Freshman Kylin Hill at running back
Mullen Recaps Scrimmage, Football Closes Training Camp
August 18, 2017 | Football
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State football held its final scrimmage of training camp on Thursday night in Davis Wade Stadium, and the focus now shifts to game preparation.
The Bulldogs will hold a closed practice Saturday prior to Fan Day and then take Sunday off before three straight days of practices next week.
Doors to Fan Day open at 3:30 p.m. Saturday with autograph availability running from 4-6 p.m. Fans are asked to enter through the southeast entrance of the Palmeiro Center.
To help ensure everyone in attendance has a chance to meet all of the players and head coach Dan Mullen, student-athletes may only sign posters while Coach Mullen will autograph one item per person. Posters and schedule cards will be available for free to fans.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the MSU football team on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateFB." All-access coverage is also available on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Comments from Mullen are below:
On the scrimmage…
"A lot of things to correct, out there on the field. We gave a lot of different guys some reps, and we moved a couple of guys around here and there. We are trying to solidify spots. It's not just who's starting, but also who is the backup? Who are the top five tackles, not just who is one, two or three? Who is going to be in the rotation of games? I think as we move guys around, we will see who's getting ready to be on the field. That was kind of the objective, so a lot of younger guys got a lot of reps. I am going to go see the film. There were some good plays on both sides of the ball. The key I want to watch for is to make sure it's guys making a great play over somebody making a bad play that makes somebody else look good. That is going to be important for us."
On tonight ending training camp…
"This really ends training camp for us. This next week is a transition week. They will be off tomorrow. We will practice Saturday before fan day, a helmet only practice. They will be off Sunday. Then we will practice Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That is going into transitional. That will be still teaching and good-on-good reps improving, but we will also work in a little scout team and game planning in that time. We will practice Thursday morning in a mock game prep then give everybody the weekend off. Give them a long weekend to go home and see their family. Take a breather before we start the season."
On Stewart Reese at tackle…
"He's coming along. I see really good things sometimes and then some mistakes that we've got to get fixed. He is going to have the opportunity to play a lot as a redshirt freshman. You see him do things, and you say 'Wow, he's going to have a great future here for us,' and still make some mistakes that we have to get cleaned up that we can't have as we get into games. He is going to get thrown into the fire quickly, and we have to see how he is going to respond."
On offense vs. defense in the scrimmage tonight…
"We did more of a game scrimmage. There were times, probably, the offense didn't score, and the defense stopped them and maybe didn't win. It's hard to say. There were some positives on both sides of the ball. I like what I see. The biggest one for me is who our playmakers are going to be on offense? For me, defensively, is finding 30 guys. What's our number that we can go out and roll guys through so we can be as aggressive as we want to be. I really like the way our defense is coming along and hopefully creating that depth for us of guys to really come wave after wave attacking you."
On a starter for the place kicking position…
"Still battling at that part. Today was a weird day because we didn't end up kicking many field goals. We had a couple of extra points here and there. At the end we had guys kick a couple just to get some feel because we were in the stadium. I think the competition is going pretty well. We will have to see. If I had to give an edge, probably Tucker Day's got the edge today, but it's pretty close. It kind of changes daily."
On when the starting kicker will be announced…
"Two weeks from Saturday. I'm not. It's not like that guy is stepping into the huddle like the quarterback, or a middle linebacker leading the whole show. You've got to run out there and put the ball through the uprights. That competition might go right through pregame. We have all of these guys, and I can't tell you how they are going to react after the Dawg Walk. They could walk in and be shell-shocked after the Dawg Walk; it's all new for all of them. That's not something that has a huge effect on the team, that decision of who's going to go out there and kick. They've all done pretty well. Our players have a lot more confidence in our kickers now then they did in the spring just because they have watched them perform and be pretty impressive in practice."
On playmakers…
"Jordan Thomas at times is coming along a little bit better, but he is really up-and-down, inconsistent right now. We have to see the consistency out of him. You have your guys that you already know and expect when you are looking at Aeris Williams, Donald Gray and Gabe Myles. Those are guys that have been around making plays for us. I see some of the backs, some good runs."
