Carroll ready to lead Bulldogs offense

He came to Mississippi State last year from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a quarterback shocked more by the culture change than the idea of starting in the Southeastern Conference.

“It wasn’t anything but two-line highway and woods,” Mississippi State quarterback Wesley Carroll said of his first trip to Starkville. “It’s just such a change, such a shock. A lot of people from Mississippi may not understand that there’s just thousands and thousands of people in every city in South Florida instead of the whole state of Mississippi.”

Carroll was not a highly-recruited quarterback, earning three stars from Rivals.com. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, he’s smaller than some kickers. His arm strength is questioned by fans, media and even his own coach.

“He was a guy we recruited, liked, but didn’t have a great arm,” Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom said. “Still doesn’t have a great arm.”

Carroll didn’t go through spring practice and learned Croom’s complex West Coast offense during fall drills. Suddenly, due to a spate of injuries, he was starting for the Bulldogs as a true freshman.

And, strangely, the Bulldogs started winning with this freshman who, as Croom said, didn’t possess a very good arm, typically a quality found in most quarterbacks. Carroll, who said he didn’t fully understand the offense until the Tennessee game, only completed 52.5 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions.

But he would follow three maddening quarters with a flourish, directing critical fourth-quarter drives against Auburn, Ole Miss and Central Florida during Mississippi State’s surprising 8-5 season.

“He’s so competitive,” Mississippi State linebacker Jamar Chaney said. “He just never gives up or gets down.”

And now Croom says he will “open up the offense” under Carroll, a sign he trusts the sophomore and the teammates surrounding him.

“We have more speed at wide receiver,” Croom said. “That’s going to allow us to attack vertically a little bit more than what we have done. We go into this season with a much more talented football team.”

Croom acknowledges he needs to take chances, elevate the offense if Mississippi State is going to become a contender in the SEC West. The Bulldogs won several games last year with timely defensive or special teams touchdowns.

The Bulldogs were outgained by an average of 73 yards per conference game, a wider margin than their 1-7 season the previous year. Despite a league-best six non-offensive touchdowns, Mississippi State finished 11th among SEC teams in scoring.

A better passing game behind Carroll, along with those timely big plays, could finally help Croom reach the goal he announced to players at his first meeting as head coach — win an SEC championship.

“I told those players at the first meeting they would not be around when that happened because it was going to be somewhere down the road in the future,” Croom said. “I know a lot of people have made mention that that’s ridiculous to say that. Well, they give a championship trophy. We play in the Southeastern Conference.”

The night before Croom spoke at SEC Media Days, he outlined his 2010 depth chart. And the weak-armed kid from South Florida was, presumably, still the starting quarterback.

“It really doesn’t bother me. If anything, it’s maybe a little motivation,” Carroll said of the criticism. “As long as we’re winning, that’s all that matters. I’m not worried about people saying I’m not the right height, my arm is whatever it is. In the West Coast offense, you don’t have to have a gunslinger arm. You have to have an accurate, effective arm. More than anything, it’s mental playing in this system.”