After getting completely manhandled by Auburn – in a game that Las Vegas originally favored MSU by one point – questions abound for Dan Mullen.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. After the South Alabama loss in Week 1, we were furious with the performance and Coach Mullen’s cavalier attitude about it. But he came out in Week 2 vs. South Carolina with a ton of energy and the team was firing on all cylinders (at least during the 1st half when they jumped out to a 24-0 lead).
So maybe the South Alabama game was a mirage? They didn’t play great in Death Valley but it wasn’t awful and almost came back to win. The UMass game wasn’t a pretty game but it was a win in an unusual environment.
With a week off to prepare for a game that most everyone including myself labeled as a must-win for any bowl chances this year, the team came out flat. The game plan was horrid. The preparation and execution was non-existent. Effort was mediocre. Auburn treated State like they were a FCS team until halftime, and then they hit cruise control in the second half and coasted to a 38-14 victory.
This isn’t just about one game. These five items we’ll discuss are issues that have all bleed into this season from previous years. Some have only been issues for about a year and a half while others have been bubbling under the surface for a handful of years.
Dan Mullen needs to fix these issues immediately, because if he doesn’t he’s going to back himself in a corner where the only option is for him to leave Starkville.