MSU:Red-zone blues still dogging MSU
STARKVILLE – Granted, there were some starting players that barely saw action during Saturday’s second scrimmage at Scott Field.
Still, fifth-year Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom thought he would get more production out of his offense in the red zone.
For the second week in a row, the offense moved the football. But as it neared the end zone, the Bulldogs struggled to finish the drive.
“I thought the defense played well in the red zone,” Croom said. “But the thing that was disappointing, and a lot of the reason the offense didn’t move well in the red zone was too many penalties, penalties on first down.
“You can’t have penalties in the red zone, and the way our kickers are kicking, if we cross the 30-yard line we should be automatic on field goals. Then we get penalties that throw us out of field goal range.”
Guys like running backs Anthony Dixon and Christian Ducre and wideouts Jamayel Smith and Aubrey Bell barely played. Croom said the reason for that was he wanted to see how the younger players would perform.
djournal.com
8/17/08
