Bryant, Defense Shine In First Spring Football Scrimmage
April 02, 2016 | Football
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Sophomore safety Brandon Bryant intercepted three passes, including one returned 97 yards for a touchdown, as Mississippi State's new-look defense shined in its first spring scrimmage on Saturday afternoon in Davis Wade Stadium.
The first and second team offenses and defenses saw approximately 60 reps of action while the third team squads got 30 reps. The Bulldogs also worked on special teams with junior Logan Cooke handling punting and kickoff duties and junior Westin Graves drilling three field goals highlighted by a 48-yarder.
“We kind of rolled those guys through there,” head coach Dan Mullen said. “I think we did that with the play count. One of the things we want to do is go back and get the right guys the number of reps. That was our first scrimmage, first live action, so what I want to see is a big improvement between this week and next week.”
On the first drive of the day with the No. 1 offense facing the No. 1 defense, Bryant halted a potential score with his first pick, returning it 22 yards. Three drives later, he caught an interception on a deflection and returned it 16 yards. Bryant capped the scrimmage, intercepting a pass and sprinting 97 yards down the far sideline for a score. The sophomore also tallied a sack on the day.
“That was encouraging because he has taken on a leadership role,” first-year defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon said. “In our practice settings he has become more vocal, so to see him produce while he is taking on that role is going to benefit him and us a lot.”
MSU's defense has taken on a multiple look this spring and lined up in the 3-4 on Saturday.
“We've got great coaches, and I see they have a lot of high energy out here,” Mullen said. “They are learning some new things. We've tweaked the defense around doing a little schematically. There will be a couple of mental errors here and there, but I think overall they are buying in pretty good.”
Redshirt freshman Keith Mixon made four catches for 96 yards and the scrimmage's first touchdown, hauling in a 40-yard strike down the middle of the field from quarterback Elijah Staley against the second-team defense.
Sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald bounced off multiple tackles for a 22-yard touchdown run. Fitzgerald also made a beautiful 41-yard throw to Malik Dear on a scramble that set up another score.
On the ground, sophomore running back Aeris Williams rushed for over 100 yards. Fellow sophomore Dontavian Lee had two red-zone rushing scores.
Defensively, linebackers DeAndre Ward and Tim Washington collected eight and seven tackles, respectively. Ward made three tackles for loss and two sacks.
MSU practices twice next week (Tuesday and Thursday). Both workouts are closed to the public. The Bulldogs scrimmage again in Davis Wade Stadium next Saturday at 11:20 a.m. The scrimmage will once again be open to the public.
Below are quotes following today's scrimmage:
Head Coach Dan Mullen
On overall evaluation of the scrimmage…
“We'll watch it on tape. Our guys love to play and that's what is important to me out here on the field. You see guys making some plays, doing some things, so many guys taking different reps, and trying to get different things done. You are trying to get certain things called against certain looks and getting the ball in certain guys' hands to see what they can do. We'll watch it all and see. Until I watch it all on film, I never really know.”
On how he structured the scrimmage…
“That was like our regular scrimmage, just like we always would. We wanted to get about 60 reps for the one's, 60 reps for the two's, and then a little less, maybe 30 or 40, from the three group. We kind of rolled those guys through there. I think we did that with the play count. One of the things we want to do is go back and get the right guys the number of reps. That was our first scrimmage, first live action, so what I want to see is a big improvement between this week and next week.”
On Brandon Bryant having a big day…
“He's played though, so you expect guys with more experience for it to come a little quicker just because they have been around and played a whole bunch. I think you saw that with some of the guys. He had a couple of interceptions, but some of them just got thrown right to him. I don't know that they were great plays, or bad plays by other people.”
On giving Jamal Peters some time at wide receiver…
“One, we don't have any wide receivers because everybody is hurt. He's such a talented football player. We have to evaluate him right here in the organization and make sure we put him in the position where he can be most successful in his future. We've seen him a bunch at defensive back. He's good there. I want to see because he was a talented offensive player in high school, and just see if he might be better on that side of the ball.”
