DAY 53: MOST PASSING ATTEMPTS IN A GAME: vs LSU (1970) and vs Alabama (1978)
Mississippi State has NEVER been known as a team to throw the ball around a whole lot. For as long as most Bulldog fans can remember, our identity has been running the football. So, it comes as no surprise that MSU's record for most pass attempts in a game occurs in two losses. In 1970, Joe Reed threw the ball 53 times in a 38-7 loss to LSU, and the Bulldogs tied the record in a 35-14 loss to Alabama in 1978.
Will the Bulldogs break that record in 2012?
A lot of the chatter about the upcoming season revolves around the direction of the offense with Tyler Russell at the helm. As we witnessed in the spring, Mullen has molded the playbook around what Russell does best: throwing the football. Will we see a few 50+ attempt games? It's possible, but Mullen isn't going to completely abandon the running game either. The opening seven games of the season present some great opportunities to take advantage of weaker secondaries, but in order to break the passing record the game would need to be somewhat close (early blowout=running the football). I think the most likely games to see 53+ passing attempts are: Auburn, Troy, and Kentucky.