If you're driving around Starkville, Miss., at 3 in the morning, you're one of two things:
Lost.
The defensive coordinator of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
If New York is The City That Never Sleeps, Starkville is The City That Always Gets Eight Hours. There's nowhere to go and nothing to do at that time of night in the Southeastern Conference's drowsiest little hamlet.
Unless you are Joe Lee Dunn. Then there's plenty to do. You're motoring into the office for some routine pre-dawn film work.
|  | | Joe Lee Dunn has made the Bulldogs' defense one of the SEC's best. |
Once two-a-days start, this is the way Dunn begins every work day.
"Ain't nobody here," said one of the nation's premier assistant coaches. "Nobody walking in your office, no telephone calls, none of that. It's really a wonderful time to be at the office and get things done.
"It's just the way I do things."
Dunn's way of doing things is rarely the conventional way. From his marsupial work schedule -- which allows him to go home right after practice to see his wife and three kids -- to his befuddling defensive alignments, Joe Lee is not afraid to be different.
When Tim Couch and Kentucky came to Starkville in 1997, Dunn greeted him with 11 defenders in a two-point stance. For the first couple of series, not a single Bulldog paw touched the turf before the snap.
Other times he's played with two down linemen. Or he's rushed eight or nine at the quarterback. He'll start five defensive backs, five linemen and a single linebacker if that gets his best players on the field -- which is exactly what he intends to do again this season. (It helps to have a sideline-to-sideline stud at linebacker, and the Bulldogs do in Mario Haggan, an All-America candidate.)
State will play two corners, a free safety and two "Dog" safeties, who are prone to line up about anywhere and do about anything. This year's star Dog, Pig Prather, was as much a blitzing linebacker as anything last year, recording 11 tackles for loss, including five sacks, to go with an interception and four pass deflections -- despite missing most of the last two regular-season games and the Independence Bowl with a knee injury.
With five defensive backs, Mississippi State can handle today's spread offenses and still get in the backfield regularly.
"I think the game dictates that," Dunn said. "The people that win the championships throw the ball, so if you want to win, you've got to stop that."
Mississippi State is winning at its highest rate ever, averaging more than eight victories over each of the last four seasons and playing in three straight bowl games. Credit head coach Jackie Sherrill for a lot of that, but don't forget the defensive coordinator's role.
Last year the Bulldogs' defense scored eight touchdowns. In 1999, Dunn's unit led the nation in both rushing and total defense, was fourth in pass efficiency defense and sixth in scoring defense. (Not coincidentally, State tied the school record with 10 victories.) In '98, Dunn's D scored five touchdowns and was the last school in the country to surrender a passing touchdown.
That high-impact defense blends well with Sherrill's conservative, low-risk offense. The game plan at State often calls for the offense to avoid losing the game while the defense goes about winning it.
Dunn loves betting on the ponies and will make trips to Las Vegas to watch races nationwide, while his wife plays the slots. But he disputes the assumption that he gambles on the football field. His pressure-everywhere defense will not send extra men after the quarterback if it's going to leave a receiver uncovered.
His reputation having gone national, Dunn said other college coaches regularly visit Starkville in the spring to study his strategy. What they find might be less revolutionary than they thought.
"The main thing you need are guys who can tackle," Dunn said.
Putting those tacklers in unexpected places is where Dunn comes in. Early every morning. Opposing coaches might not like knowing that while their offensive coordinator is hugging his pillow, Joe Lee Dunn is rolling videotape and looking for weaknesses.
Pat Forde covers college football for the Louisville Courier-Journal.
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