MSU RELEASE Dan Mullen Previews 89th Egg Bowl
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MSU’s Dan Mullen Previews 89th Egg Bowl Matchup
STARKVILLE, Miss. – One of the most storied rivalries in college football continues Saturday as Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen previewed the 89th Egg Bowl at his weekly press conference on Monday.
Kickoff for the Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels is 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday live on SEC Network from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Brent Musburger, Jesse Palmer and Kaylee Hartung will call the action.
Below are quotes from Mullen’s press conference:
Opening statement…
“It’s obviously a big game any time you have rivalry games. They are huge for anybody, especially when you have an in-state rivalry. There are a lot of bragging rights for the fans. People take a lot of pride in winning the game and having bragging rights for the year. Our guys understand how important this game is and how much it means to the fan base of both schools. We have to come back and have a great week at practice. With Thanksgiving holidays, we will continue our schedule. There is less school so we have more time to practice. Hopefully we will have a great week in preparation and follow it up with a great performance on Saturday.”
On quarterback Nick Fitzgerald…
“He has progressed and has done a nice job within his progression. He is more comfortable making throws, making reads and going through things. He is playing with a little more confidence. He is more confident with what is happening on the field. With the quarterback position, all of that comes with time. When you are developing as a quarterback, I don’t think you can ever get enough game reps and experience. He has done a nice job in moving forward and being a better player today than he was at the beginning of the season.”
On linebackers Dez Harris and J.T. Gray…
“They are coming along. They both have had different routes on their career. Gray played as a true freshman a little and accelerated that way. Harris suffered from some injuries. Both are great attitude, hardworking guys. I expect them to continue to progress. We need those guys to step up because they are the leaders for next year.”
On the defense’s performance against Arkansas…
“There were a lot of issues everywhere. We didn’t fit right, missing linemen, poor communication and missed tackles. Not a very good performance.”
On Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson…
“He is coming along. He graduated early so he had the opportunity to go through spring practice, training camp and now the season. He got his opportunity and he has done his best to take advantage of it.”
On defensive game plan…
“I thought we played a really solid defensive game against Texas A&M. We have given up some explosive plays the last two weeks. Part of that is just not giving up explosive plays, being disciplined in what we are doing in our fits, making the tackles and winning the one-on-one battles.”
On incoming freshmen graduating early…
“I think it always helps to graduate early, especially as a quarterback. Getting the opportunity to go through spring, it is your first time learning a system. Spring is going to be a slowed down version of what you do in training camp. Getting the opportunity to go through spring, you get to learn a new system and language in a slower process than in the summer. You have already learned it once in the spring then you get to learn it a second time in training camp. You start to feel comfortable and know what is going on.”
On tight end Farrod Green’s play…
“He has done a great job in his performance. I think he has really stepped up his game and made plays for us in the running and passing game.”
On the outcome of the Egg Bowl…
“A win makes you happy and a loss makes you sad.”
On the importance of the Egg Bowl this year…
“There have been times that this game was all there was. I think, over the last couple of years, both programs have done a great job of raising their level of play and what they have to play for. Both teams have been playing for bigger things. The success for both teams over the past couple of years has made this game not as much of an all or nothing game like it has been in the past.”
On both teams’ struggles this season…
“They have been dealing with some injuries and we have dealt with tons of injuries all year long. I think the depth of teams in this league is what makes it so tough especially in the (SEC) West. They are an excellent football team. I’m sure they can look back and if they changed three plays of the season, they would have a very different outcome. I know that we can say that. I think that margin of error, when you are playing in the SEC West, is so small.”
On senior linebacker Richie Brown’s impact…
“(Brown) has showed that he has believed in us and believed in our program. He has had a very successful career as a football player on the field and off the field with all of the community service work that he has done. He is now married, has an undergraduate degree and working on his master’s degree. He is going to be very successful and not just in the short-term but in the long-term of life hopefully.”
On Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram…
“He is a tough matchup. If you look, offensive coaches are always trying to create mismatches. When you have a player who is a multi-position player, they are tough to matchup with because he can do the things he needs to do as a tight end physically, but has the athleticism of a wide out. If you try to match him up as a wide out, he has size and physicality on you. If you try to match him up as a tight end, he has a lot of athletic edge on you. They do a great job of moving him around and taking advantage of his skillset.”
On Ole Miss’s defense…
“They are a very athletic team. Their defensive front gets after it with a great deal of speed. They are not the biggest team in the league. Their style is to play a very aggressive, fast, speed-orientated defense.”
On his approach to the Egg Bowl after eight years…
“I think I have matured as a coach throughout the past eight years. You always treat these weeks just a little bit different. Rivalry games are a little different feeling around the office and preparation. I understood that eight years ago and it hasn’t changed for me today.”
On his team’s chances for bowl eligibility…
“It is not something that we can control. I try not to worry about things that I cannot control. If that happens, I would be happy. I am sure our players will be happy. The general bowl game experience is a tremendous experience for all student-athletes. If the phone rang and invited us, I wouldn’t say no.”
On the feeling of ending the season with a win…
“To end the season on a win is always important because you don’t play for many months. It is a special memory for the guys who are playing their last game to walk off the field with a win. For all of us who are still here, to come off of a win in your last game going into the next season is a great feeling for that break. If you have a tough loss like we did on Saturday, you get to go back to work on Sunday and try to change it around seven days later. You don’t want to be stuck with the feeling of a loss.”
