By Josh Taylor / Sports Columnist
The Meridian Star
STARKVILLE —
Playing quarterback at the collegiate level is tough. Playing quarterback well at the collegiate level is even tougher. Lighting up the scoreboard with 256 passing yards and four touchdowns in your first collegiate game is nearly impossible. For Mississippi State’s Tyler Russell, it was just another day on the gridiron.
“It felt like high school out there,” said Russell after Saturday night's season opener at Davis Wade Stadium. “This is what I wanted to do.”
The former Wildcat standout brought home a state championship for the Wildcats in his senior year at Meridian High. After watching from the sidelines for a season at MSU, Russell is poised to take his place as the face of the Bulldog program.
The final numbers are impressive in Russel’s first game action as a Bulldog. He completed 13 of 16 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns. The four touchdowns ties a school record. His longest pass of the night was a 57-yard touchdown toss to Chad Bumphis midway through the third quarter. Needless to say, Mississippi State won the game game against Memphis 49-7.
What makes these numbers even more impressive is that Russell was sharing time with starting quarterback Chris Relf. Most guys would be happy with 256 yards and four touchdowns over the course of a single game. In essence, Russell did it over the course of about half a game.
One game is not a career and Russell will definitely have a tougher test Thursday night in his first SEC competition against visiting Auburn. That being said, you can expect ‘Russell to Bumphis for a touchdown’ to be heard often on gamedays at Davis Wade Stadium for years to come.
Trojan On The Field
Some of our loyal readers might remember a kid named Maurice Langston. The former Northeast Lauderdale Trojan is now prowling the backfield in a maroon and white jersey. Langston pulled down two interceptions in Saturday's win for the Bulldogs.
The first pick came in the second quarter off a pass from Memphis quarterback Ryan Williams. Langston pulled it down and added a 13-yard return.
The second pick came in the third quarter off a short toss from Williams. Langston finished with a short 2-yard return.
The Front Line
Mississippi State racked up 569 yards of total offense in Saturday’s win. This speaks as much to the offensive line as it does to the skill players. The Bulldog front five were literally pushing people around all night while only giving up one sack.
This an experienced bunch out front for the Bulldogs. Center J.C. Brignone and left tackle Derek Sherrod are both seniors and leaders on this team.
Defensive Stance
Mississippi State’s defense had a stellar night only giving up 237 yards of total offense to Memphis. That’s less yards than Russell alone threw for, not counting starter Chris Relf’s passing yards and all of MSU’s rushing yards. They held Memphis scoreless for the first 58 minutes and 39 seconds of the game. Memphis only managed nine first downs compared to MSU’s 28.
The Cowbell Question
State’s Saturday contest versus Memphis was not an SEC game, therefore the SEC’s new ‘cowbell policy’ did not apply. However, I thought it might be interesting to get the opinions of everyday fans on the ‘cowbell policy’ at Davis Wade.
“I like it legal, but it’s really no different than Tennessee playing ‘Rocky Top’ or the rooster crowing at South Carolina,” said Jonathan from Florence. “All schools have noise. We’re a small stadium anyway. They should just let us do it.”
The general consensus seemed to be a laissez faire attitude toward the policy.
“I’m indifferent,” said Brian from Ripley, Tenn. “It won’t stop anything.”
“I don’t feel like its going to do a whole lot,” said Clay from Corinth.
To be fair, I included a few Memphis fans in my survey.
“Can I tell you how I feel about the policy after the game,” said James from Memphis.
The real test will come Thursday night when MSU hosts Auburn in its first SEC action of the season.
Maroon Nation
The final attendance count at Saturday’s Mississippi State home game versus Memphis came in at 56,032. Davis Wade Stadium officially holds 55,082.
“I give our fans a lot of credit,” said MSU coach Dan Mullen. “I thank all the fans.”
It was the largest opening day crowd ever recorded at Davis Wade for a non-conference opener.
