Eagle 98.1 : Baton Rouge: September 24, 2009

September 24, 2009
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Charles Hanagriff on 24/09/2009 19:49:00
 
LSU plays Mississippi State this weekend in Starkville.  In the last 17 years,
State has won exactly one time, on a controversial call.  The recent series has
often been about as competitive as Generals/Globetrotters.
Dan Mullen is the new State coach, and he comes over from Florida, where he was
offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer.  He was with Meyer at Utah as well,
meaning the last two college quarterbacks he tutored were Tim Tebow (ever heard
of him?), and Alex Smith, who was the top pick in the NFL draft before imploding
in San Francisco.
Mullen doesn’t have that luxury in Starkville, where they are having their
annual quarterback woes.  It has been 25 years since a Bulldog signal caller
played professional football at the position (LSU's old friend John Bond), and
that was in Canada.
So State will try to ride a two-QB system, and top quality tailback Anthony
Dixon (6-1, 235-lbs.) on offense.  On the field, Dixon reminds me some of
Charles Scott, a bruiser with decent speed and a good first step, though not
much wiggle.  Off the field, a summer DWI that almost saw him thrown off the
team seems to have given him a wakeup call.  He lost 25 extra pounds and
re-dedicated himself in the weight room.
On defense, MLB Jamar Chaney (#22) is the leading tackler and will be all over
the field.  He has great instincts and is a big hitter, even though he isn't a
huge guy.  Mostly, he can slip a block and cover a lot of ground.  He has worked
very hard to come back from a broken leg last season, and nobody works any
harder.
Up front, Pernell McPhee (#90) is the reigning SEC Defensive Lineman of the
Week.  The top-rated JUCO DE from last season, McPhee gets up the field in a
hurry and can disrupt any passing game.  He uses his hands exceptionally well to
ward off blockers.  He'll mostly line up opposite Joe Barksdale, and the LSU
tackle will have his hands full.  McPhee is similar to Rahim Alem from LSU.  His
run defense is his biggest liability.
LSU is in a bit of a "no-win" this week when it comes to perception.  Again a
double-digit favorite, if the Tigers only perform as expected, the same old
questions (mostly about the offense), will stick around another week.  If they
win big....well, it was only Mississippi State.
About the only thing that would turn a bunch of heads would be if LSU would
actually lose.
Perish the thought.
Expect LSU to be without Pep Levingston again, and now it appears DT Josh Downs
won't be able to go either.  In anticipation, Les Miles moved freshman DE
Michael Brockers down to DT, and he will likely make his debut in this game.