To be clear, Dan Mullen doesn’t expect to have anyone in place at defensive coordinator before his Mississippi State Bulldogs play Georgia Tech in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
There’s no rush to fill the vacancy left by Geoff Collins, the sixth-year head coach explained.
“We’ll go around and we’ll get quality coaches,” he said. “I’ve gone out and the last couple defensive coordinators I’ve hired have been successful guys that nobody ever knew their name before they came here and they became household names while they were here.
“So we’re going to go do the same again.”
While former assistant Manny Diaz has been floated as a possibility, Mullen said he hadn’t “gone through all that stuff.” Jon Clark, his director of football operations “keeps a list for me and does research.”
Behind the scenes there is a lot going on at Mississippi State, from a new contract for Mullen to a new coordinator to the possibility of a few underclassmen turning pro. But, according to Mullen, the attention is precisely where it needs to be.
“It’s really the premier bowl game of the non-playoff games,” he said of the Orange Bowl. “I think our guys know that and are so into that. Their focus has been more that than anything else.”
Mullen’s focus, meanwhile, has shifted. With Collins gone to work with the new staff at Florida, Mullen has had to lend a bigger hand on defense. For the former offensive coordinator, it’s the most time he ever has spent on that side of the ball.
However, “it’s kind of my defense,” Mullen said, from the time he installed it at the end of his first season.
But his defense has rarely seen the likes of Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets, guided by coach Paul Johnson’s brand of the triple-option, can test even the most stable and disciplined of defenses. This year, they rank 21st nationally in yards per game (468.8) and second in rushing offense.
“They’re just unorthodox,” Mullen said. “Everyone has their own unique style of offense, but often times there’s a lot of crossover. Today, people are going to run this play under center, from the shotgun, from four-wide, from three tight ends, but the schemes are similar. When you play Tech, it’s very, very unique in their schemes and how they do things -- all the chop-blocking they do and all that stuff is just something that’s very, very different that you don’t see on a weekly basis.”
Ironically, given the unfamiliarity with Tech’s scheme and its heavy use of misdirection, focus might be the chief priority for Mississippi State. With so many moving parts both on and off the field, paying attention to the little things is going to be vital.
The good news, it seems, is that the players aren’t hung up on the loss of their defensive coordinator.
“Everybody in this facility could see what a great coach Coach Collins was,” QB Dak Prescott said. “We’re all happy for him and wish him the best of luck. ... But the guys who make the plays on the field are still here. They haven’t left.”
Said Mullen: “They know they’re what the program is all about. I think they just said, ‘Let’s move on. We’ll go make the plays on the field. We’re the Psycho Defense out there. We’re the guys that have all that swagger and make it happen.’ They’re not missing a beat. They’re ready to go play.”
