MSU talking a bit ...

[johnwegl 11]

Heard, Bulldogs like their chances

Veteran defense holds key against Auburn

By Michael Wallace

J.D. Schwalm/The Clarion-Ledger

Mississippi State defensive end Michael Heard, tackling South Carolina quarterback Blake Mitchell last week, is brimming with confidence about possibly shocking No. 4 Auburn on Saturday.

STARKVILLE — Michael Heard couldn't care less about the odds his team faces.

The Mississippi State defensive end realizes his team is nearly a three-touchdown underdog on its own turf heading into Saturday.

He knows there are people out there - even faithful MSU fans - who give the Bulldogs little or no chance of winning.

None of that bothers Heard as MSU (0-1, 0-1 SEC) prepares to face No. 4-ranked Auburn (1-0, 0-0) Saturday at Scott Field.

Heard's logic is simple. The more room there is on the Bulldogs' bandwagon right now, the bigger his audience will be after Saturday's game for his "I-told-you-so" speech.

"Not a whole lot of people think we can do this," Heard said. "But you know what? I'm not trying to be arrogant, but if we play our game, we can smash these boys."

That's just a snippet of the level of confidence MSU's defensive players will take into battle against the SEC's top back in Kenny Irons and a team that brings a bulldozer's approach to the running game.

Where most would see a daunting task, the Bulldogs see opportunity.

State lost 15-0 to South Carolina in last week's opener, but the Bulldogs held Steve Spurrier's offense to 81 yards rushing, 10 first downs and one touchdown.

This week, team members said the defense must get far more help from the offense. Otherwise, the defense must be prepared to score immediately off turnovers and create its own offense.

"I think our defense will play well," MSU coach Sylvester Croom said. "I'm not as worried about our defense as I am our offense moving the ball and giving the defense some rest. We can't expect our defense to play as long as it played against South Carolina and still expect to win the game."

In other words, Croom hopes his offense won't be his defense's own worst enemy again.

Last week, linebacker Quinton Culberson picked off a pass on the first play deep in South Carolina's territory. But the offense couldn't capitalize and came away empty after missing a 38-yard field goal.

Two minutes after the interception, State's defense was back on the field. MSU's defense was on the field for more than 17 of the 30 minutes in the first half.

Auburn's offense is arguably the best in the league at controlling the ball. The Tigers held the ball for more than 34 minutes by rushing for 293 yards in last week's 40-14 victory over Washington State. Irons led the way with a league-best 183 yards.

"As far Auburn's run game goes, we'll see about that come Saturday," MSU defensive tackle Deljuan Robinson said. "Our confidence has always been there when it comes to stopping the run. That's what we do. That's what we pride ourselves on."

The Bulldogs were one of the few teams that kept Irons in check last season. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior led the SEC in rushing last season with 1,293 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has run for at least 100 yards in nine of his last 11 games.

But Irons was limited to 28 yards on 13 carries in Auburn's 28-0 victory over MSU last season.

"They've got good guys, but we've got good guys, too, on this defense," said safety Jeramie Johnson, one of nine returning defensive starters for MSU. "So it's going to be a dogfight. We just hope to pick up where we left off last week."

Heard said having a chance to shock the college football world is motivation enough for the defense. But just in case, there's more for the players on MSU's defense.

"We always have little friendly bets and stuff with each other," Heard said. "Who's going to have the most tackles. Who's going to have the most sacks. Everyone has their own goal. And then we have one big one overall."

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[Tiger in Spain 0]

Mr Heard will find out tomorrow that there is a big difference in talking the talk and walking the walk. He would be wise to learn the lesson those boys were taught last year.....don't write checks your butt can't cash.

CLICK CLACK

[AuNuma1 1]

Wow, give them credit for the confidence. Their defense really isn't that bad. But their offense won't make this game even competitive.

[tigerfan1234 0]

You know what's funny, the team that starts talking smack before the game is always the team that gets hosed. Auburn rarely talks smack through the media and I always respected that about our program. Miss St. isn't in the same galaxy as Auburn right now. They will find out Saturday. On a similiar note, I loved Steve Smith's interview yesterday when some cornerback for the Falcons, I think, was calling him out. Steve's responses were classic. That dude knows he is awesome and he doesn't need to prove anything to anybody.

[MDM4AU 332]

MSU does have a decent defense but their offense is so aweful, the D won't have much chance to rest between possessions. Auburn wins going away.

[CircleDrill 178]

"Not a whole lot of people think we can do this," Heard said. "But you know what? I'm not trying to be arrogant, but if we play our game, we can smash these boys."

"I think our defense will play well," MSU coach Sylvester Croom said. "I'm not as worried about our defense as I am our offense moving the ball and giving the defense some rest. We can't expect our defense to play as long as it played against South Carolina and still expect to win the game."

"As far Auburn's run game goes, we'll see about that come Saturday," MSU defensive tackle Deljuan Robinson said. "Our confidence has always been there when it comes to stopping the run. That's what we do. That's what we pride ourselves on."

"They've got good guys, but we've got good guys, too, on this defense," said safety Jeramie Johnson, one of nine returning defensive starters for MSU. "So it's going to be a dogfight. We just hope to pick up where we left off last week."

"We always have little friendly bets and stuff with each other," Heard said. "Who's going to have the most tackles. Who's going to have the most sacks. Everyone has their own goal. And then we have one big one overall."

I would have no respect for a team that would play anybody with a "will lose" attitude. I respect these guys for their attitude. But, I'm afraid they are going to be singing a different tune after the game...provided they can still walk all right.

[WarTim 3,456]

I would expect nothing less. I believe Croom has these guys playing hard and working. They should have the attitude that they are gonna' win.

On the other hand, Our guys will have that attitude as well.

I like our chances.

[mcgufcm 4,107]

he's a member of what might just be the best defense in the sec... the numbers may not reflect it at season's end b/c they're going to be on the field 60-70% of the season, but those boys are scary good.

i'm a complete auburn homer, and i've got a bet going that kenny doesn't see 100. that's how good i think this defense is (got another side bet that he puts up 150 the next week against another defense i think is really good). we're going to wear them down, they don't have the offense or the depth to prevent it, but they're going to knock us around too. we'd better come strapped up.

[Bottomfeeder 244]

i'm a complete auburn homer, and i've got a bet going that kenny doesn't see 100.

If we can't get done one way then there's always the flare pass and the flats. Getting Kenny the yardage shouldn't be a priority, but when he gets the ball with any kind of room he's dangerous. And, we have two other running backs that are totally capable of simply running over people. The play action should be use frequently early in the game to back 'em up and open up the running game, but we must be successful, otherwise it will no affect of the psyche of the Miss. defense.