BULLDOG QUICK FACTS

HEAD COACH: Dan Mullen (Ursinus, 1994)Record: 29-22, fifth season

ASSISTANT COACHES: Les Koenning .......... Offensive Coordinator/QuarterbacksGeoff Collins ............ Defensive Coordinator / LinebackersTony Hughes ..........Asst. HC / Recruiting Coord. / SafetiesBilly Gonzales .....................................................Wide ReceiversJohn Hevesy .......................Running Game / Offensive LineGreg Knox .............................................................Running BacksScott Sallach ................................................................Tight EndsDeshea Townsend .................................................CornerbacksDavid Turner ........................................................Defensive LineBrett Elliott .................................................. Graduate AssistantBryan Hahnfeldt ........................................ Graduate AssistantRyan McNamara ........................................ Graduate AssistantWill Windham ............................................. Graduate Assistant

SUPPORT STAFFMatt Balis ................................................ Head Strength CoachJon Clark ......................... Assistant AD/Football OperationsBrock Dulaney .........Coord. of Film & Computing ServicesLee Davis ..................................Football Recruiting SpecialistNeil Stopczynski ............. Assistant Recruiting CoordinatorRockey Felker ........................... Director of Player PersonnelJustin Gremillion ...............................................Athletic TrainerPhil Silva ....................................................Equipment Manager

FOOTBALL INFORMATION2012 Overall Record .................................................................8-52012 SEC Record/Finish.................................... 4-4/4th (West)Lettermen Returning (O/D/S)...................................... 19/22/2Lettermen Lost (O/D/S) ....................................................13/9/2

STARTERS RETURNINGOffense (6)OT Blaine Clausell (6-7, 305, Jr.)C Dillon Day (6-4, 285, Jr.)OG Gabe Jackson (6-4, 310, Sr.)RB LaDarius Perkins (5-10, 190, Sr.)QB Tyler Russell (6-4, 220, Sr.)OT Charles Siddoway (6-7, 300, Sr.)

Defense (6)DE Denico Autry (6-5, 255, Sr.)DE Kaleb Eulls (6-4, 280, Jr.)LB Benardrick McKinney (6-5, 235, So.)LB Deonte Skinner (6-2, 235, Sr.)LB Matt Wells (6-2, 215, Jr.)S Nickoe Whitley (6-1, 200, Sr.)

Specialists (2)K Devon Bell (6-2, 185, So.)P Baker Swedenberg (6-0, 190, Sr.)

Senior Leaders On Offense Look To Build On Success

Last season, the trio of quarterback Tyler Russell, running back LaDar-ius Perkins and left guard Gabe Jackson led MSU to school records for points scored (383) and touchdowns scored (49).

Russell now looks to build upon a 2012 season where he broke or tied 11 school records: attempts, completions, completion percentage (min. 200 attempts), yards, touchdowns, attempts without an interception, 200-yard passing games, attempt/interception ratio, total offense, touch-downs responsible for and passing efficiency (min. 200 attempts).

Perkins, who was named to the All-SEC Second Team last season by the AP and ESPN, became the ninth 1,000-yard rusher in school history in 2012, finishing his junior campaign with 1,024 yards, good for 10th all-time. With four starters back on the line, Perkins is looking to improve his 2012 campaign that ended with 1,509 all-purpose yards, fifth most all-time at State.

Jackson, a 2012 All-American by Phil Steele, Pro Football Weekly and Sports Illustrated, is the No. 1 offensive guard prospect in the 2014 NFL Draft. The now-senior ended last season as the leader of an offensive line that gave up the second-fewest sacks in the SEC. Jackson graded out a champion in 12 of 13 games, leading the team with 89 pancake blocks while finishing the year with zero sacks allowed. The Liberty, Miss., monster is a favorite for this year’s Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award.

Autry Sets Sights On Monster Senior YearPerhaps no other defensive player in the SEC had a stronger finish to

the 2012 campaign that current senior defensive end Denico Autry. In his final four games a year ago, the 6-foot-5 quarterback hunter tallied 11 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 4.0 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two QB hurries and one interception.

Benardrick Mc-Tackle Targets Leadership Role

With the loss of Cameron Lawrence, who last year became the first MSU player since 1988-89 to tally 120-plus tackles in back-to-back sea-sons, redshirt sophomore Benardrick McKinney is aiming to fill the void in the middle of the Bulldog defense. The Tunica, Miss., native finished third in the country last year in tackles by a freshman (102) en route to being named the fourth freshman All-American in school history.

