Bulldogs' Haggan tries to keep injury hush-hush

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Mississippi State linebacker Mario Haggan wants to keep his problem to himself as long as he can. <br> <br> When asked which shoulder he hurt last week against LSU - an injury that kept him from contact this week - Haggan said, ``Y&#39;all not going to tell South Carolina? I&#39;ll leave that unknown, how about that?&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Sorry, Mario. For the record, it&#39;s his right shoulder. But no way is it expected to keep the Bulldogs leading tackler the past three seasons from suiting up against the Gamecocks (3-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) on Saturday. <br> <br> ``I&#39;m pretty sure they&#39;ll find it,&#39;&#39; Haggan said. ``But I&#39;m going to play on it as long as I can.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> And the Bulldogs (1-3, 0-2) will need him if they hope to slow down a Gamecocks running attack that&#39;s gradually finding its way. <br> <br> South Carolina rushed for 185 yards in a 20-14 win last week at Vanderbilt. Quarterback Corey Jenkins had 97 yards and a touchdown. Fullback Andrew Pinnock added 69 yards. <br> <br> Mississippi State is last in the conference against the run, allowing 197 yards a game. Linebacker T.J. Mawhinney knows what his team is up against with the Gamecocks. <br> <br> ``They have about a 260-pound tailback and about a 240-pound quarterback,&#39;&#39; Mawhinney said. ``And they got (Ryan) Brewer, he&#39;s real good. They&#39;ve got a big offensive line, they&#39;re strong.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill is concerned Jenkins could overwhelm his team like he did on a decisive series a year ago. <br> <br> In that game, South Carolina coach Lou Holtz subbed in Jenkins, who led a third-quarter, seven-minute drive that led to what proved to be the winning field goal in the 16-14 South Carolina win. <br> <br> Jenkins had 75 yards rushing during the series, continually ripping through the Bulldogs. <br> <br> ``We prepared for the other QB,&#39;&#39; Haggan remembers. ``Jenkins came in with a different game plan that we hadn&#39;t prepared for and took us by surprise.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> There will be no surprises this time at Williams-Brice Stadium. <br> <br> Jenkins, 26, has been the starter all year long. He&#39;s South Carolina&#39;s leading rusher with 432 yards. He has also completed nearly 64 percent of his passes for 843 yards and five touchdowns. <br> <br> ``Offensively, they put the ball in the quarterback&#39;s hands and say, &#39;OK, you go beat people,&#39;&#39;&#39; Sherrill said. <br> <br> Sherrill said out of about 70 snaps he watched in last week&#39;s South Carolina-Vanderbilt game, Jenkins gets the ball about 40 times. ``I don&#39;t think that&#39;s going to change,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> And neither does Holtz. <br> <br> Jenkins, a senior, has become the team&#39;s playmaker. After a shaky start he had four of South Carolina&#39;s seven turnovers at Virginia a month ago Holtz says Jenkins decision making and touch have improved beyond belief. <br> <br> ``I mean, he&#39;s not just an athlete playing quarterback, I mean he is a quarterback,&#39;&#39; said Holtz. <br> <br> Jenkins realizes he tried to do too much to beat the Cavaliers. <br> <br> ``I&#39;ll be the first to say I&#39;ll take the loss on that one,&#39;&#39; he said. ``I&#39;m still going to make mistakes here and there, but I&#39;ll never have another game like that.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Mississippi State hopes Jenkins doesn&#39;t have another game like he did against them last season. Linebacker Mawhinney says his team has worked hard at stopping the run, but the Bulldogs are 100th in the country in that category. <br> <br> At least, Mawhinney says, you know where Jenkins is going. ``This kid doesn&#39;t really avoid tackles,&#39;&#39; Mawhinney said. ``He tries to hit the defenders.&#34;