BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Mississippi State has the worst pass defense in the SEC and will go up against perhaps the best receiver in the country on Saturday in Alabama's Amari Cooper.
Still, the Bulldogs don't plan on changing anything specifically for one player and plan on single man coverage against Cooper, the physical threat who leads the SEC in receiving and is among the country's best with 79 catches for 1,215 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Mississippi State is giving up 300 yards per game through the air, last in the SEC. But the Bulldogs lead the SEC in sacks and are near the top in rushing defense and tackles for loss.
"We do what we do," Mississippi State defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said. "The emphasis all year and all the time is to stop the run.
"At times, there will be kids put in 1-on-1 situations on pass rush or an open-field tackle, so the kids understand that we move stress around throughout the game and sometimes you're going to have some stress on you, so the challenge is to make that play when it comes."
Bulldog cornerbacks Jamerson Love, Taveze Calhoun and Will Redmond could find themselves in individual battles with Cooper without help.
Cornerbacks coach Deshea Townsend, who starred at Alabama in the late 1990s, said the Bulldogs would rotate players on Cooper, but wouldn't change what they've been doing.
"We're going to do what we do," Townsend said. "It's always a challenge at corner to go out and stop those guys from catching it. This week, it's just another guy. (Cooper is a) really great player, has a lot of catches and the challenge always comes to us on the back end.
"The main thing is, he really accelerates coming out of his cuts, he's really good in press, makes spectacular catches, so they find a lot of ways to get him the ball. It's going to be important for us to recognize where he's at and try to stop him from getting those catches."
Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin could add another wrinkle and try to create matchups against slower linebackers.
"We cannot do the same thing over and over again," Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said. "They will find out what we are doing and will take advantage of it. We have to change up the looks and the people that are covering him. He is going to catch the ball, but when he catches it, we have to get him on the ground. He is really good before the catch, but he is even better after the catch."
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Still, the Bulldogs don't plan on changing anything specifically for one player and plan on single man coverage against Cooper, the physical threat who leads the SEC in receiving and is among the country's best with 79 catches for 1,215 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Mississippi State is giving up 300 yards per game through the air, last in the SEC. But the Bulldogs lead the SEC in sacks and are near the top in rushing defense and tackles for loss.
"We do what we do," Mississippi State defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said. "The emphasis all year and all the time is to stop the run.
"At times, there will be kids put in 1-on-1 situations on pass rush or an open-field tackle, so the kids understand that we move stress around throughout the game and sometimes you're going to have some stress on you, so the challenge is to make that play when it comes."
Bulldog cornerbacks Jamerson Love, Taveze Calhoun and Will Redmond could find themselves in individual battles with Cooper without help.
Cornerbacks coach Deshea Townsend, who starred at Alabama in the late 1990s, said the Bulldogs would rotate players on Cooper, but wouldn't change what they've been doing.
"We're going to do what we do," Townsend said. "It's always a challenge at corner to go out and stop those guys from catching it. This week, it's just another guy. (Cooper is a) really great player, has a lot of catches and the challenge always comes to us on the back end.
"The main thing is, he really accelerates coming out of his cuts, he's really good in press, makes spectacular catches, so they find a lot of ways to get him the ball. It's going to be important for us to recognize where he's at and try to stop him from getting those catches."
Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin could add another wrinkle and try to create matchups against slower linebackers.
"We cannot do the same thing over and over again," Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said. "They will find out what we are doing and will take advantage of it. We have to change up the looks and the people that are covering him. He is going to catch the ball, but when he catches it, we have to get him on the ground. He is really good before the catch, but he is even better after the catch."
Continue reading...
