Round 3: Dan Mullen vs Kevin Summlin; New Strengths for Dawgs and Aggies to Prepare for

There is no doubt that there’s a challenge lying in wait for #15 MSU on Saturday morning. There are questions about a lingering hangover from the loss to #1 Bama, there’s the issue of how to contain A&M QB Johnny Manziel, and most importantly, there are dreams and nightmares related to how State’s season could end. At 7-1 and 3-1 in SEC play, Dan Mullen’s Bulldogs have 4 games remaining, all vs tough SEC West foes. The one opponent that is somewhat unfamiliar for the Dawgs, with exception of the 2000 Independence Bowl (“Snow Bowl”), is Texas A&M. The 2 schools will renew their meetings on an annual basis this weekend.

If you are looking for more recent ties between the 2 schools, you can actually turn to MSU’s 2 games vs the University of Houston, both during the young 4-year Mullen era. The connection of course, lies in the fact that those Cougar teams were coached by Kevin Summlin, who is now the new head coach in College Station. But, a lot has changed since the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Just how much has changed? Quite a lot actually, mainly at the QB positions for both teams. With that said, let’s take a look at what State and A&M will see from each other in Saturday’s matchup, that’s different from the past.

MSU Gives Summlin a Different Look
In 2009, State lost 31-24 to UH, by way of a lack of a passing dimension on Offense, some terrible officiating, and the inability of our Defense to stop Cougar QB Case Keenum. Keenum threw for 434 yds and 4 TDs, while MSU was limited by the play of QB Tyson Lee, State rushed for 330 yards. Had the Dawgs had any more Offensive production on the day, it’s a possibility State would have put the game away due to holding UH way below their season averages on Offense. In 2010, the same year that MSU rolled to a 9 win season, the Dawgs rode Chris Relf into Houston and torched the Cougars for 538 total yards (409 of that-rushing). State won 47-24. When you look at the 2012 Bulldogs, QB Tyler Russell will give Kevin Summlin’s staff a completely different look from previous years, while giving his own team balance on the Offensive side of the ball. Russell has already surpassed Relf and Lee’s season high totals from their careers, in just his first 8 games of 2012. Not to mention he leads an Offense that posts 160 yds of rushing on average. This MSU Offense will be a much different team than the ones Summlin has prepared for in the past.

Summlin Gives MSU a Different Look on Both Sides of the Ball
When A&M entered the SEC and hired Kevin Summlin as its head coach, my first thoughts were- (1) Awesome Offense (2) NO Defense. I was wrong on the latter prediction, and have to agree with Mullen that the Aggie D is extremely underrated. Even though their Defense is ranked 55th overall, A&M does an excellent job of stopping the run, which is about what every team in the SEC uses to open up their passing game, including MSU. If MSU comes out and establishes the pass early, that might reverse A&M’s focus, and open up the run for State. Though their D doesn’t force that many turnovers, the Aggies do an excellent job of getting to the QB (3rd in Sacks nationally), and racking up tackles for loss (32nd nationally). I say all of that to say that MSU and Mullen will face a better Defense then they did during Summlin’s UH years. Now, as for the QB position for A&M, Summlin hasn’t lost a single ounce of his offensive output that his Cougar teams were famous for. In fact, having a QB who is as much of a threat to throw as he is to run, has opposing Defenses continually guessing what’s in store on every snap. Manziel doesn’t stick to the pocket like Keenum used to, but still averages 277 ypg passing to go with his 99 ypg rushing (leads the SEC).

Final Thoughts
Everyone’s stats take a blow when you play a team like Alabama, and A&M’s probably will next week. So, when comparing these 2 teams offensively, like we will tomorrow, you can’t forget the numbers that State posted before their trip to Tuscaloosa, that resulted in the Dawgs being held way below their season averages. State is more than capable of putting up some numbers on the Aggie D, especially since their pass Defense is pretty weak. On D, Chris Wilson and the Dawgs will have to monitor their aggressiveness in containing Manziel, but at the same time provide enough pressure to force him into mistakes. A lot for both teams to prepare for, even though both coaching staffs are quite familiar with each other.

Your thoughts?

Also, make sure you check out Buzzard’s SEC Power Rankings article below, as well as my monday article about moving on from the Bama loss. Where you guys been hiding?