STARKVILLE — In the midst of the revolving staff changes among the Mississippi State University football program, head coach Dan Mullen decided to make one more subtle switch to the offense.
Meet the Bulldogs new unofficial co-offensive coordinator — soon-to-be fifth-year senior Tyler Russell.
Mullen more than suggested this week before the start of the 2013 spring practice season that Russell would be more involved in the conception of the Bulldogs offensive style and scheme. By involved, Mullen means Russell will have much more direct responsibilities throughout the week in game planning and the freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage.
“As a fifth-year senior I expect him to come to us and say ‘I don’t want to throw this route to this guy’,” Mullen said Thursday. “He has the spring and all summer to get that down.”
Russell, who is coming off a 2012 season where he broke nearly every season-long mark in the school record book including 2,897 yards through the air and 24 touchdowns, is the only healthy scholarship quarterback on the roster this spring thanks to sophomore Dak Prescott having offseason surgery on the big toe of his left foot.
In his last game, Russell had one of the worst performances in his three-year career as threw four interceptions in a 34-20 loss to Northwestern University on New Year’s Day in the 2013 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.
Early in his career, Russell spent most of his time trying to adapt his skill set which led him to being a Parade All-American and Mr. Football in the state of Mississippi at Meridian High School to Mullen’s spread-option offense. Apparently heading into the 2013 campaign, Mullen will be not only requesting but demanding Russell tell the coaching staff what he does and doesn’t want to do.
“I can trust his input,” Mullen said. “He’s not just going to say ‘man I like to throw the ball deep, let’s throw a lot of go-routes’. He’s going to say ‘hey, if I’m going to throw a fade to this guy I like this guy getting this matchup to the field, I like this guy to the boundary better’ (or)I like trying to lay it out for one guy or back-shoulder another guy. That’s so helpful to our staff.”
Some of those specific comments by Russell could include things as general as what plays to keep in the game plan on a weekly basis to as specific as to the angle at which he’d prefer to hand the football to the tailback on a stretch play.
“It could be as detailed to say I like to put the football in this spot on a handoff – that kind of specifically orientated stuff is happening in our conversations,” Russell said. “There’s a trust now between my coaches and myself that I can feel comfortable evaluating myself in what I think I can do well and not so well.”
One of those obvious changes to the philosophy between coach and player is the amount Russell has been seen taking the snap under center instead of in the perceived shotgun position with his tailback to his side.
“(Mullen) actually came to me and said it was something that I should be doing more to prepare for the next level of football more than anything,” Russell said. “When you’re in the gun, defenses can line up and know at least where the play is coming from. When I’m under center, our offense has lots of options.”
Mullen described the pre-snap reads and responsibilities that will be handed to Russell in a very similar way to how former NFL draft top pick Alex Smith was treated in the final year of Mullen’s tenure at offensive coordinator at the University of Utah.
“When Dan and our whole staff develops quarterbacks in our system, there’s three stages of learning: what to do, how to do it and why we do it that way,” MSU offensive coordinator Les Koenning said.
“Tyler is certainly in the why we’re doing it that way stage and so we say this all the time but we’re trying to, more than anything, avoid putting kids in bad situations.”
Koenning referenced the back-and-forth discussions he had with his starting quarterback late in the 2012 season where Russell would personally reference his faults more than what Koenning would refer to as excuses from a young player.
“He would come off the field and say things like ‘I messed up’ or ‘I was late’ or even this ‘hey coach, I don’t understand what you’re saying here, can you go over that again?,” Koenning said.
“For him to have that maturity level to admit his faults, ask questions and want to be that complete players shows me he wants to succeed at the highest level.”
During the 7-on-7 work in the first two spring practices this week, Russell already has clearly found a comfort level with the Bulldogs tight ends including junior Malcolm Johnson, junior Brandon Hill and converted linebacker Christian Holmes.
“Well, the Chad Bumphis’ and Arceto Clark’s are gone now at wide receiver so when in doubt you go to the targets that you feel most comfortable with,” Russell said. “The fact is (the tight ends) so athletic that they they know how to find the football and get open for us.”
Russell now knows in 2013 there could be a specific scenario where the play that is called, the blocking scheme that is executed along with where and when the ball is thrown will all be something he only decided based on his four years of playing experience in the Southeastern Conference. No longer is he just a thrower and doing what he’s told. Russell is now doing the telling himself.
“The great thing when you have a fifth-year senior quarterback, he is going to feel very comfortable in making his input,” Mullen said. “I think some young guys sometimes they want to give input but they don’t know they know enough to give input that makes sense.”
Spring practice resumes with an open session at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
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