Mississippi State Football: The good, the bad, and the ugly vs. Alabama

Once again, the Mississippi State football team was on the road, this time in Tuscaloosa, against the Alabama Crimson Tide where they lost their third game of the season. This loss pretty much destroys any hope for a New Years Six bowl game or at least a bowl game near a beach in warm weather. Looking at the overall stat sheet one would assume that this game was very close and maybe ended with a last-second field goal or even a late scoring drive, but that was not the case.

Alabama led from the first score to the last and there really wasn’t a time when you thought the Mississippi State Bulldogs had a chance. This game did reveal a lot about the Mississippi State and Alabama football clubs which wasn’t good news for either. With that being said, let’s talk Mississippi State football: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good – Mississippi State Football Defense

The score may not show it, but Mississippi State’s defense was the best unit on the field this past Saturday. Mississippi State held the Alabama run game to what I believe to be a record low 29 rushing yards on the night. Time and time again the Bulldogs brought down the Alabama running backs behind the line of scrimmage and consistently forced three-and-outs, but as usual in Tuscaloosa, the black and white fairies kept giving the Tide additional opportunities. Five times to be exact.

Yes, the Bulldogs’ defense came to play and did so all night long. Here are some additional stats to savor the flavor. Mississippi State held Alabama to their lowest totals on the season in the following categories so far this season. Rushing yards allowed, the Bulldogs only allowed 290 total yards, while the second best in that category was Texas A&M with 399. The next category was rushing, only allowing 29 ahead of Tennessee who gave up 114 to the Tide in their win over Alabama the previous week. The last and most impressive stat was the yards per play where the Bulldogs held Bama to just 4.5 yards per play which beat Texas A&M who only surrendered 5.7 yards per play in their last-second loss to Alabama.

The Bad – Mississippi State Football Game Plan and Decision Making

I’m truly baffled and have no idea what goes through Mike Leach’s head when he travels to foreign soil. Would somebody in Starkville please tell this guy he doesn’t have to go for it on fourth down inside his own 40-yard line? I mean Leach got lucky a few times early in the season and now he acts like he is addicted to this mindset. It is hard enough to beat a team like Alabama much less spotting them 7 points in the first quarter.

In addition to the previous identifications listed above, why have we abandoned the run game? The Bulldogs have been averaging over 4 yards per carry the whole season but in the last two games, we have pretty much abandoned the running attack. Yes, the opposing defenses are bringing more defenders up, but we are still running effectively in the middle and off the edges. These changes just don’t make any sense to me.

Last in this section is the dinosaur comments by Coach Leach. Hey, I get it. Coach Leach is colorful and nobody ever has any idea what he is going to say when talking to the press or reporters, but I believe he needs to keep some of his criticism, especially about his players, in the locker room and not in front of the media and the entire nation. Talking about dinosaurs and evolution does nothing to help this team or Mike Leach move forward but rather becomes a distraction.

The Ugly – Alabama University and Coach Nick Saban

Prior to Saturday’s match-up against Mississippi State, the Alabama football program lost their first game of the season to Tennessee in Knoxville. Well after the game, hundreds of Tennessee fans rushed the field as all football fans have seen or done many times. Yet, on this occasion a member of the Alabama football team wide receiver, Jermaine Burton took it upon himself to strike a young woman in the head for no reason, or at least that’s what appeared to happen. Yes, I’m sure Coach Saban talked to him, and I’m sure he was sorry for what he did. You know what they say, old habits die hard or not at all with this Alabama athlete.

Predictions – SEC Week 9

Florida 17 Georgia 45
Kentucky 27 Tennessee 38
Arkansas 35 Auburn 21
Missouri 28 South Carolina 24 
Mississippi 35 Texas A&M 42