STARKVILLE, Miss. – One of the most storied rivalries in college football continues Saturday as Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen previewed the 89th Egg Bowl at his weekly press conference on Monday.
Kickoff for the Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels is 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday live on SEC Network from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Brent Musburger, Jesse Palmer and Kaylee Hartung will call the action.
Below are quotes from Mullen’s press conference:
Opening statement…
“It’s obviously a big game any time you have rivalry games. They are huge for anybody, especially when you have an in-state rivalry. There are a lot of bragging rights for the fans. People take a lot of pride in winning the game and having bragging rights for the year. Our guys understand how important this game is and how much it means to the fan base of both schools. We have to come back and have a great week at practice. With Thanksgiving holidays, we will continue our schedule. There is less school so we have more time to practice. Hopefully we will have a great week in preparation and follow it up with a great performance on Saturday.”
On quarterback Nick Fitzgerald…
“He has progressed and has done a nice job within his progression. He is more comfortable making throws, making reads and going through things. He is playing with a little more confidence. He is more confident with what is happening on the field. With the quarterback position, all of that comes with time. When you are developing as a quarterback, I don’t think you can ever get enough game reps and experience. He has done a nice job in moving forward and being a better player today than he was at the beginning of the season.”
On linebackers Dez Harris and J.T. Gray…
“They are coming along. They both have had different routes on their career. Gray played as a true freshman a little and accelerated that way. Harris suffered from some injuries. Both are great attitude, hardworking guys. I expect them to continue to progress. We need those guys to step up because they are the leaders for next year.”
On the defense’s performance against Arkansas…
“There were a lot of issues everywhere. We didn’t fit right, missing linemen, poor communication and missed tackles. Not a very good performance.”
On Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson…
“He is coming along. He graduated early so he had the opportunity to go through spring practice, training camp and now the season. He got his opportunity and he has done his best to take advantage of it.”
On defensive game plan…
“I thought we played a really solid defensive game against Texas A&M. We have given up some explosive plays the last two weeks. Part of that is just not giving up explosive plays, being disciplined in what we are doing in our fits, making the tackles and winning the one-on-one battles.”
On incoming freshmen graduating early…
“I think it always helps to graduate early, especially as a quarterback. Getting the opportunity to go through spring, it is your first time learning a system. Spring is going to be a slowed down version of what you do in training camp. Getting the opportunity to go through spring, you get to learn a new system and language in a slower process than in the summer. You have already learned it once in the spring then you get to learn it a second time in training camp. You start to feel comfortable and know what is going on.”
On tight end Farrod Green’s play…
“He has done a great job in his performance. I think he has really stepped up his game and made plays for us in the running and passing game.”
On the outcome of the Egg Bowl…
“A win makes you happy and a loss makes you sad.”
On the importance of the Egg Bowl this year…
“There have been times that this game was all there was. I think, over the last couple of years, both programs have done a great job of raising their level of play and what they have to play for. Both teams have been playing for bigger things. The success for both teams over the past couple of years has made this game not as much of an all or nothing game like it has been in the past.”
On both teams’ struggles this season…
“They have been dealing with some injuries and we have dealt with tons of injuries all year long. I think the depth of teams in this league is what makes it so tough especially in the (SEC) West. They are an excellent football team. I’m sure they can look back and if they changed three plays of the season, they would have a very different outcome. I know that we can say that. I think that margin of error, when you are playing in the SEC West, is so small.”
On senior linebacker Richie Brown’s impact…
“(Brown) has showed that he has believed in us and believed in our program. He has had a very successful career as a football player on the field and off the field with all of the community service work that he has done. He is now married, has an undergraduate degree and working on his master’s degree. He is going to be very successful and not just in the short-term but in the long-term of life hopefully.”
On Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram…
“He is a tough matchup. If you look, offensive coaches are always trying to create mismatches. When you have a player who is a multi-position player, they are tough to matchup with because he can do the things he needs to do as a tight end physically, but has the athleticism of a wide out. If you try to match him up as a wide out, he has size and physicality on you. If you try to match him up as a tight end, he has a lot of athletic edge on you. They do a great job of moving him around and taking advantage of his skillset.”
On Ole Miss’s defense…
“They are a very athletic team. Their defensive front gets after it with a great deal of speed. They are not the biggest team in the league. Their style is to play a very aggressive, fast, speed-orientated defense.”
On his approach to the Egg Bowl after eight years…
“I think I have matured as a coach throughout the past eight years. You always treat these weeks just a little bit different. Rivalry games are a little different feeling around the office and preparation. I understood that eight years ago and it hasn’t changed for me today.”
On his team’s chances for bowl eligibility…
“It is not something that we can control. I try not to worry about things that I cannot control. If that happens, I would be happy. I am sure our players will be happy. The general bowl game experience is a tremendous experience for all student-athletes. If the phone rang and invited us, I wouldn’t say no.”
On the feeling of ending the season with a win…
“To end the season on a win is always important because you don’t play for many months. It is a special memory for the guys who are playing their last game to walk off the field with a win. For all of us who are still here, to come off of a win in your last game going into the next season is a great feeling for that break. If you have a tough loss like we did on Saturday, you get to go back to work on Sunday and try to change it around seven days later. You don’t want to be stuck with the feeling of a loss.”
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