By Bill Burrus
Don’t let the name fool you.
There is nothing soft about Mississippi State running back Fluff Bothwell. The South Alabama transfer has proven that in his first five games in Starkville.
He was born with the name Da’Marion, but it was his mother who named her third child Fluff since she was so big during her pregnancy. The name seemed fitting since he came into the world at 11 pounds. And now he’s the biggest running back on MSU’s roster at 5-foot-10, 230 pounds.
Bothwell takes great pride in his hard-charging running style, pattering his game off what he saw Marshawn Lynch do at California and then with the Seattle Seahawks. “He was my favorite player,” he said in reference to the retired NFL running back. “I know there’s a famous quote he said, I’m not going to say it, but I like that quote. You run through someone’s face, you don’t have to worry about it.”
Bothwell had been solid in the first five games, but his breakout game in last week’s 41-34 overtime loss to Tennessee saw him power his way to 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 23 carries.
“The team approach to running the ball was just to do it,” Bothwell said postgame. “The outcome kind of is what it is. When you have two backs, really the whole room, that can do literally anything at the running back position, you can have a good game.”
The outing was special for him but admits it was bittersweet since the Bulldogs failed to get it done in overtime. It was the 13th straight SEC loss for MSU, but Boutwell is excited for the rest of the season.
“It’s not over,” Bothwell said. “We’ve got plenty more games to play. We’ve got a lot of things to work on. Going into this week, we’re going to fix those things and have a good week.”
Bothwell and the rest of the backs will face likely their toughest test to date with a trip to face Texas A&M (4-0, 1-0 SEC), which is coming off a dominating defensive effort in a 16-10 victory over Auburn. Saturday’s contest is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
The Aggie defense held the Tigers to just 176 yards, and the Tigers went 0-for-12 on third downs.
Bothwell is ranked first on the team in rushing with twice as many yards, 405, on a team-high 70 carries and a team-high six touchdowns. He is ranked fourth in the SEC in rushing.
Bothwell parlayed his size and strength at South Alabama, where he ran for 834 yards and 13 touchdowns to make the All-Sun Belt third team.
He committed to Mississippi State on Christmas Eve of last year, after he learned that his running back coach was leaving.
“He wouldn’t tell if he was leaving … I took some visits. Coach Lebby and coach David Tucker made me feel at home when I came with my family, and it was just a great time when I was here on my visit.”
Not long after arriving in Starkville, Bothwell had to deal with the death of a close family member, a cousin who died in a car accident in late January.
“I mean it was hard for me … I missed like two days and came back like I just thought about what he would want me to do. You know you got to turn that grief into purpose and so I know my why now.”
Bothwell said he seemed to click right away with MSU freshman signal caller Kamario Taylor.
“I mean, my first day of class on campus, I see him walking, and then I saw him at the academic center. And I thought he was a receiver. And then he told me he’s a QB. And then after spring ball and everything, he moved into the apartment complex I stay in. And I’ve been able to get in a playbook with him a lot and learning the concepts and all that stuff.”
Lebby said it’s great to see all the new guys blending well and working together to get better.
