Mississippi State corner Martin Emerson's play could be key to Bulldogs' chances at LSU
Beside Martin Emerson's name on the Mississippi State football roster posted online is the abbreviation 'So.'
Yes, Emerson – a starting cornerback for the Bulldogs – is indeed only a sophomore. That generally comes with some room for error. After all, guys with just one year of experience should be given some slack right? Well Emerson says that's something he nor the Bulldogs can afford in 2020.
"I know I’m a young guy, but I can’t really think like that," Emerson said earlier this week, with Saturday's game at defending national champion, No. 6 LSU looming. "I’m one of the more experienced guys in the back end. I just want to be a vocal leader and lead by example. Show everybody the way of the Bulldog. Give everything I’ve got every day and do the same thing come Saturday."
No matter how you shake it, Emerson's performance, both on Saturday and this season as a whole, will be crucial to determining how successful Mississippi State will be in 2020. For as much as questions might surround new head coach Mike Leach and how well the Bulldogs can execute the Air Raid offense, those uncertainties are at least calmed a bit by having a veteran quarterback, an expected strong offensive line and several older, experienced receivers. Meanwhile in the State secondary, there are limited proven commodities.
In fact, you could make an argument there are no proven commodities, at least none with longterm track records. Take starting defensive backs Fred Peters and Marcus Murphy for instance. They're the two elder statesmen of the defensive backfield. Peters – a senior – played in all 13 games a year ago in his first year with MSU, but he didn't make a significant impact. Murphy – a junior – might be one of the most athletic and talented players on the team, but he missed eight games of his sophomore season a year ago due to a suspension for a violation of team rules.
Could Peters and Murphy be just fine? Sure. Peters has impressed two different coaching staffs now and Murphy, again, has star-level potential. But even if those two guys prove to be excellent, the Bulldogs still have two first-time starters slated to begin in the secondary with strong safety Londyn Craft and cornerback Esaias Furdge. With those two, as of now, there are certainly many more questions than answers.
It's what makes Emerson's play vital to MSU's success. He needs to be good. He needs to be consistent. He needs to be reliable in a defense that, as of this moment, needs as many sure things as it can get as it figures out the rest. So how does Emerson feel about being a top guy for the Bulldogs?
"I love the challenge," Emerson said. "It’s just a great feeling just to be in this situation. It just makes me work harder every day knowing the guys I will be facing. I feel like we’re out here for a reason. I want to show everyone the reason I’m here and going against those guys I can do just that. I just want to show them I’m someone they’ve got to look out for."
Of course Emerson already began making his mark a year ago. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman and started five of them. He had 32 tackles, picked off a pass and deflected two more. Back then though, Emerson was thrust into a more important role as veteran corners Cameron Dantzler and Maurice Smitherman dealt with injuries. He was trying to be the next man up. Well now, Smitherman isn't the next man up. He's the man, and the the Bulldogs are hoping he can play like it.
"There’s a reason Martin Emerson played a whole bunch last year as a true freshman," MSU defensive coordinator Zach Arnett said during preseason camp. "He’s talented. He was good enough to play. It’s only a benefit that he’s played as much as he did as a freshman. He’s got SEC games under his belt. He knows what it’s like. For as talented as he is, he’s got an extremely bright future. It’s awesome that he’s going to play as much as he’s going to have to."
A full game in Death Valley will give Mississippi State a better idea of what it can expect out of Emerson and the Bulldog secondary as a whole. In reality, the expectations probably aren't that high from most objective observers. Emerson isn't worried about outside expectations. Young or old – it doesn't matter. He says its time for him and the defensive backs to step up.
"There’s always a chip on our shoulder – the Bulldog mentality," Emerson said. "A lot of people look at us as underdogs and we’ve got a lot to prove. We’re a young group and we’re just going to come out and play Saturday. Show everybody. We’ll come give it our best and go hard. Older guys and young, we've just got to go. No excuses. Go 100 percent."
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