The Bulldogs will hold a closed practice Saturday prior to Fan Day and then take Sunday off before three straight days of practices next week.
Doors to Fan Day open at 3:30 p.m. Saturday with autograph availability running from 4-6 p.m. Fans are asked to enter through the southeast entrance of the Palmeiro Center.
To help ensure everyone in attendance has a chance to meet all of the players and head coach Dan Mullen, student-athletes may only sign posters while Coach Mullen will autograph one item per person. Posters and schedule cards will be available for free to fans.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow the MSU football team on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateFB." All-access coverage is also available on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Comments from Mullen are below:
On the scrimmage…
"A lot of things to correct, out there on the field. We gave a lot of different guys some reps, and we moved a couple of guys around here and there. We are trying to solidify spots. It's not just who's starting, but also who is the backup? Who are the top five tackles, not just who is one, two or three? Who is going to be in the rotation of games? I think as we move guys around, we will see who's getting ready to be on the field. That was kind of the objective, so a lot of younger guys got a lot of reps. I am going to go see the film. There were some good plays on both sides of the ball. The key I want to watch for is to make sure it's guys making a great play over somebody making a bad play that makes somebody else look good. That is going to be important for us."
On tonight ending training camp…
"This really ends training camp for us. This next week is a transition week. They will be off tomorrow. We will practice Saturday before fan day, a helmet only practice. They will be off Sunday. Then we will practice Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That is going into transitional. That will be still teaching and good-on-good reps improving, but we will also work in a little scout team and game planning in that time. We will practice Thursday morning in a mock game prep then give everybody the weekend off. Give them a long weekend to go home and see their family. Take a breather before we start the season."
On Stewart Reese at tackle…
"He's coming along. I see really good things sometimes and then some mistakes that we've got to get fixed. He is going to have the opportunity to play a lot as a redshirt freshman. You see him do things, and you say 'Wow, he's going to have a great future here for us,' and still make some mistakes that we have to get cleaned up that we can't have as we get into games. He is going to get thrown into the fire quickly, and we have to see how he is going to respond."
On offense vs. defense in the scrimmage tonight…
"We did more of a game scrimmage. There were times, probably, the offense didn't score, and the defense stopped them and maybe didn't win. It's hard to say. There were some positives on both sides of the ball. I like what I see. The biggest one for me is who our playmakers are going to be on offense? For me, defensively, is finding 30 guys. What's our number that we can go out and roll guys through so we can be as aggressive as we want to be. I really like the way our defense is coming along and hopefully creating that depth for us of guys to really come wave after wave attacking you."
On a starter for the place kicking position…
"Still battling at that part. Today was a weird day because we didn't end up kicking many field goals. We had a couple of extra points here and there. At the end we had guys kick a couple just to get some feel because we were in the stadium. I think the competition is going pretty well. We will have to see. If I had to give an edge, probably Tucker Day's got the edge today, but it's pretty close. It kind of changes daily."
On when the starting kicker will be announced…
"Two weeks from Saturday. I'm not. It's not like that guy is stepping into the huddle like the quarterback, or a middle linebacker leading the whole show. You've got to run out there and put the ball through the uprights. That competition might go right through pregame. We have all of these guys, and I can't tell you how they are going to react after the Dawg Walk. They could walk in and be shell-shocked after the Dawg Walk; it's all new for all of them. That's not something that has a huge effect on the team, that decision of who's going to go out there and kick. They've all done pretty well. Our players have a lot more confidence in our kickers now then they did in the spring just because they have watched them perform and be pretty impressive in practice."
On playmakers…
"Jordan Thomas at times is coming along a little bit better, but he is really up-and-down, inconsistent right now. We have to see the consistency out of him. You have your guys that you already know and expect when you are looking at Aeris Williams, Donald Gray and Gabe Myles. Those are guys that have been around making plays for us. I see some of the backs, some good runs."
Players Mentioned
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WR
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RB
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