STARKVILLE — There’s no doubt Chris Jones loves football.
Even after a grueling regular season, the Mississippi State defensive lineman didn’t want to be away from the sport he loves for too long. MSU finished the regular season with a 38-27 loss to Ole Miss on Nov. 28. After the loss, the Bulldogs were off for 12 days to take final exams. In that stretch, Jones and his teammates learned MSU (8-4) will take on North Carolina State (7-5) in the Belk Bowl at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30 (ESPN), in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“It feels great,” Jones said of getting back to practice. “I kind of missed it. I’m back with my team, I’m back with family. It feels good.”
MSU returned to practice fields Friday and Saturday. It will practice every day until Saturday, when MSU coach Dan Mullen will let his players go home for Christmas. The next three practices will be open to the public, starting with today’s at 1:30 p.m. Monday’s practice will be at 2 p.m., while Tuesday’s will start at 10 a.m. All will take place on the fields behind the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex.
Mullen and his assistant coaches hit the road recruiting in the 12-day stretch. Mullen was happy to get back into the rhythm of practice Friday, but he took it easy. MSU was in shorts and helmets Friday, as Mullen wanted to ease his players back into practice.
“My worry is just guys having to strain their body,” Mullen said. “A big concern is guys trying to open it up when they haven’t in a couple of weeks. We’ve got a lot of recovery time.”
Jones, a junior, said he didn’t do much during his time away from the practice field. He said he rested and enjoyed the break, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t something for the players to do.
“We had mandatory workouts. I did those,” Jones said. “I came in and got some cardio with Damian (Williams).”
Jones said he has filed papers with the NFL to get a grade on his draft stock if he opts to forgo his senior season and turn professional.
Senior cornerback Taveze Calhoun did a lot of traveling during his time off. He went to New York City after he was selected a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete. He received an $18,000 scholarship with the honor.
“It was hard,” Calhoun said of being away from practice. “I know I ate too much. I was really tired (Friday).”
MSU’s defense struggled in November, losing to Alabama (31-6), allowing 50 points to Arkansas in a win, and losing to Ole Miss. Bulldog defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said the toll of a long season began to take shape in November for his defense, so a few days away from the practice fields weren’t all that bad.
“I think in a way, mentally, it’s good for everybody to get a break, and for sure physically,” Diaz said. “The chance to get some guys feeling better about their bodies is a big plus. I think just mentally also, just to refresh the guys.”
Diaz said it’s important to be conditioned when playing in a bowl game because the season is so long and there’s such a long layoff.
Mullen has given many of the young players a bulk of the snaps in the first two practices, and that will continue until middle of this coming week. MSU will begin to focus on North Carolina State later in the week. The team will have a couple of days to practice when it arrives in Charlotte the day after Christmas.
The rest will do the Bulldogs some good, but Mullen is glad they are back.
“I love bowl practice,” Mullen said. “A lot of teams are not practicing right now. There’s no final exams, there’s no school going on. We’re coaching and teaching football, not even worried about the game plan yet.”
n In other football news, MSU safeties coach/recruiting coordinator Tony Hughes’ name has been rumored for the opening at Jackson State.
Hughes, who has spent 31 years coaching, has never been a head coach. He has spent the last seven seasons with the Bulldogs.
“I haven’t spoken with anybody in their athletic department concerning that,” Hughes said. “They have an opening for a head football coach and one day, I would love to be a head football coach.”
Mullen said he didn’t expect any staff changes, but said “you never know what happens this time of year with college football.”
Hughes made $400,000 this season at MSU.
Mullen lost strength coach Rick Court to Maryland earlier this week. He said Nick Savage will take over for bowl preparations.
n Linebackers Gerri Green and DeAndre Ward were arrested early Friday morning at The Pointe, according to records obtained from the Oktibbeha County Jail.
Green, a redshirt freshman, was charged with having possession of a beer in a dry county, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. Ward, a junior, was charged with possession of a beer in a dry county and disturbing the peace.
Both were arrested after midnight and bonded at around 1:30 a.m.
A MSU spokesperson said the team is aware of the arrests and that the program will let the legal process play out. They said discipline will be handled internally.
Green and Ward were at practice Friday and Saturday.
Green was named to the All-Southeastern Conference Freshman Team on Thursday in a vote by the league’s coaches. The Greenville native had 44 tackles (two-and-a-half for loss) and an interception in 12 games.
Ward, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship before the 2014 season, also has played in 12 games. He has 14 tackles (one for loss) and half a sack.
n Senior defensive end Ryan Brown will not play in the bowl game.
The New Orleans native has a cast on his right leg and Mullen said he is out with a stress fracture in his right foot. Junior tight end Gus Walley (concussion) didn’t participate in practice Friday or Saturday. Mullen said it’s likely Walley won’t play in the bowl game.
Senior linebacker Zach Jackson has left the team to pursue opportunities outside of football, according to Mullen. Jackson wasn’t present for the regular-season finale against Ole Miss.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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