Starkville, Mississippi (AP)-- It's safe to say that Dan Mullen has had enough.
Following last Saturday's heartbreaking 24-20 loss to the Auburn Tigers, Mississippi State football fans took to social media, message boards and all forums of the like to express their dismay and heartbreak with yet another close, disappointing loss. More specifically, fans questioned -- quite openly -- the shift in offensive playcalling that took place in the second half against the Tigers, as MSU seemed to go from the aggressor to a team playing not to lose. These types of concerns are often shared openly after losses, no matter how abrasive or alcohol laced, because fans seemingly operate under the assumption that they are seen by noone outside of that common space. Well Dan Mullen is out to prove that he hears MSU fans loud and clear.
"After the loss last Saturday, I was on the flight back to Starkville, and I was reading the SixPackSpeak message board, like I usually do following a game," Mullen told reporters in a special news conference this afternoon. "As I read the repeated calls for my firing, Les' firing, and the general disdain for our offensive gameplan in the second half, I thought: what would these guys do if they had the chance to actually make those calls?" "So after giving it some thought, I decided, why not give them that chance. This Saturday, we're letting fans call the second half plays."
Mullen would go on to describe in detail the literal choices to manage MSU's offense that will be made available to MSU fans in attendance versus Troy this upcoming Saturday evening.
Starting in the third quarter, fans will look to the jumbotron in the south endzone before each play that MSU runs on offense. There they will find a list of four plays that Offensive Coordinator Les Koenning and Head Coach Dan Mullen are considering calling. From that list, fans will be able, through their mobile device, to choose the play that they want seen called. Voting will take place from the time the play clock resets to when there are 25 seconds remaining. Should MSU have to go into a hurry-up offense mode, the number of plays available for fan voting will be reduced to two.
As a school that's ever conscious of being on the cutting edge and being a trendsetter in the world of social media, we're excited about the opportunity this presents to try out something that's never been done before," Athletics Director Scott Stricklin told the media this afternoon. "It's just an added bonus that our fans will finally get to show just how good they can be, or not be, as offensive coordinators."
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