How Mullen changed MSU football

[GR8 2B]

It will be interesting to see who remains on his current job longer: Kelly at UCLA or Mullin at UF. Anyone want to venture a guess?

I'll have to go with Mullen on that one.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

In my opinion, this is a worse situation than either the Chimp or Butters inherited.

Is this sarcasm or do you have a rationale for this opinion?

 

[williston_gator]

@SECCountryUF: Former Mississippi State players describe adjustment Gators face with Dan Mullen’s offense http://sec.news/2AomoKt #GatorNation

 

[InstiGATOR1]

Mullen really changed the mindset in Starkville. Mississippi State might not have had a great SEC record during the Mullen era but you have to understand that they went into every game with the thought they could win. There was more excitement on campus and in Davis Wade Stadium on game days than at any time in the modern era of Mississippi State football.

In my opinion after the pieces of the coaching carousel started falling into place we couldn't have made a better pick. Here was a guy, Mullen, who had some Florida ties, had been a part of a national championship team, who had head coaching experience, and who had nine, NINE, years of head coaching experience in the SEC. Though Mullen had developed some strong ties to Mississippi State really wanted to be at the University of Florida, a place where he could win championships. Plus, he has worked with his athletic director, Scott Stricklin, before. So unlike Foley and McElwain who weren't on the same page, the new coach and AD will be

.

MSU won the SEC West with one coach prior to Mullen. I doubt very much Mullen changed the view much at MSU other than building it BACK up from Croom who just did not work out for whatever reason.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

I would say we don't have a functional QB on this table to run Mullen's offense so that's going to be the number one need of this class.

I just do not get why people say things such as this without looking at the facts.

Here are the stat lines of the MSU staring QB last year and one of UF's QBs:

Player1: 229 atts, 125 comp, 1438 yards, 54.6% comp%, 9 Ts, 8 picks, QB rating of 113.3
Player2: 286 atts, 159 comp, 1782 yards, 55.6% comp%, 15 TDs 11 picks QB rating of 117.6

Player1 is Franks and player 2 is Fitzgerald at Ms. State. Now Fitzgerald had a bunch more rushing yards, but Franks is easily as athletic and could easily be the kind of QB in stat line 2, if he can take running the ball 104 times more than he did this year.

I have no doubt that Zaire could be such a QB, but he is too injury prone to run the ball that often.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

I hope you're right. That means we'll be playing for the NC in a 2-3 years. History shows when you are a program with resources, and make the perfect hire, NC's follow quickly.

Urban won NC in his second year
Stoops won NC second year
Dumbo won NC in his 4th year
Nick Saban won NC in his 4th year at LSU, 3rd year at Bama.

We'll know pretty quickly if we really couldn't have made a better hire.

I am with you on this. I think UF will know about 2 years in the same as we have the last two hires at least those of us not fooled by the gaudy but hollow record in Muschamps second year.

The poster child (or poster coach) for the opposite view is John Wooden at UCLA. Wooden did not win the NCAA tourney until his 15th season. But his second UCLA team won the then Pacific Coast Conference and went to the NCAA tourney. His first year there he took a program that had never been ranked and led them to a 22-7 season and ranked 15th in both polls. He had good teams year after year after year and won the conference and thus in those days got into the NCAA 4 more time before finally breaking through to win the tourney. So even in the case everyone cites for patience with a coach, UCLA had to know they had a good coach within a year or two of hiring him.

 

[CGgater]

I am with you on this. I think UF will know about 2 years in the same as we have the last two hires at least those of us not fooled by the gaudy but hollow record in Muschamps second year.

The poster child (or poster coach) for the opposite view is John Wooden at UCLA. Wooden did not win the NCAA tourney until his 15th season. But his second UCLA team won the then Pacific Coast Conference and went to the NCAA tourney. His first year there he took a program that had never been ranked and led them to a 22-7 season and ranked 15th in both polls. He had good teams year after year after year and won the conference and thus in those days got into the NCAA 4 more time before finally breaking through to win the tourney. So even in the case everyone cites for patience with a coach, UCLA had to know they had a good coach within a year or two of hiring him.

If Wooden was coaching today, would he get more than 5 years with that same trajectory? Everyone wants quick results and that 2nd year would only buy him an extra 3. Tom Osborne almost didn’t last at nebraska and definitely wouldn’t in today’s cfb world. It was a different culture back then. Just saying...

 

[oxrageous]

Is this sarcasm or do you have a rationale for this opinion?

Yeah, my rationale is that there is less talent and depth on the roster. Period. I didn't think I was really going out on a limb with this opinion. Mac's recruiting classes have been a train wreck. We're now known as "3 star U" for a reason.

 

[oxrageous]

Now Fitzgerald had a bunch more rushing yards, but Franks is easily as athletic and could easily be the kind of QB in stat line 2, if he can take running the ball 104 times more than he did this year.

Why do people think Franks is athletic? He runs like a wounded giraffe - it looks like it hurts him when he runs. If he was to do it all the time I'm not sure he could make it through one game.

I think he's taken his last snap for the Gators.

