Dak Prescott is gone. Those words should fill every Mississippi State fan with a feeling of impending doom for the 2016 season. Because after all, Dak was the most successful QB in Mississippi State history. Bar none. There should be exactly zero argument from any of the fans. He finished with school records in yards, TDs, and completions. He also finished as the 3rd highest passing yardage QB in all of SEC history. That's an insane accomplishment for the young man, and it's a huge loss for the Bulldog program.
That being said, life goes on, and MS State will have to put a new man in charge of the offense. Remember the QB controversy? It's back after we skipped it in Kentucky, and in MS State it's back with a vengeance. Enter Nick Fitzgerald, Nick Tiano, and JUCO transfer Wyatt Roberts. Are any of them good? Honestly, nobody knows. Fitzgerald got some mop-up time in crap games, but that shouldn't give you any idea if he can actually perform. Wyatt Roberts was a 23 TD and 2 INT stud at the JUCO level, but that doesn't always translate. And Tiano is a redshirt with no reps to speak of. So, your guess is as good as mine, but based on what I know of coaches, it's really down to Roberts or Fitzgerald while Tiano waits his turn if both of them blow it. Either way, QB is a complete crapshoot this year.
Runningback is a little clearer in that it will be the pair of senior RBs Brandon Holloway and Ashton Shumpert, along with change of pace back Aeris Williams. However, just because they are seniors doesn't mean I think they are very impressive. After all, Dak Prescott was also the lead rusher on this team last year by a long shot, so Holloway and Shumpert weren't exactly workhorses in the offense. Now? They'll likely have to produce a lot more yards then they did last year: 413 and 228 respectively. Wide Receiver is in a better place with slot guys Fred Ross and Malik Dear. Ross was the top target last year with 1000+ yards and I have no reason to believe he will get less targets in 2016. Look for him and Dear as the main options in an offense that will be looking to dink and dunk people to death with a new QB.
The offensive line returns 3 starters along with senior Center Jamaal Clayborn, so things should be in good hands there. Look for next year when those guys graduate as a real issue for replacements, especially on the right side of the line. On the defensive line, new coordinator Peter Sirmon will have to figure out how to make the returning defensive ends more effective in the pass rush. The returning ends only had 7.5 sacks spread amongst all of them last year, which isn't nearly enough to be effective in the rush these days. Also, MS State didn't force enough turnovers last year, and subsequently ended up 92nd in turnover margin in CFB. That's got to change in a West division where 3 of the other teams they play against were in the top 30 in that category.
Overall, MS State looks extremely mediocre to me on paper. I'm not impressed with their running game, I'm certainly not impressed with replacing Dak at QB, and their best WRs are slot guys. The defense doesn't produce much of a pass rush or get a ton of turnovers. If anything, MS State is the tapioca this year of the SEC West. I expect them to be extremely bland as they try to figure out life without Dak, which means they likely won't have a ton of on-field success.
MISSISSIPPI STATE PREDICTION: 7-5
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