The Time is now for Mullen
Posted on September 15, 2011 by Jacob Bunn
Just over two years ago, the then brilliant offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators, Dan Mullen, became the head coach at Mississippi State. Almost instantaneously after his hiring, Mullen had the Bulldog fan base energized with the expectation of more success than the program was accustomed to.
An important point to remember is how dreadful of a program Mississippi State has always been. It is last in the SEC in terms of all-time, overall winning percentage, which puts the program below Vanderbilt.
Things had not exactly been the best for the Bulldogs either while Sylvester Croom was the coach. While Croom’s teams did play with great effort at times, there were parts of running the football program that were stagnant under his watch.
So Dan Mullen had a bit if an uphill battle when he arrived in Starkville. It was common belief, though, that this man, with the experience that he had compiled under Urban Meyer, could be just what the doctor ordered for Mississippi State.
While the Bulldogs had a losing record in Mullen’s first season, there were real improvements, and a critical eye could see the program was turning the corner.
In his second season, 2010, the Bulldogs achieved nine wins, including a thumping of Michigan in the Gator Bowl. There was little doubt after last season that Mullen’s impact had been a positive one.
But with all of the success that Mississippi State has enjoyed under Dan Mullen, there still is one river he has yet to cross. The program under his leadership has never beaten an SEC West team not named Mississippi. One chance to make an improvement in that category came Saturday, when the Bulldogs were in a close one against Auburn. To the chagrin of Bulldog fans, though, they literally fell short against the Tigers.
So that sets up tonight’s big matchup against LSU. There is no time like the present for Mullen to defy the stat that he has not been able to conquer in over two years of coaching. The game is a nearly perfect opportunity for the Bulldogs. It is at home, on a Thursday night, and on ESPN with all of the college football world watching.
Dan Mullen knows you only get a select amount of opportunities to make something happen. If the Bulldogs drop this game and fall to 1-2 overall, you have to wonder if they will be in this position again anytime soon. If Mississippi State is going to be considered one of the ‘big boys’ in the SEC, then it better learn how to beat one of them.
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Email Jacob at jacob@bunnsports.com and follow him on Twitter at @JacobBunn