On what he saw out of the quarterbacks…
“Some good and bad. That's part of it. The key for them is the consistency and understanding that out here on the field when you are the guy, you've got to do it over and over. You can't make special plays and then terrible plays, you have got to make consistent plays and then special plays.”
On the defense flying around…
“I think so. We'll watch on film. They had juice energy. I think there are going to be some new leaders out here on the field. I tried to pay attention to who were they guys that were trying to be leaders, and raise the level of other people's play. I think we saw some good things on defense. There are some new guys getting the reps, and I think the biggest thing in spring is not is Richie Brown going to be ready to play or A.J. Jefferson ready to play, it is making sure that Leo Lewis and Tim Washington and Traver Jung are ready to go play. That is the important aspect of it all. It's that they are getting to the level that we need them to be at.
On how the defense has responded to the new coaching staff…
“I think pretty good. We've got great coaches, I see they have a lot of high energy out here. They are learning some new things, we've tweaked the defense around doing a little schematically. There will be a couple of mental errors here and there, but I think overall they are buying in pretty good.”
On Donald Gray missing the rest of the spring…
“I don't think he'll be back in the spring. He hyperextended his knee. They said there is a slight fracture where the bones hit, which will be about a four-week deal. For a guy like him that has played, we don't need to rush him back. It might be close that he could play in the spring game, but I don't think that it is that important for his development.”
Defensive Coordinator Peter Sirmon
On what he saw out of Brandon Bryant…
“That was encouraging because he has taken on a leadership role. In our practice settings he has become more vocal, so to see him produce while he is taking on that role is going to benefit him and us a lot.”
On celebrating…
“When we do things well on defense, it has been a point of our staff to celebrate those plays. There is enough challenges and enough things that are hard to play on defense that we will have plenty of time to improve on. When the kids do something well, I think we need to celebrate it.”
On how defense has responded to the new coaching staff…
“These guys want to work, and I think they have a hunger for doing things the right way and trying to improve. It is always a challenge with new words and new expectations of the individuals. With football we kind of have the same expectations, but individual coaches stress different things. For them to be able to acknowledge what we want from them now, I have been real pleased and now that we have most of our stuff in I told them that now it is a sprint. We have to finish and get into the summer and start building our identity.”
On Jamal Peters working on offense…
“Dan's got to make those decisions on what is best for the team. Jamal still feels like he has a chance to come play safety. You guys know the numbers are a little low with some of the injuries and Fred (Ross) being out. Jamal is a dynamic athlete and we need to find the best way for him to help the team.”
On the 3-4 set in a game atmosphere…
“It was good. Today was the first time we really lived in both worlds, three down spacing and four down spacing. I thought the one's and two's did a good job. For some of the less experienced guys, it's a challenge. You can stay in one defense with inexperienced guys and they get different formations then as a challenge. I'm not discouraged. I'm optimistic about how those guys are responding. We just have to keep getting better technically and keep understanding what we are asking them to do.”
On how he thinks the defense will match up…
“That was a lot to do with it. We are using a lot of words that mean sentences. We rarely give the front, the stunt, and the coverage and alignment. Ten years ago you would signal in an entire sentence and what everyone's responsibilities were every play, and we've replaced those with words. We've got to be able to get things and communicate quickly. Today when they got first downs, they were on the ball and rolling. You have to be able to communicate and get lined up and give yourself a chance.”
On the hybrid position…
“They are doing some good things. I think that is what Traver (Jung) did naturally in junior college. Will (Coleman) has done a good job. Anfernee (Mullins) is an inexperienced player and we've just got to keep coaching him up. After this scrimmage, we will sit down as a staff and really start talking about people's particular strengths and how we can put them in the position to develop those and use them on Saturdays.”
