bulldog 25 yard line where a chip shot field goal ended the game in dramatic fashion. "I was stunned. You never think it is going to turn on you that fast. But thats what happens, its football so we have to look to bounce back next week."
Season 4: Wk: 2 Bulldogs Survive Late Auburn Push Starkville, MS- The Bulldogs were coming off a tragic defeate a week earlier and were looking to bounce back against conference foe the Auburn Tigers. After the first half it appeared as if the Bulldogs were going to do just that. They held a 21-6 lead and the Tigers had been unable to move the ball all game, but then QB Daniel Bowen went into funk. Bowen would end the day with 4 INT's as he allowed the Tigers back into the game. With a 13 point onslaught in the 4th quarter, the Tigers pulled within 2, but the 2 point conversion failed. The Bulldogs got the bll in the 4th with only 4 minutes left on the clock and a 2 point lead to protect, so the ball was put in the hands of redshirt Freshman Randy Gooden who has not dissapointed this season. The Bulldogs nickeled and dimed their way donw the field until eventually kneeling on the ball to end the game. The Bulldogs with the win advanced to 1-1 (1-0) on the season. Next week they will host the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
