AUBURN, Ala. — Given the task of describing a 39-point loss, Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen didn’t relinquish his grip of the box score.
“I’m not super sensitive. I’m kind of a factual person,” Mullen said Saturday after then-No. 24 MSU’s 49-10 loss to then-No. 13 Auburn in a Southeastern Conference game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. “I have to work on that, my psychology skills. I’m pretty blunt.”
Mullen chose to recap the events by using the numbers — 10 penalties, for instance — but that won’t help MSU (3-2, 1-2 SEC) now. Moving forward, Mullen will try to rally a team from consecutive losses of 28 and 39 points in a bye week. By point differential, it is the worst two-game losing streak in the Mullen era.
“I don’t know if there’s a good time or a bad time for (a bye week),” Mullen said. “I’ll try to be sensitive. Probably get some tips from my wife. She’s really good.”
Only once in the Mullen era has MSU entered its off week after a loss, and that was a two-point loss to South Carolina in 2011. The bye week helped MSU get back on track, as it returned to beat Kentucky. MSU has entered its bye week four times in the Mullen era MSU on a winning streak of at least three games.
Despite the losses, no one plans to make drastic changes.
“As a younger coach I would probably think that way. I’m not going to get frustrated or one of those deals,” Mullen said. “I’m not happy, but I’m not going to get frustrated, get out of whack, or even coach our guys really hard. We’re going to find a way to get better as a team.”
Said quarterback Nick Fitzgerald added, “I don’t think it’s time to panic. I don’t think we need to stress, be frustrated, or anything like that. I just think we need to focus on ourselves, get these practices in, focus on the things we need to focus on.”
Fitzgerald said Saturday that likely would start Sunday with a team meeting without the coaches so the players could discuss the team’s issues. Defensive lineman Braxton Hoyett said the same thing after a 31-3 loss to then-No. 11 Georgia in Athens, Georgia.
“I do think there’s enough leadership on the team for that,” Fitzgerald said.
The Bulldogs will have plenty to discuss. MSU’s combined 4.41 yards per carry against Georgia and Auburn isn’t a good sign. In the Mullen era, MSU is 33-7 when running for more than 200 yards and 31-37 when it doesn’t.
Said Auburn linebacker Deshaun Davis, “You’re not going to run the ball when you’re down 28-10 in the third quarter.”
Still, MSU completed fewer than 50 percent of its passes and failed to average 5 yards per attempt against Auburn. Against Georgia, MSU completed 35 percent of its passes and averaged 4.2 yards per attempt. Against Auburn, MSU completed 45 percent of its passes and averaged 3.1 yards per attempt. MSU is last in the SEC and ahead of only 17 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in quarterback rating (111.93).
On top of that, MSU surrendered seven plays of 30 yards or more against the Tigers.
Mullen said after the game that finding the answers would require film study, but he suggested a young team playing with too much energy had a role in impacting the players’ ability to execute their assignments. Fitzgerald saw the same thing, saying, “sometimes people get too excited.”
For now, MSU, which will play host to BYU at a time to be announced on Saturday, Oct. 14, at Davis Wade Stadium, speaks as a team that stands resolute.
“We’re going to take that bye week and we’re going to get better,” running back Aeris Williams said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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