Starkville - Amid a slew of injuries up front, Mississippi State was looking for some production from some young talent in Saturday's matchup with Alabama.
With defensive linemen Kalvin Dinkins, Trevion Williams and De'Monte Russell all sidelined, an opportunity arose for Russell's younger brother Donterry Russell, a redshirt freshman outside linebacker. The Bulldogs got creative using some two-man fronts with four linebackers, and the younger Russell played 28 snaps after not appearing in the team's first four games.
"I think right now we are trying to find value in anybody we can that we feel like can physically do it, number one, and then mentally, has the mental toughness to go in there and battle," defensive coordinator Matt Brock said. "To me, Donterry Russell is a great example of that. He goes out there. He does things and you look at him at 215-220 pounds and we asked him to do some things and he held up pretty well. So it’s just finding guys like that and what value can they bring, and then putting them in the best possible situation."
The Jackson, Miss. native has dealt with injuries throughout his time in Starkville, but when he got out on the field Saturday he started making plays from the jump. On Alabama's first possession, he came up with a huge third down sack against Jalen Milroe after spinning around his blocker.
His teammates have taken notice of the hard work Russell has put in. Safety Shawn Preston, one of the leaders of the MSU defense, immediately gave Russell a hug on the sideline after nabbing his first career sack.
"I’m so proud of that kid. If y’all knew the stuff Donterry has been through it’s crazy. For him to come in one of his first snaps of the season and make a play like that. That’s big time," Preston said. "I hugged him as soon as he made it. Nothing but joy for him."
When Russell got to campus last year, he was a skinny 195-pound pass rushing prospect just oozing with upside. He hit the weight room during his redshirt year to get up to 220, and the coaching staff has gained confidence in his abilities through his performance.
"I think he’s grown. I think it has been an up and down process for him but hopefully what he did the other night gave him more confidence," Brock said. "I know we gained more confidence in him. Hopefully he continues to gain confidence in himself and in how he prepares and doing things right on a consistent basis so he can go out there and make more plays on the field."
The former three-star recruit out of Provine High School finished his 2023 debut with five tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He combined with graduate linebacker Bookie Watson for a sack, and created pressure on four of his 16 pass rush attempts according to PFF.
The performance didn't go unnoticed by the Mississippi State coaches. Zach Arnett stated that Russell would see more playing time, and he's now expected to make his first career start on Saturday as he was listed as the top SAM linebacker on this week's depth chart.
"Donterry did particularly well. He will see increased game reps from here on out, assuming he continues to perform like that, be reliable and do his job," head coach Zach Arnett said." Real excited for him. The way he plays, he’ll play a lot more. That’s how it works. You play well, you’ve earned the right to play more. Excited to see if he can build off this game. He’s earned it."
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