HOOVER, Ala. — A year ago at Southeastern Conference Media Days, Chris Relf was the unpolished, untested quarterback of a burgeoning Mississippi State football team.
The bulk of questions he entertained reflected his rise from obscurity, as he was grilled about his passing ability — or lack thereof.
After leading the Bulldogs to school records in total offense and points, Relf was back Wednesday fielding questions about what it will take for MSU to win a SEC Western Division title — not about his ability to play the position.
“It”s good to be back,” Relf said. “I”m glad I had that redshirt because I still had that extra year to show my ability and show I”m an SEC quarterback.”
Relf”s late-season surge, which saw the rising senior pass for more than 220 yards in each of MSU”s last three games, propelled the team to a 52-14 win against the University of Michigan in the Gator Bowl and its first top-25 postseason ranking in a decade.
With all MSU”s skill position players returning this season, Relf is primed to have a record-breaking year.
If his form continues, Relf could become the first MSU quarterback to pass for 2,000 yards since 2003, and just the fifth in school history. Relf has a good shot to be MSU”s first quarterback to pass for 20-plus touchdowns in a season.
Re-writing the record books might not have seemed likely a year ago when Relf”s claim to fame was running over the University of Mississippi in the 2009 Egg Bowl.
“When I first got hired and went into meetings and (was) watching Chris, I had a lot of doubts whether he could play quarterback in the Southeastern Conference,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said. “Chris played his first year, relied on some of his natural ability, ran the ball well, made some good throws, but was very inconsistent.”
Relf recognized the need to grow following the 2009 season and dedicated himself to his craft. But before the start of the 2010 season, no one knew what to expect from Relf in MSU”s run-first offense.
Early to midway through his junior year, Relf had a stretch of games where he ran for more yards than he passed.
Questions about whether he could become a dual-threat quarterback still swirled.
“It didn”t get under my skin,” Relf said. “That”s the reason I play quarterback because I”m calm and I can take a lot of things. It”s just a matter of me working.”
Relf stayed on campus the entire month of May to refine his skills. He”d never done that in his career, but motivated by tangible results and the team”s success he realized he had to work harder than he did going into his junior season.
The goal?
“To become the best quarterback in the country,” Relf said.
As lofty a goal as it may seem, MSU”s progression from good to great starts with Relf. As one of just two returning starting quarterbacks in the SEC West, which had five top 25 teams last season, a dominant season from the Montgomery, Ala., native could land the Bulldogs in the SEC title game, or in a Bowl Championship Series game.
A three-point loss to Auburn University and a double-overtime loss to Arkansas last season is all that kept MSU out of its first BCS bowl game.
“We”ve got the toughness and dedication,” Relf said. “We got to get in our playbook and execute on Saturdays.”
Mullen isn”t worried about Relf”s dedication. The third-year MSU coach said Relf tells him things like “I”m invested” and “I”ve never worked this hard in my life” when Mullen checks in to see how summer workouts are going.
“One of the things you see is, when you become a senior as Chris has, you see the desperation,” Mullen said. “He knows six months from now it”s all over. Until you actually get to that senior year, they”re not as desperate. That”s where you see that step of individual accomplishment.”
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