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Dan who? Mullen’s name didn’t come up at Mississippi State coach’s radio show

The Bulldogs didn't mention their former coach at Joe Moorhead's weekly radio show Thursday night
 
Published Sept. 28, 2018|Updated Sept. 28, 2018

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Not long after Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead's weekly radio show kicked off Thursday night at The Veranda bar and restaurant, host Neil Price tiptoed toward the biggest story in the SEC this week.

There will be a lot of emotion when the Gators arrive at Davis Wade Stadium to face the No. 23 Bulldogs on Saturday night, Price said.

"The stories are out there, what this game involves," Price told the half-wine, half-beer, all-cowbell crowd. "I'm not going to rehash all that."

He didn't. No one did.

Dan Mullen's name never came up.

In the words of a T-shirt flying off the shelves here this week: Dan who?

Mullen recruited the bulk of the roster Moorhead inherited. That includes quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who needs only 176 rushing yards to pass Florida legend Tim Tebow for the most ever by an SEC quarterback in a career. It also includes Montez Sweat and Jeffery Simmons, who entered the week as one of only two defensive line pairs with at least 7 tackles for a loss each.

But Mullen is no longer coaching them. He'll be facing them on the other sidelines, as the Gators' first-year coach.

"There's definitely … an emotional component that can't be ignored, but (we) certainly can't allow it to affect how we prepare and how we play," Moorhead said. "Ultimately no coaches will be playing. It'll be played between Mississippi State players and Florida players between the white lines. That's what we've got to emphasize."

So that's all he did emphasize in his hour-long show.

He harped on composure — yes, because of the high emotion from the Mullen Bowl, but also because his Bulldogs rank No. 117 nationally with almost 80 yards of penalties per game. He preached the importance of running the ball and finding the explosive plays that didn't materialize in last week's loss to Kentucky. He played along with the special appetizer:  fried Florida gator tail, fresh from a Panhandle farm.

Mullen doesn't factor into any of that. But he still matters in a town where hurt feelings linger from the way he bolted three days after an Egg Bowl loss to bitter rival Ole Miss last year.

Take the marquee outside Strange Brew coffeehouse, a quirky spot where a massive bulldog statue watches over the espresso machines, just above the Star Wars mugs. Its sign routinely needles SEC rivals. In the wake of Mullen's November exit, its statement was simple: Bye Felicia.

Thursday morning, a barista climbed on a green ladder to update it again, with a nod to what Mullen used to call Ole Miss.

Does this mean we are the school up north now?

If so, that means the Egg Bowl is crossing state lines Saturday. The hostility might not be that extreme, but it's simmering. Consider another potential passive-aggressive dig.

The Bulldogs will be honoring former coach Jackie Sherrill this weekend. The sign in front of The Veranda welcomed him back, and Price pointed out during the show that Sherrill is the winningest coach in Bulldogs history.

No. 2? Mullen, who finished six victories shy of Sherrill's record 75.

So maybe that's why Mullen's name never came up. It didn't need to.

The silent treatment gets the point across just fine.

Contact Matt Baker at mbaker@tampabay.com. Follow @MBakerTBTimes.