Blake Shapen ready to make long awaited return to field on Saturday

It’s game week for Blake Shapen and Mississippi State and it’s a return to the field after a long year for the Bulldog quarterback.

In game four of the season last year, Shapen went down with a shoulder injury that would end his season. In one hand, it was a devastating end of the year for SHapen and a critical loss for the Bulldogs. On the other hand, he views it as a blessing in disguise to get another year under Jeff Lebby and inside the SEC.

Shapen has been preparing all offseason for what’s coming on Saturday against Southern Miss in Hattiesburg and he’ll have that opportunity to show people what State is all about this year. He got a chance to preview that on Monday afternoon.

Question: Where have you seen the most growth in your game from last year?

Shapen: “I think for me just the experience piece. This is my second year in the system, so learning the offense and all the things that come with it, I think I have a lot more experience which gains a lot of trust for me just to be able to go out there and play and execute the right way.”

Q: What have you gained the most mentally or emotionally about the game of football since your injury:

Shapen: “It’s just a blessing to be able to play again. It’s been a long time since I have been on the field so being on the field, so being able to get out on there with the guys is going to be fun. I’m just excited to play another game. Obviously, it’s been a long time so it’s just a blessing having the ability to go out there and be healthy.”

Q: What have you seen from Southern Miss?

Shapen: “Obviously, a lot of those guys came from Marshall and they won 10 games last year. There’s a lot of guys on that team that have carried over and know how to win. They’re a team that’s going to play hard, they know how to execute the right way and they’re skilled. For us, just going out there, being the best that we can possibly be and executing the right way is huge for us.”

Q: What would make you happy with your performance outside of the win?

Shapen: “For us, just treating this game like any other game. It’s a non-conference game, but taking these guys seriously because they’re a really good football team. Us coming out from the jump and starting really fast is huge for us. It comes down to execution which is a big part of the game.”

Q: What has been the difference this camp with the receivers?

Shapen: “I’d say the way they come to work every single day. It’s a good group of guys. I’m really close with all of those guys, even the transfers we brought in. I’ve been able to build a really good relationship with those guys which has been really good. They’re really talented. I’ve said it that this is the best receiver group I’ve been a part of. Just the relationship piece and us being able to build that bond and being able to go on the field and play together.”

Q: How important is the running game starting fast this year?

Shapen: “It’s very important. It starts with the run game. That’s going to open up a lot of things like the screen game, throwing the ball down the field and things like that. You’ve got to be able to run the football, especially in the SEC. You’ve got to establish the run game early on and that’s going to be a big key for us Saturday.”

Q: How much did the offseason prepare you for Saturday?

Shapen: “The biggest thing with (getting hurt) is I was able to take a step back. Obviously I wasn’t the guy on the field but I was in every single meeting and able to take notes that went into every gameplan. I feel like things like that you can really dive in mentally and in the playbook every week and understand every situation in a different lens – almost in a coach’s lens.

“Just helping the guys around me like KaMario (Taylor) and Luke (Kromenhoek) is huge. I’m big into friendship and helping the guys that are behind me so I feel like it’s my job too to carry them along.”

Q: When things go bad, what does it look like for you as a leader to encourage them?

Shapen: “That’s a big piece in the game is being able to bounce back when something bad happens. The difference between the good teams and the bad teams is the good teams are able to bounce back very quickly after. As the quarterback,  you’ve got to be able to give that energy to the guys that obviously that wasn’t something that we wanted to happen, but we know bad things are going to happen. This is the game of football and we understand that mistakes or going to happen – it’s all about how you respond.”

Q: How do you manage your competitive streak and playing style?

Shapen: “That’s been something that honestly I haven’t figured out until last season whenever I got hurt. I was distraught by the whole thing and questioned what was it. There are sometimes that you can’t control taking a hit. It may be the down or may be the type of play that’s called, and you have to take a hit. For me, sometimes I took hits that are very unnecessary.

“For me to move forward, I feel like I have to be able to get down in critical situations and understand when it’s time to get down and when it’s not. Be able to protect myself but at the same time compete. I am a competitor and every play I want to lay it out on the line, but I’ve got to understand the situation of the game.”

Q: Are there any differences in last year and this year on the offensive line?

Shapen: “Obviously, you can tell they’re bigger. There’s nothing that really changes. The biggest thing with those guys is they’re a good group of guys to be around. They’ve worked their tail off all through camp and very talented in that group. Just have to keep working every day. I can’t really tell a difference, but obviously you can tell the size is different.”

Q: How in sync are you with Lebby and the offensive gameplan?

Shapen: “Second year in the system, you naturally grow a little bit more comfortable year after year. From where I was last year to where I am now is night and day. That’s a positive for sure. Just a comfortability with the plays, there’s no hesitation with the calls or the reads. I kind of understand what coach Lebby wants whereas last year there might have been some grey area. A lot of that is cleared up which is really good.”