LSU is Mississippi State’s Moby Dick

November 13, 2012; Gonzaga Bay, BC, Mexico; Whale bones sit on the beach at race mile 300 during prerunning for the SCORE Tecate Baja 1000. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Spoiler Alert: If you’ve never read Moby Dick, and for some odd reason get the hankering to read an interminably long novel that moves at a snail’s pace but has become a classic because of the times when it does pick up the action and for its overall themes about ambition, blasphemy, and achieving greatness, then you might not want to read this. I will talk about how the book ends and some events that take place in the book. And yes, this all pertains to Mississippi State.

Moby Dick is one of the greatest novels with two of the most distinguishable characters in Literary History. The colossal struggle between between Captain Ahab and the great white sperm whale that is Moby Dick has been read for ages by millions. The book has many themes, but the book is a classic because of the insatiable desire by Ahab to kill the whale that took his leg from him. Moby Dick was able to elude and seemingly taunt the Captain throughout the course of the novel. Thinking about the LSU game and how difficult it has been for Mississippi State to beat the LSU Tigers, it is clear that LSU is Mississippi State’s Moby Dick.

Ahab wanted Moby Dick more than anything else

Ahab was consumed with the idea of killing Moby Dick. Throughout the course of the book, Ahab lies, breaks laws, and stoops to all levels to find ways to kill the whale that he loathes with every fiber of his being. He eats, sleeps, breathes, and thinks only of the white whale. Moby Dick was more than what Ahab could handle, but he didn’t care. There are times in the novel that Ahab indicates that he is aware of this, but he abandons all logic in his thirst for the blood of Moby Dick. He will do whatever it takes to bring down the legendary whale, even if it costs him his life.

Mississippi State fans are much like Ahab when it comes to LSU. Yes, our hated rival is Ole Miss, but we have had a track record of success since Jackie Sherrill took over and in the years since. Since 1991, there have been 23 Egg Bowls played, and Mississippi State has won 13. We’ve even had a small amount of success against Alabama. We have won six times in that same time period, with one of those wins coming against Nick Saban in 2007.

The same cannot be said against LSU. In that time period, we have only won two times. The last time we won in 1999, most agree that probably should have been a loss. The go ahead touchdown in a 17-16 victory for the Bulldogs came on a 4th and goal play from the 1 and most seem to think the call that we scored on was a missed call. Not only have we lost, but we have lost big. Most games have been blowouts, and even when we have played them well, the games have been blowouts. Last season, Mississippi State was with the Tigers every step of the way until the 4th quarter when the Tigers ran away with it. In 2012, Tyler Russell led a drive inside the red zone that would have put the game within one possession, but a pick six made the score look much worse than it actually was.

I can’t speak for all Mississippi State fans, but I can speak for myself and the large number of fans that have shared this sentiment with me. We want LSU more than any other game this year. Ole Miss will always be our rival and be the team we enjoy beating the most, but the LSU Tigers have eluded us, toyed with us, and humiliated us too many times to count throughout the course of my life. The Rebels haven’t done that on anywhere near a consistent basis since the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Many of us want the Tigers, and we want it more than any other team we play.

Ahab was blasphemous

Ahab’s desire to kill Moby Dick was denounced as blasphemous on many occasions by Starbuck. He tells Ahab this because Ahab becomes to believe that he is greater than God throughout the novel. There is also an underlying theme throughout the novel that Ahab has aligned himself with the devil to bring down Moby Dick. Ahab knew that he could not bring down the whale by simply following normal whaling procedures. He had to summon powers greater than himself, so his alignment with the devil was his only recourse.

Mississippi State fans believe that this is one of the best chances they have to beat the LSU Tigers. The season is still early. The Tigers are very inexperienced. Many of us see this as an opportunity to harpoon our own great white whale. To LSU fans, this thought is SEC football blasphemy. The Bulldogs have been a sacrificial offering for the Tigers to feast upon for years. To question this can only be thought of as blasphemy in Cajun Country.

There was nothing else like Moby Dick

Melville makes it obvious throughout the novel that Moby Dick is a creature like no other. The whale is a magnificent beast, unable to be harnessed and terrifyingly beautiful. Not only is there anything like Moby Dick in all the world, there will never be anything like him in the years to come.

Les Miles is nothing like any other college coach in the game today. His well documented grass eating, his unusual quotes, and his penchant for calling plays and making game decisions that make no sense on the surface, but seem to have a way of working out more times than not for LSU is unparalleled. There is no coach like Les Miles, and in all likelihood, there will be no other to follow his footsteps.

Will the narrative change?

In the end, Ahab tracks his prey and over the course of three days, viciously pursues the whale. In his desire to kill Moby Dick during his last battle, Ahab launches his harpoon and gets tangled up in the projectile. He strikes the great beast, but in the process, Ahab loses his own life and the entire crew and ship goes down with him. The only survivor is the narrator Ishmael. Ahab loses his life in a pointless endeavor as Moby Dick survives the attack.

Is 2014 the year that we break from the narrative of the past 22 games that have consumed Mississippi State? Is 2014 the year where we bring down our Moby Dick and bring the spoils of victory back to Starkville? Or do we fall into the same vicious trap and lie that Ahab believed in his continuous endeavor to bring down an opponent that can’t be defeated?

Mississippi State has a chance to rewrite the ending to this story. It’s next chapter will be revealed in Baton Rouge this Saturday.