Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of previews of the Southeastern Conference.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Mississippi State quarterback Michael Henig had his doubts about whether he should continue playing football.

And frankly, who could blame him after the string of bad luck he had around this time last year?

It was one unfortunate injury after another for Henig, and even the most laid-back quarterbacks can take only so much before they start questioning themselves.

"I got plagued pretty good with some injury problems, but you stop and you think, 'Man, is this what I need to be doing?'" Henig said.

"But then you realize what's deep down in you -- just the love for the game to go in there and rehab and get 100 percent and get ready to come back out."

Barring any freak accidents, Henig will enter the season as MSU's starting quarterback.

But when it comes to the junior, anything is possible.

Henig's series of unfortunate events began last June when he broke a toe on his left foot when he slipped while running up the stairs at his family's lake house to play a friend in a game of pool. He needed surgery after shattering his toe in three places.

Henig returned in time to start MSU's season opener, only to break his collarbone in the second quarter of a 15-0 loss to South Carolina on national TV. To add insult to injury, the quarterback suffered a concussion earlier in the game.

Henig completed only 43.8 percent of his passes during his injury-plagued sophomore season, and he threw more interceptions (9) than touchdown passes (7). He also broke his collarbone again later in the season.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, struggled to find any consistency and went 3-9, their third consecutive losing season under coach Sylvester Croom and sixth overall.

"Injuries are part of the game, part of life," Croom said. "We sure don't need one to happen to (Henig), but those things happen. He did a great job preparing."

Even with a healthy Henig, the Bulldogs aren't expected to do much in the SEC this upcoming season. They were again picked to finish last in the SEC West, even though Croom said he sees progress being made.

It certainly would help if Henig could stay on the field.

To get his body more prepared for the physical bounding that comes with being a quarterback in the SEC, Henig said he added around 25 pounds to his 6-foot-1 frame in the offseason.

How did he gain the weight?

Henig said he made late-night visits to Cold Stone Creamery, drinking as many milkshakes as he could stomach and ordering coffee ice cream with strawberries mixed in.

"It was fun for a little while," Henig said.

The junior actually put on too much weight for MSU's coaches, getting to around 206 pounds at his heaviest. The extra weight slowed him in the spring, but he's since gotten to where Croom wants him to be.

"I think he's worked a lot more in the weight room, a lot better than what he had previously," Croom said. "He's gained some weight."

Henig could use some good luck, as well.