STARKVILLE — Giving relentless effort has been the main talking point for Dan Mullen in his eight-year tenure as Mississippi State football coach.
Mullen has seen his squads give everything they have on every play to help the program reach a school-record six-straight bowl games.
Things have gone differently through the first five games of the 2016 season.
Mullen has seen his young team give relentless effort, but he said the players don’t understand how much they need to strain on every down.
Following a 38-14 loss to Auburn on Saturday afternoon at Davis Wade Stadium, Mullen showed the kind of strain he wants to see from his team by grunting and straining his body to the point his face turned red in his post-game news conference.
“I think we need to play with a desperate sense of urgency on every snap,” Mullen said. “That comes with some maturity. It might seem pretty easy, but it’s a lot more complex than you would think it is to play with the amount of maximum strain you need to play with — veins popping out your neck, every single play.”
MSU (2-3, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) entered the season with 11 returning starters (five on offense, six on defense), but the depth chart contains 13 sophomores, 10 redshirt freshmen, and two freshmen.
In losses to South Alabama (21-20) in the season opener and at LSU (23-20), MSU had inconsistent efforts. MSU led South Alabama 17-0 at halftime, but gave up three-second half touchdowns and managed only a field goal. MSU trailed LSU 23-3 at halftime, but scored two late touchdowns to have a chance to win.
On Saturday, MSU trailed 35-0 at halftime and then outscored Auburn (4-2, 2-1) 14-3 in the second half.
“I think as a young player you have to learn what effort is,” Mullen said. “That takes a lot of time. It often takes guys a couple of years.”
Starting quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who was 17 of 34 for 181 yards and two touchdowns and a team-high 61 yards rushing, took over for Dak Prescott, who set 38 school records and is the starting quarterback for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Fitzgerald, who redshirted as a freshman, watched how Prescott prepared the last two seasons.
“I think each week is a new scenario and a new lesson to be learned,” Fitzgerald said.
Senior linebacker Richie Brown feels the urgency is there, but he agrees with Mullen that it is taking the young players time to learn what it takes to be successful in the SEC.
“It’s almost like a deer in the headlights. It just kind of shocks them for a little bit,” Brown said. “You can kind of see that, which is why we have some games where we don’t start playing well until the third quarter or fourth quarter. I think the young guys are kind of getting used to playing in these kind of games.”
Brown had a game-high 14 tackles. The Long Beach native also forced a fumble.
Brown redshirted in 2012 and had a chance to learn from veterans Benardrick McKinney, Deontae Skinner, and Matthew Wells.
As one of the captains this season, Brown has taken on a leadership role. He said experience is the only thing that will help the younger players get more comfortable.
“There’s only so much you can simulate in practice or off the field,” Brown said. “There’s only so much coaches and players can do to help that out. We’re going to keep fighting.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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