If there has been an overriding theme this year in the media’s conversations with Mississippi State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, it is his belief that his unit needs to be creating more turnovers. Even though the Bulldogs rank in the top ten in most defensive catergories, they have been unable to come up with a lot of takeaways. Shoop went into greater detail on Wednesday night, explaining that he and his staff looked into the science of how turnovers, specifically fumbles, are created, in an attempt to teach his players how they can get their opponents to put the ball on the ground.
Shoop knows against a Louisiana Tech team that had more success offensively in their game against LSU than Mississippi State did, he can’t take things for granted just because his squad is taking on a Conference USA team. Mississippi State has been so good on defense this year, however, surrendering only nine touchdowns total. A year ago, the Bulldogs went to Ruston and walked out a 57-14 win, which included two defensive scores. Shoop will be counting on a similar performance from his squad this Saturday, as the Bulldogs look to win back to back games for the first time since they began the season on a three game winning streak.
