Story Lines Through the First 1/3 of the Season
Each fall the football season passes through us like a swift wind. I’m always trying to slow it down and savor the excitement, the weather, the pageantry – you know what I’m talking about.
I like bye weeks. It lets me catch my breath. So let’s do that, and take a look back at the first four weeks of the season before we start moving forward.
Preseason
- Can MSU win 10 games?
- Can MSU compete for the West?
- Is Dak Prescott a Heisman trophy contender?
Week 1
1. Dak Prescott injury – the drama associated with possibility that Dak had an ankle injury was like nothing we’ve seen before. Rumors soared and folks started to freak out. Finally, Dan Mullen calmed the nerves of many fans when he said Prescott would play.
2. Southern Miss was not a good team, but a 49-0 woodshed beating further proved this is OUR State.
3. Red Zone offense – it was hard to find anything bad about a 49-0 win, but MSU was just 1 for 4 inside the red zone so naturally there was something to be concerned about.
Southern Miss hype video:
Week 2
1. Jack Cristil passed away. M&WN writers honored the legend with several posts. A memorial service was held on Thursday at the Hump.
2. Rotating quarterbacks – this ignited message boards and social media as fans could not understand why Dan Mullen wanted to rotate QBs like he was doing. Mullen insisted during the week that he would continue the rotation, and he gave his reasons why on the coach’s radio show. Justin called this move his biggest coaching gamble yet as the Bulldogs went into the South Alabama game.
3. Preston Smith won his second SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week recognition in as many weeks.
4. Placekicking – MSU missed two extra points vs. UAB and had a third bounce off the upright. They were still the only SEC team to not make a field goal yet. We wrote about the possibility of going for two after each touchdown.
5. Secondary – the Bulldogs had a rough outing against UAB in terms of pass defense. They gave up 435 yards through the air including four plays of 50+ yards. Geoff Collins addressed the issue saying the game plan was to stop the run leaving the corners one-on-one and UAB perfectly executed every time.
UAB hype video:
Week 3
1. The biggest story line for the week of the LSU game: the growing sentiment that Mississippi State could go to Death Valley and beat the LSU Tigers. More and more analysts jumped on board as the week progressed. It was a groundswell of support in favor of the Bulldogs because of the talent and depth on the team, and the question marks surrounding LSU.
2. Preston Smith won his third straight SEC D-lineman of the week award.
South Alabama hype video:
Week 4
1. The win in Baton Rouge was incredible! State fans used the bye week to celebrate in full.
2. Dillon Day stepping on two LSU players continued into a story and he addressed it with a letter he wrote to Bulldog fans. Eventually he was suspended for the Texas A&M.
3. The Dak Prescott hype became a reality. The praise that was heaped on him all off-season turned out to be legit.
4. Fletcher Adams committed to MSU just two days after the big win.
5. Dak won co-offensive player of the week in the SEC, and Ben Beckwith won offensive lineman of the week.
LSU game hype video: