NATCHEZ &8212; Anthony Strauder, a former Natchez High standout and current starter at offensive guard for the Mississippi State Bulldogs has spent plenty of time on losing teams &8212; having played at Natchez during the down years earlier this decade and at Mississippi State in three consecutive losing seasons.

He&8217;s ready for that to change.

&8220;Oh, definitely (we&8217;ll be improved next season),&8221; Strauder said. &8220;At this time, one of the biggest things for next year is going to be rebuilding the defense. I look for us to have a dominant offensive line. I expect us to be the leaders of the team. We only lost one starter, and we&8217;ve got six key contributors, along with J.D. Hamilton of Natchez, coming back.&8221;

After redshirting in 2004, Strauder stepped in to start in his redshirt freshman season in 2005. Off-field issues limited his playing time in 2006, but he says he expects that to be behind him in the future.

&8220;I started the first three games,&8221; he said. &8220;The next five games, I came off the bench. Then, I started the last three games &8230; It wasn&8217;t because of play. I had some disciplinary issues and a misunderstanding with some of my coaches, so I&8217;m going to do everything I&8217;ve got to do to start every game the rest of the time I&8217;m here. If I&8217;m anything less than All-SEC next year I&8217;ll be very disappointed.&8221;

While a 3-9 season is never something to be excited about, Strauder felt the Bulldogs showed signs of coming to life by midseason.

&8220;At the beginning of the year we had a big, strong defense, but our offense wasn&8217;t up to par. We had a bunch of injuries and a lot of young guys had to step up. It took until midseason for the offense to jell,&8221; he said. &8220;Injuries to both quarterbacks held things up. I felt like we were moving forward at the end of the year.&8221;

With his collegiate career only half-finished, Strauder has plenty to look forward to; but he also has had plenty of good times to look back on.

&8220;Some of the major highlights are playing with great players like Jerious Norwood, who went on to play in the NFL,&8221; Strauder said. &8220;Of course, beating Alabama this year was a major highlight for me and for Mississippi State.&8221;