New Look In The SecondaryWith the loss of 2012 Jim Thorpe Award winner Johnthan Banks, 2012

All-SEC corner Darius Slay and safety Corey Broomfield, the Bulldog sec-ondary is looking for some fresh faces to step up big this fall.

Senior Nickoe Whitley is the lone returner, having started all 13 games last season at safety. The Jackson, Miss., hard-hitter is the second-leading returning tackler on the team, having posted 88 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions last season.

Fresh Faces At WideoutAfter losing four to graduation following the 2012 season, the wide

receiver position is wide open this season. Junior Robert Johnson (17 rec., 164 yds, 2 TD), 2012 All-SEC member Jameon Lewis (10 rec., 108 yds,) and redshirt sophomore Joe Morrow (5 rec., 53 yds) are expected to carry the load at the position this season.

Also helping out Russell will be tight end Malcolm Johnson, who after being named All-SEC Freshman in 2011 was named to the 2012 Mackey Award Watch List for the nation’s best tight end.

2013 RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS(2012 Stats)

RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TDLaDarius Perkins 205 1024 5.0 8Josh Robinson 55 335 6.1 1Nick Griffin 32 223 7.0 1Derrick Milton 34 165 4.9 2

PASSING ATT CMP INT TD YDS PCTTyler Russell 394 231 10 24 2897 58.6 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG AVG/GM TDLaDarius Perkins 19 160 8.4 13.3 2Robert Johnson 17 164 9.6 12.6 2Malcolm Johnson 10 171 17.1 21.4 2Jameon Lewis 10 108 10.8 8.3 0

TACKLES TT UA AST INT SCK TFL B. McKinney 102 45 57 0 1.0 4.5Nickoe Whitley 88 50 38 3 0.0 3.5Deontae Skinner 62 22 40 0 0.0 5.0

2013 SCHEDULEAug. 31 vs. Oklahoma State Houston, TexasSEPT. 7 ALCORN STATE STARKVILLESept. 14 at Auburn Auburn, Ala.SEPT. 21 TROY STARKVILLEOCT. 5 LSU STARKVILLEOCT. 12 BOWLING GREEN (HC) STARKVILLEOCT. 24 KENTUCKY STARKVILLENov. 2 at South Carolina Columbia, S.C.Nov. 9 at Texas A&M College Station, TexasNOV. 16 ALABAMA STARKVILLENov. 23 at Arkansas Little Rock, Ark.NOV. 28 OLE MISS STARKVILLEDec. 7 SEC Championship Atlanta, Ga.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR TODAY

2013 MAROON AND WHITESPRING FOOTBALL GAME

Saturday, April 20, 2012 - 1 p.m. - Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field

TICKETS:HailState.com/Tickets

888-GO-DAWGS

MAROON ROSTER NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOL)