 

[Okeechobee Joe]

MSU won the SEC West with one coach prior to Mullen. I doubt very much Mullen changed the view much at MSU other than building it BACK up from Croom who just did not work out for whatever reason.

I disagree with you. Jackie Sherrill did a good job in Starkville but his overall record was just .500. The mindset was different with Mullen.
Go back through some of the MSU coaches -- Rocky Felker, Emory Bellard (inventor of the wishbone) Bob Tyler,Charles Shira -- there is no comparison to what Mullen was able to do there. There was a long drought in Starkville for a long time. It wasn't just Sylvester Croom.

https://www.seccountry.com/florida/...-mississippi-state-football-means-now-florida

 

[Swamp Donkey]

I'll have to go with Mullen on that one.

I have no doubt that if things go well here Mullins will try to stay a good while. there's no way Chip Kelly was going to do that.

another point that I think gets lost in the frankly I didn't know is that Mullins is only a couple of years older than Frost, still young enough that maybe he can change some. here's hoping for the best.

 

[lagator]

I am with you on this. I think UF will know about 2 years in the same as we have the last two hires at least those of us not fooled by the gaudy but hollow record in Muschamps second year.

The poster child (or poster coach) for the opposite view is John Wooden at UCLA. Wooden did not win the NCAA tourney until his 15th season. But his second UCLA team won the then Pacific Coast Conference and went to the NCAA tourney. His first year there he took a program that had never been ranked and led them to a 22-7 season and ranked 15th in both polls. He had good teams year after year after year and won the conference and thus in those days got into the NCAA 4 more time before finally breaking through to win the tourney. So even in the case everyone cites for patience with a coach, UCLA had to know they had a good coach within a year or two of hiring him.

Wooden is a good example. Dabo is probably even more applicable. He is definitely the exception but actually had a losing season his third year at 6-7 and was considered on the hot seat going into the 2010 season. Since then he never won less than 10 games, but didn't play for his first NC until his 8th year and didn't win one until his 9th.

But again, Swinney is the exception, and it is much more common to strike gold quickly if you're going to strike it at all.

 

[lagator]

I have no doubt that if things go well here Mullins will try to stay a good while. there's no way Chip Kelly was going to do that.

another point that I think gets lost in the frankly I didn't know is that Mullins is only a couple of years older than Frost, still young enough that maybe he can change some. here's hoping for the best.

You sound optimistic and almost giddy in this post. WTF is wrong with you?

 

[oxrageous]

You sound optimistic and almost giddy in this post. WTF is wrong with you?

He's drunk.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Why do people think Franks is athletic? He runs like a wounded giraffe - it looks like it hurts him when he runs. If he was to do it all the time I'm not sure he could make it through one game.

I think he's taken his last snap for the Gators.

Francis is far more athletic than Corral. the reason Franks looked goofy at times cuz he kept hearing the echoes of Mcelstain and Nusschump in his head saying "just throw it away and never run".

Frank's wasn't ready last year, he may have never been ready to play in a pro-style offense, but he can run a spread and probably run option. it doesn't matter. I know you guys have been wrong the last three years about the quarterbacks. this time last year you were swearing Ldr was terrible and that Franks was the coming savior. The year before it was Treons fault. I respect your right to be wrong repeatedly

 

[Swamp Donkey]

He's drunk.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

We're now known as "3 star U" for a reason.

UF is NOT known as 3 star U. Jut because Law says something a trillion times does not mean we are known as.

In fact when I did a google search of 3 star U, I came up with this as the first link:



the second link is this:

https://247sports.com/college/tennessee/Board/114/Contents/For-all-the-talk-about-3-star-U-53378386

 

[lagator]

Francis is far more athletic than Corral. the reason Franks looked goofy at times cuz he kept hearing the echoes of Mcelstain and Nusschump in his head saying "just throw it away and never run".

Frank's wasn't ready last year, he may have never been ready to play in a pro-style offense, but he can run a spread and probably run option. it doesn't matter. I know you guys have been wrong the last three years about the quarterbacks. this time last year you were swearing Ldr was terrible and that Franks was the coming savior. The year before it was Treons fault. I respect your right to be wrong repeatedly

Sounds like you sobered up and are back to normal.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

Why do people think Franks is athletic? He runs like a wounded giraffe - it looks like it hurts him when he runs. If he was to do it all the time I'm not sure he could make it through one game.

I think he's taken his last snap for the Gators.

I agree with your last sentence. Of course time will tell.

My main point was that even Franks is in the passing ballpark of Mullen's most recent QB. He does run oddly, but he is fast enough. Whether he can make the decisions to run or hand off is the question in my view.

 

[oxrageous]

UF is NOT known as 3 star U. Jut because Law says something a trillion times does not mean we are known as.

In fact when I did a google search of 3 star U, I came up with this as the first link:



the second link is this:

https://247sports.com/college/tennessee/Board/114/Contents/For-all-the-talk-about-3-star-U-53378386

Do you always take everything literally? I was making a point that are recruiting classes sucked, not that we were literally known nationally as "3 Star U".