Ad Disclosure
Dak Prescott can’t do it all himself for the Bulldogs this year.
Sure, it’s expected that the quarterback, especially one that’s a Heisman candidate, will lead the team in all the passing categories. Just like it’s also no secret that Prescott’s No. 1 receiver De’Runnya Wilson will eat up most of the targets and lead the team in receptions like he did last year.
The rushing stats for Mississippi State will most likely be divided between its stable of talented backs. And on the defensive side of the ball, Beniquez Brown seems like a safe bet to repeat as the team’s leading tackler and Will Redmond could easily have the most picks again.
But what about the stats that don’t show up on your basic box score but help win football games just as much like pass breakups, yards per catch, quarterback hurries and pancake blocks?
We took a look at which Mississippi State players will excel in these overlooked statistical categories this season.
Swat Master – Taveze Calhoun
A pass breakup is the next-best thing to an interception for a defensive back and on third down can sometimes even be the better option. A deflected pass can also have the same impact as an interception in the sense that if the defender has a few of them he might as well be picking the ball off because the quarterback will learn not to throw in that direction.
Calhoun tied for the team lead and ranked eighth in the SEC in pass break-ups last year with 9 and he appears poised to lead the team in that area again. At 6-foot-1, Calhoun is able to use his length to swat away footballs.
Despite only recording one pick last season, Calhoun has also shown the hands to intercept the ball on occasion and was tied for the team lead with 3 in 2013. So he could potentially lead Mississippi State in pass breakups and defensive back receptions (a.k.a. interceptions).
Field-Stretching Specialist – Fred Ross
Everyone knows that Dan Mullen likes to run the football. And that becomes much easier when you have a receiver that can take the top off a defense at any moment and not allow safeties to stack the box.
Ross is that guy, averaging 15.5 yards per catch during the course of his two years at Mississippi State. Last season, Ross routinely got behind defenders for an average of 16.3 yards per catch, which also resulted in five touchdowns, the longest being 69 yards.
With his role in the offense expected to increase this year, Ross is looking to shake the specialist title and become a more well-rounded target. But there’s no denying what he does best, and that’s burn people deep. So expect to still see plenty of that from him.
Mr. Disruptive – Ryan Brown
Sacking the quarterback is great. But getting a good pass rush on him can be just as effective if the defender is still able to lay a well-timed (legal) hit. It can even be better if that quarterback hurry leads to a rushed throw and an interception.
Of the returning Mississippi State players from last season, none had more quarterback hurries than Brown. Preston Smith, who now plays for the Washington Redskins, had 15 quarterback hurries in 2014, but Brown wasn’t far behind with 10.
The senior is 6-foot-6 and able to use that length to get a hand in the quarterback’s face and sometimes bat the ball down once he breaks through the line, which make his pass rush even more impactful.
Brown is also a prime candidate to lead the Bulldogs in sacks this season. The fact that he doesn’t always have to get the quarterback on the ground to make a play is something that should be valued in Mississippi State’s defense.
The Immovable Object — Justin Malone
Stats are not the first thing that come to mind when you think of offensive linemen. Pancake blocks are one of the few. But what could be better in football than putting an opposing player on his back?
Manhandling other players isn’t always that hard to do for Malone, who is a behemoth at 6-foot-7, 320 pounds. Even in limited starts as a redshirt freshman in 2012, Malone showed the ability to flatten defenders with eight pancakes against Troy, five against Kentucky and seven against Middle Tennessee State.
Malone suffered a season-ending foot injury the following year but returned to start 11 games in 2014. Coming into 2015 fully healthy and as a senior, Malone will look to pancake any defender that tries to touch his Heisman-caliber quarterback.
Pat Donohue is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @SportsDownPat.