5 Nickoe Whitley DB 6-1 205 Sr. Jackson, Miss. (Provine)

6 Malcolm Johnson TE 6-2 235 Jr. Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Northridge)

9 Sam Cowart ATH 6-1 210 Jr. Magee, Miss. (Mississippi College)

11 Ricco Sanders WR 5-11 195 Sr. Duncan, S.C. (Byrnes)

15 Dak Prescott QB 6-2 230 So. Haughton, La. (Haughton)

17 Deonte Evans DB 5-10 210 RFr. McComb, Miss. (McComb)

20 Justin Cox DB 6-3 195 Jr. West Point, Miss. (East Mississippi CC)

22 Josh Creekmore ATH 5-6 185 RFr. New Albany, Miss. (New Albany)

22 Matthew Wells LB 6-2 215 Jr. Monticello, Miss. (Lawrence County)

24 Jamerson Love DB 5-10 175 Jr. Aberdeen, Miss. (Aberdeen)

25 Michael Carr WR 6-1 215 Sr. West Point, Miss. (West Point)

28 Derrick Milton RB 6-0 210 So. Pineville, La. (Hargrave [Va.] Military Aca.)

31 Tyrell Miller DB 5-9 175 So. Hampton, Va. (Hampton)

33 Kivon Coman DB 6-3 195 Fr. Sheffield, Ala. (Hargrave [Va.] Military Aca.)

38 Michael Hodges WR 5-10 195 RFr. Aberdeen, Miss. (Aberdeen)

39 Richie Brown LB 6-2 235 RFr. Long Beach, Miss. (Long Beach)

39 Mike Mordecai P 6-3 195 RFr. Madison, Miss. (Jackson Academy)

40 Devon Bell K 6-2 195 So. Vicksburg, Miss. (Warren Central)

41 Rishunn McCaleb DB 6-3 200 Sr. Indianola, Miss. (Coahoma [Miss.] CC)

42 Beniquez Brown LB 6-1 225 RFr. Florence, Ala. (Florence)

43 Ivan Muniz LB 6-1 220 Jr. Houston, Texas (Cypress Creek)

44 Christian Holmes TE 6-1 220 Jr. Puckett, Miss. (Puckett)

46 Kendrick Market DB 5-10 190 So. Batesville, Miss. (South Panola)

49 Torrey Dale DL 6-6 250 RFr. Kenner, La. (John Curtis Christian)

50 Benardrick McKinney LB 6-5 235 So. Tunica, Miss. (Rosa Fort)

51 Deontae Skinner LB 6-2 250 Sr. Macon, Miss. (Noxubee County)

53 Brian Egan K 5-11 210 Sr. Prattville, Ala. (Western Illinois)

55 Dylan Holley OL 6-3 290 Sr. D’Iberville, Miss. (Miss. Gulf Coast CC)

58 Justin Senior OL 6-5 300 RFr. Montreal, Quebec (Hargrave [Va.] Military Academy)

59 Archie Muniz OL 6-5 300 Jr. Houston, Texas (Cypress Creek)

66 Ben Beckwith OL 6-3 305 Jr. Benton, Miss. (Benton Academy)

72 Winston Chapman SN 6-2 235 So. Fairhope, Ala. (Fairhope)

74 Patrick Sparkman OL 6-4 285 Sr. Walnut Grove, Miss. (Jones County [Miss.] JC)

78 Damien Robinson OL 6-8 335 Jr. Olive Branch, Miss. (Olive Branch)

80 Brandon Holloway ATH 5-8 165 RFr. Tampa, Fla. (Alonso)

82 Rufus Warren TE 6-7 265 So. Indianola, Miss. (Gentry)

83 Jeremey Chappelle WR 6-3 210 Jr. Tyler, Texas (Tyler JC)

85 Artimus Samuel TE 6-2 260 Fr. Columbus, Ga. (Hargrave [Va.] Military Academy)

86 Fred Brown WR 6-1 185 RFr. Jackson, Miss. (Jim Hill)

88 Hunter Bradley TE 6-3 235 Fr. Collierville, Tenn. (Collierville)

88 Nick James DL 6-5 345 So. Long Beach, Miss. (Long Beach)

90 Denico Autry DL 6-6 265 Sr. Albemarle, N.C. (East Mississippi CC)

91 Preston Smith DL 6-6 255 Jr. Stone Mountain, Ga. (Stephenson)

92 Kaleb Eulls DL 6-4 290 Jr. Yazoo City, Miss. (Yazoo County)

98 Curtis Virges DL 6-3 315 Jr. West Point, Miss. (West Point)

99 John Harris DL 6-5 235 So. Boynton Beach, Fla. (Boynton Beach Community)

STAFF: Geoff Collins, Billy Gonzales, Les Koenning, Scott Sallach, Tobias Smith, Deshea Townsend

Michael Turner, Will Windham

WHITE ROSTER NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOL)

