Staying power

Sporting News, The, Nov 15, 1999 by Ron Higgins

SURPRISE! Jackie Sherrill still at Mississippi State--and the Bulldogs are still unbeaten

The question came from the back of the room: "The way you've been winning with defense and avoiding turnovers, is this team similar to some of coach Bryant's teams?"

Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill had to think about it for a minute. Coach Bryant, of course, is Bear Bryant, the legendary Alabama coach for whom Sherrill played in the 1960s. Any time anything is compared to the Bear, there is reason to give pause and to think before speaking.

"Well, our defense is very good, our kicking game is good, and we've moved the ball enough to keep our defense off the field--the game is still won by field position," says Sherrill.

The answer, it seems, is yes. And that has to make Sherrill--and coach Bryant--smile. The student learned his lessons well, mixing a great defense, a dependable kicking game and an unspectacular offense to come up with an 8-0 record, the best start in school history. The mixture has resulted in a Mississippi State bunch that is the nation's most surprising team. Perhaps the only thing more surprising is that, nine years after leaving Texas A&M, the man at the helm still is Sherrill.

The rumbles began almost as soon as Jackie Sherrill ditched his job selling cars in Houston and was hired as Mississippi State coach on December 9, 1990. Sure, the flatlands of Oktibbeha County are fertile farming ground, but there's no way Sherrill can consistently win big at Mississippi State. The school's only SEC title came in 1941. Even if he did win, Sherrill likely would leave one step ahead of NCAA investigators. Remember, Sherrill departed Texas A&M after the 1988 season and after the program was hit with a two-year NCAA probation, Though he wasn't named in the violations, his image was sullied. (Sherrill also wasn't named in a one-year probation at Mississippi State in 1996, when a booster paid several players and a recruiting intern offered an illegal inducement.)

And if he won cleanly, Sherrill surely would bolt for a more prestigious job. Wouldn't he? But there's Sherrill, with his shirt sleeves rolled up, still in Starkville. There isn't an NCAA investigator in sight, the wins are piling up and Mississippi State has climbed in the polls.

"I'm not a young guy anymore," says Sherrill, who turns 56 on November 28. "I guess the mistake you make when you're young is that you always think the grass is greener elsewhere. There's not anything you can do about (being called a cheater) because it's a vicious world out there in recruiting. I think 99.9 percent of the people who write stories don't know their subject because they don't take the time to know them."

A large part of Sherrill's success can be attributed to his mining of the rich talent in Mississippi's junior colleges. This year's roster features 15 players from those schools.

Sherrill hasn't stagnated, mostly because he has surrounded himself with big-name assistants, another key to his success. After last season, he hired former South Carolina head coach Sparky Woods as his offensive coordinator. Along with veteran defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn, who also has Division I-A head coaching experience (Mississippi in 1994), the Bulldogs are the only SEC school with former college head coaches as coordinators. Dunn's defense has been especially devastating, ranking among the nation's best in yards allowed per game (198.9) and points allowed (12.0).

"Mississippi State has the toughest defense we've played so far," gays Vanderbilt coach Woody Widenhofer, who lost to the Bulldogs earlier this year. "They're very aggressive."

Dunn says his secondary--headed by cornerback Robert Bean and safety Ashley Cooper, a Mississippi JC product--is outstanding. There's enough depth on the line, led by star tackle Kevin Sluder, to rotate the entire front six with no loss in quality. Dunn doesn't blitz much with this unit, because there's enough talent to stop foes by playing straight up. In a 23-22 win over Kentucky last Thursday, the defense got its first real test against a strong passing attack and limited the Wildcats to 192 yards in the air, 132 below their average.

The offense is taking longer to jell. Sherrill's past Mississippi State teams featured four constants: a quarterback who wouldn't lose games; a line full of 300-pounders; a running game headlined by a power back; and a big-play receiver. The elements are in place for a similar attack with sophomore Wayne Madkin at quarterback; 327-pound tackle Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack anchoring a line that is breaking in four new starters; tailbacks Justin Griffith, Chris Rainey and Dontae Walker; and wideouts Kelvin Love and Matt Butler. When Madkin has thrown well, the offense has been effective. But Madkin has struggled--he was 8-of-21 in the victory over Kentucky, and it was Matt Wyatt who led the Bulldogs on a game-winning field-goal drive in the final 1:30. When Madkin, who suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter, straggles, the offense struggles with him.