Five things Dan Mullen must change IMMEDIATELY

Sep 24, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen looks on from the side line during the third quarter against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Gillette Stadium. Mississippi State won 47-35. Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

After getting completely manhandled by Auburn – in a game that Las Vegas originally favored MSU by one point – questions abound for Dan Mullen.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. After the South Alabama loss in Week 1, we were furious with the performance and Coach Mullen’s cavalier attitude about it. But he came out in Week 2 vs. South Carolina with a ton of energy and the team was firing on all cylinders (at least during the 1st half when they jumped out to a 24-0 lead).

So maybe the South Alabama game was a mirage? They didn’t play great in Death Valley but it wasn’t awful and almost came back to win. The UMass game wasn’t a pretty game but it was a win in an unusual environment.

With a week off to prepare for a game that most everyone including myself labeled as a must-win for any bowl chances this year, the team came out flat. The game plan was horrid. The preparation and execution was non-existent. Effort was mediocre. Auburn treated State like they were a FCS team until halftime before they hit cruise control in the second half and coasted to a 38-14 victory.

This isn’t just about one game. These five items we’ll discuss are are issues that have all bleed into this season from previous years. Some have only been issues for about a year and a half while others have been bubbling under the surface for a handful of years.

Dan Mullen needs to fix these issues immediately, because if he doesn’t he’s going to back himself in a corner where the only option is for him to leave Starkville.

Dec 30, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive coordinator Manny Diaz huddles up with the defense during a timeout in the fourth quarter against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the 2015 Belk Bowl at Bank of America Stadium. The Bulldogs defeated the Wolfpack 51-28. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Leave the defensive coordinator alone.

Dan Mullen has changed defensive coordinators five times in eight years. Carl Torbush, Manny Diaz (twice) and Geoff Collins all left on their own accord. Chris Wilson was not fired but was pretty much fired.

Dan Mullen has a defensive philosophy which he forces down the DC’s throat. He wants to play bend but don’t break, don’t let ’em throw it over our heads and don’t blitz more than 5% of the time.

Defensive coordinators come and go. Mullen is highly critical of them despite not giving them autonomy. As we’ve discussed, he doesn’t hold his offensive coaching staff to the same standard.

Let Peter Sirmon do his own thing. Offensive-minded coaches across the country do this with great success. You can hold the DC to a standard of excellence all you want, but don’t micro-manage them.

Nov 15, 2014; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen reacts during a press conference following their 25-20 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Start accepting the blame for poor performance.

As a head coach, the buck stops with you. It’s your team and your program so long as you’ve got that title. Quit blaming others when things don’t go right.

Mullen has an arrogance about him which many do not like but have ignored because of the winning he’s brought over his tenure. But it’s going to cost him if he doesn’t humble himself quick.

He thinks he knows better than everyone so it can’t be his fault. This attitude has gotten worse since MSU made it to No. 1 in 2014.

If there’s a leadership void – it’s your fault for not cultivating new leaders. If the players aren’t prepared – it’s your fault for not preparing them. Even if there is a scenario in which you are completely not to blame, a good coach always deflects blame off of his team and on to himself.

Step up and take responsibility.

Oct 8, 2016; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen looks up at the scoreboard during the second quarter of the game against the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Show some fire and act like you care about winning.

Yeah this is college athletics and we’re all a happy Mississippi State family and all of that stuff. But that’s the scenario for every other school (they all cling onto the “family” mantra). The bottom line is that fans go to games and spend money on football for some chance of winning games.

When people fork over their hard earned money to contribute to your $4 million plus salary, they want to see a coach who appears to be giving it his best. If you want a packed stadium with rabid fans, give some impression that you are trying really hard to put a product on the field that’s going to be as good as possible.

Mullen’s nonchalant attitude reared it’s ugly head during and after the South Alabama game. Then he chewed some butts and got things in order the next week vs. USC. Now we are back to the lack of emotion and desire to win.

Maybe Dan just doesn’t want to demonstrate that kind of demeanor to the fans, but would rather show it on the practice field. Well, right now it’s probably the chief compliant among MSU fans so we want to see you get ticked off.

Oct 8, 2016; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Brandon Holloway (10) runs the ball during the third quarter of the game against the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium. Auburn won 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

You guessed it: Holloway up the middle.

Stop this madness. Mullen – you aren’t smarter than everyone in America and are going to prove it when Holloway eventually breaks off a long run……after 10,000 attempts to do so on the zone read.

Holloway slipping through the line a couple of times against a less than mediocre UMass defense does not constitute a reason to keep calling this idiotic play.

We do not want to see any more of this:

Holloway up the middle 2 pic.twitter.com/fo8a0VkFTc

— M-State Pics & Video (@mstatepicsvideo) September 18, 2016

I’ve considered offering Holloway a full time job with my company contingent upon him starting on Monday. At least then we could stop the this madness.

Oct 4, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs co-offensive coordinator John Hevesy talks to his team during the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Put Hevesy, Sallach and Knox on notice that their jobs are at stake.

If you haven’t read about the #CountryClub yet, please do so.

The offensive line is pathetic. The Tight Ends are pathetic. The Running Backs are pathetic. And as we’ve mentioned before, it’s a problem that extends well beyond just this fall.

I’m not ready to say Dan Mullen should get fired. I am ready to say these three need to be fired. It’s time to shake things up and quickly.

Unless we see dramatic changes in the team’s effort and performance in the remaining seven games, the Country Club needs to be closed down. Maybe Mullen stays, but his buddies need to go.

This is becoming a Sly Croom / Woody McCorvey type of situation. It would be a shame to lose your job over it. It’s been a good run of eight years together, but it’s time for a change.