Mississipppi State began spring football drills last Friday with a lot of momentum.

During the last three regular seasons, the Bulldogs have been the only team in the Southeastern Conference Western Division to hold division title-winning opportunities in its own hands with two weeks remaining.

Jackie Sherrill’s 1999 squad established a school record by opening the season with eight straight victories and closed the campaign with a win over Ole Miss to finish 9-2.

State went on to defeat Clemson 17-7 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta. That gave the team 10 wins for just the second time in school history.

The Bulldogs, who were picked to finish fifth in the SEC Western Division, were ranked No. 12 in the nation at the end of the season.

&uot;We have guys coming back that we know can play,&uot;&160;Sherrill said. &uot;And we have some promising redshirted guys that are ready to play. We do have some holes to fill, particularly on the offensive line, at cornerback and at punter.&uot;

The Bulldogs return 44 lettermen and 10 starters from last year.

Two new additions competing at spring drills are wide receiver Clarence Parker and free safety Marco Minor of Natchez.

Both former Natchez High Bulldogs graduated from Copiah-Lincoln Community College last December.

Parker is listed as the No. 2 wide receiver behind sophomore Terrell Grindle going into the spring.

Minor, who played wide receiver and defensive back at Natchez High before playing wide receiver at Co-Lin, is listed second on the depth chart at free safety behind sophomore Josh Morgan.

The Mississippi State spring media football guide had this to say about Parker:

&uot;Split end is another position that could be impacted by a mid-year signee. Clarence Parker (6-3, 203, Jr.) brings impressive credentials to the position following his transfer from junior college. He recorded 31 catches for 449 yards (a 14.5 average) and four touchdowns during his sophomore season at Copiah-Lincoln.&uot;

Anyone who has seen Minor knows he has the potential to be a big-time player, as well.

One returning player State is glad to have back is senior kicker Scott Westerfield, who made 18-of-24 field goal attempts, the second-most in the league last year.

While the marquee name on offense will be running back Dontae Walker, the most interesting battle will be at quarterback, where up-and-down signal caller Wayne Madkin returns for his junior year.

Sophomor Brandon Butler and redshirt freshman Kevin Fant will push Madkin.

State starts the season with three road games, all winnable although dangerous.

The Bulldogs go to Memphis, Brigham Young and South Carolina.

State hosts Florida and Auburn before visiting LSU.

Then comes a home game against Middle Tennessee where the Bulldogs could easily be looking at 5-2.

A road game at Kentucky is followed by two crucial home games against Alabama and Arkansas.

Then comes the annual Thanksgiving Egg Bowl game which will be played at Ole Miss this year.

That contest just seems to be getting bigger and bigger each year and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Western Division title on the line on this November night.

State will hold its spring game on April 15.

Joey Martin is sports editor of The Democrat. He can be reached by calling 446-5172 ext. 232 or at joey.martin@natchezdemocrat.com.