Two quarterbacks. One ball.  
It may be the least popular trend in the country, as well as the Southeastern Conference.
Just don’t tell that to Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen.
The second-year coach is once again heading up an offensive attack that includes two quarterbacks — junior Chris Relf and redshirt freshman Tyler Russell.
“If you have two quarterbacks with very different talents, you can use one to highlight each of their talents. That’s an advantage,” Mullen said.
Relf, listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 240 pounds, is better known for his scrambling and playmaking ability. The 6-foot-5-inch, 225-pound Russell is more of a pocket passer.
The combination provides for an interesting matchup for defenses.
“We do a really good job of complementing each other,” said Russell, who was a Rivals.com four-star recruit in 2009. “The defense never knows what’s going to happen when I get in there or Chris gets in there.”
The two have almost evenly split playing time in the team’s first two games. Relf has thrown 35 times compared to Russell’s 25, but it’s Russell’s statistics that jump out at first glance.
The Meridian, Miss., native threw four touchdowns passes in a season-opening win against Memphis but was only 4-for-9 for 19 yards last Saturday in a 17-14 loss to Auburn.
The more experienced Relf took the bulk of the snaps against Auburn, attempting 26 passes to go along with 14 rushing attempts.
Logic says a player wouldn’t be too ecstatic to share snaps, but surprisingly, there isn’t animosity between the pair.
“It’s not like we’re battling. We’re teammates,” said Russell, adding the two are close friends off the field. “It’s our job to tell each other things to put us in the best possible situation to win.”
The duo gets a chance to go up against one of most stout defenses in the SEC on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. Even though LSU leads the nation in sacks, Relf and Russell should still provide enough entertainment for the rowdy crowd.
“Watching those two, it’s one of the most unique one-two punches we have in the SEC,” said LSU sophomore receiver Russell Shepard.
Coaching staffs normally cringe at the prospect of playing two quarterbacks with regularity, but not Mullen.
It all started nine years ago when Mullen developed Josh Harris and Andy Sahm during his tenure as quarterbacks coach at Bowling Green. After a brief stint at Utah, Mullen helped orchestrate one of the nation’s best offenses at Florida in 2006, using a two-headed monster with Tim Tebow and Chris Leak.
The 2010 version of the two-quarterback system is vastly different than Mullen’s 2006 scheme he ran with Leak and Tebow.
In 2006, Tebow was a freshman and Leak was the established veteran, making it easier for Mullen to implement special packages instead of splitting duties down the middle.  
Mullen said Tebow only had five or 10 designed plays per game, with Leak receiving the rest of the snaps.
Mullen’s past and sense of familiarity with juggling two signal callers has helped keep Relf and Russell at bay.
“Everywhere he’s been he’s had two quarterbacks,” Russell said. “That’s why we’re able to make it work. It’s not something he hasn’t done before. He knows disadvantages and the advantages of it.”
Mullen has no rhyme or reason as to how he decides who is going to play or how long either will play.
Mullen and offensive coordinator Les Koenning don’t have specific plays or packages for Relf or Russell.  They just simply let them play.
“A lot of our rotation is by feel during the course of the game,” Mullen said. “They’ll both play. As the game plays out, we’ll see who has the hot hand.”
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Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]