JACKSONVILLE — On a day when up-and-coming Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen signed a contract extension — one that would give him a substantial pay raise — much of the talk, per usual, centered on the nation’s hottest coaching seat.

Some Wolverines denied, like they have for much of the season, that Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez’s job security was on their mind as they prepare for Saturday’s Gator Bowl.

“Right now, we’re just focused on one thing and that’s trying to win the game,” senior defensive end Greg Banks said Thursday. “Everybody has like a sense. They all know. We just try not to talk about it. We’re just staying focused on what we have to do.”

Banks and other defensive players said that much of their focus in the bowl practices leading up to Saturday’s matchup with the Bulldogs have been focused on improving their defense, which ranked 108th in the nation this season and gave up almost 450 yards per game.

But with Athletic Director Dave Brandon’s decision coming soon on Rodriguez’s future, there’s no doubting that the team is fully aware of the staffing changes that may or may not happen after Saturday.

“You know, that’s always in the back of your head because of so much that’s has been said about it,” junior nose tackle Mike Martin said. “We’re just playing, and Coach Rod, he’s coaching, and we’re ready to show everyone January 1st."

The New Year’s Day bowl game will mark Rodriguez’s first bowl game since 2006, when he led West Virginia to a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia. But a lot has changed since then, as Rodriguez’s first three years in Ann Arbor didn’t necessarily go as planned.

And with that much pressure mounting on Saturday, Mullen sympathized earlier this week with his Gator Bowl counterpart.

“I hope I don’t ever have to imagine or go through that,” Mullen said on Wednesday. “But that’s the coaching profession. It’s tough. I don’t think people sometimes realize the effect it has — not just on the coach, but the families, the assistant coaches and there’s a lot of people’s lives involved in these decisions. And that’s the life we live as a football coach.”

RELF AWARENESS: Michigan’s defensive players have spent a whole lot of time defending the running quarterback this season. After all, each day in practice, they’re forced to defend Denard Robinson, one of the premiere running quarterbacks in college football.

But Mississippi State quarterback Chris Relf provides a different sort of challenge when it comes to running the ball.

“He’s a good runner, but he’s a downhill runner,” redshirt junior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen said. “Denard’s more of a shake-and-bake runner, makes you miss in the open field. This guy wants to hit up field and get in between his tackles and just run the ball.”

When asked if he liked that challenge, compared to Robinson’s elusive running style, sophomore linebacker Kenny Demens flashed a big grin.

“I want that challenge,” Demens said. “I want to take him on myself. I want that stop.”

Relf only passed for 1,508 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. But when it came to his ground game, Relf accounted for a respectable 683 yards and four touchdowns with his legs — a significant portion of the Bulldogs 16th-ranked rush offense.

In two games against Big Ten running quarterbacks, Illinois’ Nate Scheelhaase and Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor, the Wolverines saw mixed results. Scheelhaase topped the century mark in the Wolverines’ 67-65 triple-overtime win, but Pryor was held to 49 yards in Michigan’s blowout loss in Columbus.

Michigan hasn’t seen a quarterback like Relf though, a bruiser who likes to do most of his damage between the tackles. And if the Wolverines’ hope to stop Mississippi State’s potent rushing attack, keeping Relf in check will be especially important.

“Watching film and studying him, he likes to fake and just run up the gut,” Demens said.