_*Dan Mullen*_ was like a kid on Christmas morning. So he said. Following this morning's full-gear, full-contact drills – first of the spring – Mullen was eager to spend the afternoon, and maybe some of the evening, watching tape.

"We get to go out and watch the film all day, it’s like Christmas morning right now," Mullen said. "We get to go in and see what type of hand we’ve been dealt, see who can play and who likes contact and who’s physical."

The practice ended like MSU had just won a bowl game. In a drill from the 5-yard line, the offense atoned for some earlier mistakes by scoring several times, the last one a nifty reverse pitch to _*Christian Ducre'*_. The offensive players went nuts while the defensive guys commenced to running.

"The offense found a way to win the scrimmage there at the end even though the defense was up big. I was pleased to see that," Mullen said. "I was really disappointed with the execution in the first round of scrimmage we had for the offense, but you know what, they really toughened up when we got down to the goal line, punched the ball in a whole bunch."

Still, much to be pleased with on the defensive side. Players were excited to be suited up and laying some wood. "We did a good job today, a little competition thing we’ve got going on, slipped up at the end. But overall I think we did very well today," said safety Charles Mitchell.

Quarterback is a position to be closely watched, of course. _*Tyson Lee*_, the incumbent, has looked more comfortable so far than backup _*Chris Relf*_. "I think it’s a little easier for Tyson in the adjustments, but Chris today did some nice things, running around and made a couple of plays," Mullen said. "As Chris gains confidence in his experience, I think he’ll have the opportunity to help us next year."

Mississippi State's football team hits the field again today – 10 a.m. – for the third round of spring practices. This time, they'll be putting on full pads and having full contact. Coach _*Dan Mullen*_ is eager to see how his players look in those conditions. "It’s really hard to evaluate much out here, and there’s a lot of learning going on," he said Thursday. Speaking of conditions, it's raining in Tupelo but not in Starkville, so the Bulldogs will be outdoors.

Rain interrupted MSU's baseball game at Arkansas yesterday. The Razorbacks were leading 10-3 in the fifth inning when play was halted. The game will resume today at 2:05 p.m., with Game 2 to follow. All 10 runs were charged to _*Devin Jones*_, a late fill-in for scheduled starter _*Tyler Whitney*_.

Well, here we are. A new blog, a new day. And we christen it in fine fashion, with this week's Blog Bag answers. Great questions, as usual, and I hope some satisfactory answers for you. Don't forget, to comment on this blog you have to register – it's free and easy. Just hang with us while the kinks get worked out. On to your questions now.

*Q:* Is there a plan for next season on challenging the so called “upper tier” teams like Louisville, UConn, North Carolina, Duke, Marquette, or Texas?

*A:* To quote basketball SID _*Gregg Ellis*_, “The plan is to always compete for championships.” I know, I know, but that’s about all we’ll get out of them for now.

*Q:* What is the anticipated turnout for Super Bulldog weekend? Will we need to fight for space in The Junction? Or will there be no tailgating? Will RV’s be permitted in emptied parking lots around Davis Wade Stadium/Humphrey Coliseum?

*A:* AD _*Greg Byrne*_ has no projections, but he said, “We expect a very good crowd.” As for your other questions, go here: http://www.mstateathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=16800&ATCLID=3699688.

*Q:* With basketball over, what happens? Do they have a standard wrap-up, maybe a last team meeting? Do they have team-based activities during the off-season to keep the team feeling alive?

*A:* As Ellis says, “They have their off-season workout programs they are allowed to do.” And yes, they do have a wrap-up meeting.

*Q:* After Georgia Tech, what other schools from power conferences are we looking at scheduling for football?

*A:* As Byrne said on here a few weeks ago, they are in talks with some big schools, but he wouldn’t name them.

*Q:* Will the scoreboard be up and running during the spring game?

*A:* Certainly.

*Q:* Are there any plans on expanding any of our fields/arenas in the future?

*A:* Expansion plans, as Byrne has said on here before, are far off in the future.

*Q:* Do we have any current depth charts for football?

*A:* Waaaay to early for that, my friend. Heck, RB _*Anthony Dixon*_ was running second team yesterday for being a pound over his weight goal, which tells you that nothing’s guaranteed.

*Q:* What is the status of the suspended players?

*A:* As _*Dan Mullen*_ said Tuesday, “We’re still kind of looking into those situations at this point. We’ll make a decision when we have enough, when we’ve investigated enough into finding out what we can find out.

*Q:* Not on the subject of MSU, but I know _*Marlin Williams*_ left WTVA not too long back. Any idea where he went off to?

*A:* He has taken a job in Batesville as communications director for an energy company.

*Q:* What happened to football player _*John Paul Alford*_ (center, Kosciusko)?

*A:* Alford quit the team some time after the New Year because, as a team spokesman put it, he no longer wanted to play football. He is still enrolled at MSU.

Here it is, my new blog. Glad this day is here. Change is good. Don't worry, the Wordpress blog will stay up for two reasons: 1) Archives; 2) As a backup if/when this one experiences trouble.

Keep in mind that this blog is evolving. For instance, I can't yet create hyperlinks – without building them myself – but that will come soon enough. I hope we can all be patient while any kinks are worked out.

Thanks to our online team of _*Todd Vinyard*_ and _*Bill Johnson*_ for their work on this and making it happen. Thanks to all of my faithful readers, and stay tuned for Blog Bag answers later today.