2 Will Redmond DB 6-0 190 RFr. Memphis, Tenn. (East)

4 Jameon Lewis WR 5-9 195 Jr. Tylertown, Miss. (Tylertown)

7 Nick Griffin RB 6-0 225 Jr. New Augusta, Miss. (Perry Central)

12 Chris Hughes LB 6-1 225 Sr. Mobile, Ala. (Davidson)

14 Cedric Jiles DB 5-10 180 RFr. Clinton, Miss. (Clinton)

14 Josh Hand QB 6-0 205 Jr. Cumming, Ga. (South Forsyth)

16 Joe Morrow WR 6-4 210 So. Ocean Springs, Miss. (Ocean Springs)

17 Tyler Russell QB 6-4 220 Sr. Meridian, Miss. (Meridian)

18 Brandon Hill TE 6-2 240 Jr. Columbus, Miss. (West Lowndes)

23 Vincent Watkins WR 5-9 145 RFr. Disputana, Va. (Dutchtown)

25 Kasey Akins RB 5-6 185 Sr. Starkville, Miss. (East Cent. [Miss.] CC)

26 James Baldwin DB 5-10 195 So. Birmingham, Ala. (Vestavia Hills)

27 LaDarius Perkins RB 5-10 195 Sr. Greenville, Miss. (St. Joseph)

28 DeAndre Ward LB 6-0 205 RFr. Wetumpka, Ala. (Wetumpka)

29 Quadry Antoine DB 5-10 215 RFr. Belle Chasse, La. (Belle Chasse)

30 Jay Hughes DB 5-11 195 Jr. Hattiesburg, Miss. (Oak Grove)

31 Brandon Davis DB 5-9 170 RFr. Memphis, Tenn. (Whitehaven)

32 Brandyn Bartlett DB 5-11 195 RFr. Dacula, Ga. (Dacula)

34 Josh Robinson RB 5-9 225 So. Franklinton, La. (Franklinton)

35 Johnathan Long ATH 5-11 190 RFr. Martinez, Ga. (Lakeside)

37 Taveze Calhoun DB 6-1 180 So. Morton, Miss. (Morton)

38 Dee Arrington DB 6-1 220 Jr. Wiggins, Miss. (Stone County)

39 Baker Swedenburg P 6-0 205 Sr. Columbus, Miss. (Heritage Academy)

40 Evan Sobiesk K 5-8 180 RFr. Hattiesburg, Miss. (Oak Grove HS)

41 Will Goodwin K 6-0 180 Jr. Starkville, Miss. (Itawamba [Miss.] CC)

42 Taylor Earhart K 6-1 180 Sr. Olive Branch, Miss. (Northeast [Miss.] CC)

45 Zachary Jackson DB 6-1 215 So. Heidelberg, Miss. (Heidelberg)

47 A.J. Jefferson DL 6-3 260 RFr. Summit, Miss. (North Pike)

48 Ryan Brown DL 6-6 260 So. New Orleans, La. (Archbishop Shaw)

52 Ferlando Bohanna LB 6-0 225 Jr. Memphis, Tenn. (Whitehaven)

54 Quay Evans DL 6-3 310 So. Morton, Miss. (Morton)

56 Corvell Harrison-Gay DL 6-3 265 Sr. Laurel, Miss. (Northeast Jones)

61 Gabe Jackson OL 6-4 335 Sr. Liberty, Miss. (Amite County)

62 Devon Desper OL 6-4 300 RFr. Madison, Miss. (Madison Central)

63 Dillon Day OL 6-4 300 Jr. West Monroe, La. (West Monroe)

69 Rodney Lacy DL 5-11 290 RFr. Birmingham, Ala. (Minor)

70 Justin Malone OL 6-7 320 So. Madison, Miss. (Madison-Ridgeland Academy)

71 Cole Carter OL 6-6 290 RFr. Caledonia, Miss. (Caledonia)

73 Paul Thompson OL 6-3 275 Jr. Madison, N.J. (Hargrave [Va.] Military Aca.)

74 Daniel McCray LB 6-0 250 Jr. Center Point, Ala. (Shades Valley)

75 Blaine Clausell OL 6-7 310 Jr. Mobile, Ala. (Baker)

77 Charles Siddoway OL 6-7 305 Sr. Eugene, Ore. (Butte College CC)

79 Hunter Cunningham OL 6-4 320 So. Maben, Miss. (East Webster)

81 Robert Johnson WR 6-1 225 Jr. Hattiesburg, Miss. (Oak Grove)

84 Bailey West SN 6-1 205 Jr. Hollandale, Miss. (Deer Creek)

87 Javous Nicks WR 5-11 170 RFr. Brandon, Miss. (University Christian)

89 Gus Walley TE 6-4 245 RFr. Richton, Miss. (Greene County)

93 P.J. Jones DL 6-3 295 Jr. Tupelo, Miss. (Tupelo)

94 Nelson Adams DL 6-3 295 RFr. Brandon, Miss. (Brandon)

95 Jordan Washington DL 6-2 290 RFr. Sugar Hill, Ga. (North Gwinnett)

STAFF: John Hevesy, Tony Hughes, Greg Knox, David Turner

Brett Elliott, Bryan Hahnfeldt, Ryan McNamara, Fred Walker