The Football Power Rankings Committee presents to tRant:

2014 Mississippi State Football Preview

2013 Mississippi State Recap 7-6 (3-5)

Going into the 2013 season Bulldog fans knew what laid ahead. Expectations had been tempered after losing a majority of starters from the year before, most notably the Jim Thorpe award winner Johnthan Banks.

However, following an abysmal performance in a loss to Oklahoma State, a 4th quarter meltdown against LSU, and a three game stretch against South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Alabama, the Bulldog faithful grew restless. A young Dak Prescott had turned in one of his worst performances of his career and lost his mother to cancer in a span of just two days, only to follow it up with one of his best performances to date the very next week, in a game where he was injured and assumed by many, out for the season. The three game stretch that laid ahead could have potentially decided the fate of Head Coach Dan Mullen.

After needing overtime to beat the Razorbacks in Arkansas, seeing Dak Prescott return to lead his team to victory and bowl eligibility against Ole Miss, the Bulldogs crushed a 10-3 Rice squad in the Liberty Bowl leading into what could be one of the most anticipated seasons in Mississippi State history.

2014 Offense Preview

On the offensive side of the ball MSU returns 8 starters, and will be led by the now infamous Dak Prescott at QB. The hype is real, and the stage has been set for Dak to have likely the best statistical season by a quarterback in MSU history. Joining him in the backfield are a trio of backs with a decent amount of talent and experience. Josh Robinson (JR) will likely draw the start at RB. Last season he split time with Ladarius Perkins (SR), and averaged almost 6 YPC. He will be backed up by Nick Griffin (SR) who has averaged 6 YPC during his career, although he has been plagued with injuries throughout his career which has severely limited his playing time. However, it appears he is now healthy and will be a major contributor this season barring any further injuries. Also expected to get some carries is Ashton Shumpert (So) who saw limited playing time last year as a true freshman.

At WR we return some key playmakers, including Jameon Lewis (Sr) and De'Runnya Wilson (So). Jameon saw great success last season out of the slot, with 64 catches for 923 yds and 5 TDs. He also ran for 3 TDs and threw for 3 TDs as well. Robert Johnson (Sr), Fred Ross (So), and Malcom Johnson (JR) will also be key targets for Dak this year. Brandon Holloway (So) is also one to watch as he can provide a spark from any position on the field as he has tremendous speed and quickness.

On the offensive line MSU returns a lot of experience, but also has to replace a couple key players from a year ago. Staying healthy is key here since depth is somewhat of an issue. If they can stay healthy, the OL should be a solid group overall and will be the foundation for the success of the offense as a whole.

Overall, MSU may surprise some people this season. Although they have been historically in the bottom of the SEC in offensive production, this season they have the pieces to make some noise and put up some big numbers. I predict they will finish top 5 in the SEC in total offense.

2014 Defense Preview

Last season MSU finished 4th in total defense, and with all the returning starters and depth, they will likely be one of the top defenses again this year in the SEC.

DL: This is arguably the strongest and deepest position groups on the entire team. The only gap to fill is replacing DE Denico Autry (graduated), but A.J. Jefferson (So) and Ryan Brown (Jr) appear to be up to the task and will fill that spot nicely. Preston Smith (Sr) returns at the other DE position and will likely be one of the top pass rushers on the team. At DT starters Kaleb Eulls and P.J. Jones return along with other contributors from last season, Curtis Virges, Nelson Adams, and Nick James. Chris Jones is an absolute monster, and while still raw technically, will be a force inside and outside at times.

LB: Another strong group with lots of talent and experience returning, led by Benardrick McKinney in the middle who has been named to numerous preason watch lists and will likely be a high-round draft pick at season's end. On the outside Matt Wells and Beniquez Brown will be a force, and also look for Richie Brown to see time at any of the three LB positions as he is a talent that we simply won't be kept off the field.

DB: We return all our corners on the two deep and will ad some redshirts to the mix this season. Jamerson Love (Sr) and Teveze Calhoun (Jr) will likely be the starters, but also seeing a lot of time on the field will be Will Redmond (Jr) and Cedric Jiles (So). At safety Justin Cox will likely be the starter at FS after playing last season at CB. He is returning to his more natural position and should have a much better season moving back into a more familiar role. Kendrick Market (Jr) and Jay Hughes (Sr) will both see a lot of time at SS.

This year you can expect to see a more diverse defense from MSU. They will run their base 4-3 a lot of the time, but will mix things up a bit moving to a 3-4 in order to get all their talented LB's on the field together with Chris Jones plugging the middle. Geoff Collins got a much deserved pay raise this offseason, and I expect great things from his defense this season. I look for them to improve on their finish last season (4th) in total defense, with what should be one of the top defenses in the conference and country.