STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University coach Dan Mullen feels the most important aspect to spring football practice is it is filmed from start to finish.
The taping by the volunteers several feet up in scissors trucks allows Mullen and his assistant coaches to see how players handle the offseason training elements and if they are delivering the effort and consistency needed.
“One of the best adjustments high school and junior college players have in the spring is learning how to go hard every play,” Mullen said. “It’s funny when those guys get to study the film and realize well, I’m not very good.”
A MSU coach typically will ask a player a question in that film session.
“A lot of them don’t run very hard, practice very hard, and it’s very obvious to see,” Mullen said. “Sometimes the best thing to ask a kid at that point is, ‘Is that as fast as you can go?’ and they almost always look up and say, ‘No.’ ”
Whether it’s with a high school player who has graduated early, like Morton defensive tackle Quay Evans, or a junior college All-American like East Mississippi Community College’s Denico Autry, the coaches face challenges getting players to overcome a mental hurdle and realize they can go harder and give more.
“Now they know they have to try a lot harder because in small school football or high school you can get away with taking some plays off by simply being the best athlete by far on the field,” Mullen said. “Suddenly it’s not that way in a Southeastern Conference program where everybody is good.”
MSU didn’t answer any of its major depth chart questions in the spring workouts. Running back apparently will continue to be a position where the Bulldogs use a committee approach, while P.J. Jones, Devin Jones, and Dewayne Cherrington will rotate in an attempt to replace Fletcher Cox at defensive tackle.
In the final week of practice, Mullen and his coaches have tinkered with the depth chart to see if players rise to the occasion.
“You only get so many practices, and it is very similar to getting halfway through (fall) camp, so you’re going to put guys in different situations,” Mullen said. “How do certain guys respond when they’re with the ones (first string) and how do ones respond when they go to
twos (second string)? Do they raise the play of everyone around them or do they sink to their level?”
Thursday’s scrimmage marked what Mullen and the MSU players considered the “final scrimmage of the spring.” The Maroon-White spring game at 5 p.m. Saturday will be played on a 60-yard field next to a stage for the Sugarland concert later that evening.
“You have fun in the spring game and show the fans a little bit of what we’re working on, but, other than that, it’s not as intense as the rest of this month,” MSU junior quarterback Tyler Russell said.
Players and coaches will do a walkthrough Friday that will be closed to the public and media.
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