Dawgs Win Again! As most figured the Mississippi State football team would make easy work of the ETSU Buccaneers and that is exactly what happened. Mississippi State currently stands at 7-4 on the season and 3-4 in SEC play. This week’s match-up with in-state rival Ole Miss will become a major decider in what bowl game the Bulldogs attend in late December or even early January.
In most recent projections, the Bulldogs have been projected in several venues such as the Texas Bowl vs. Baylor or Oklahoma or the Las Vegas Bowl vs. UCLA, but my least favorite option is the projection of the Bulldogs playing in the Music City Bowl vs Purdue. Either way, these projections will not mean much if State goes to Oxford this week and upsets Ole Miss who is currently a 2.5-point favorite of the Bulldogs on the road. So, let’s talk about what happened against East Tennessee State University this past weekend, with the good, the bad, and the ugly vs. ETSU.
The Good – Pretty much all aspects of the game
ETSU was no match against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on either side of the ball. The Bulldogs did what they wanted when they wanted against the Buccaneers putting up 418 yards on the night mainly in the passing game. Will Rogers had a good day through the air completing 30 of 37 attempts for 301 yards and five touchdowns, while Chance Lovertich went 6 for 6 with 36 yards and a touchdown in short work.
The defense did their part as well, only allowing 154 yards during the contest, most of those yards coming on the ground. Where the defense really shined was in turnovers with three interceptions and one of those resulted in Emanuel Forbes returning his sixth career pick-six which is also an SEC record for pick-sixes by a single player.
All in all, this was a good primer for this week’s contest against Ole Miss who had a very hard-fought contest against Arkansas this past weekend resulting in their second loss in a row. I’m pretty sure the Rebels are beat up after that game but are going to come into this week’s match-up fired up and ready to get back in the win column against our Bulldogs.
The Bad – Third down efficiency and time of possession
The Bulldogs were 5 for 9 on third down attempts this past Saturday. That was against a much lower level of competition than we will face this coming Thursday in Oxford. Our third down play-calling needs some new energy, and some new schemes in both the ground and the passing game. 5 for 9 on third down will not get us a win against the Rebels.
Also, how about the time of possession? In a game where we outscored our opponent by 49 points, how in the world did they win the time of possession in this game? Most will say that we scored fast or that defensive scoring staked the scoreboard but neither can explain how a team that is designed to control the clock loses that battle in such a lop-sided win. Time management and time of possession are two of the most important aspects of the Air raid offense and lately, we have been losing both.
The Ugly – Jimbo Fisher
What kind of football coach can you get for 9 million dollars a year? Well, it would seem like a pretty good one compared to those in that price range, wouldn’t it? Currently, there are a few coaches in that pay range in the SEC that make more than 9 million even above 10 million in this league such as Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, and Brian Kelly (just under 10 million). So what is the deal with Jimbo?
Mississippi State Football – Prediction vs. Ole Miss
Ole Miss just lost their second game in a row against Arkansas this past Saturday night on the road. I will admit they were victims of that home-field advantage with the officiating crews which made the game look a little lop-sided. Ole miss is probably the most dangerous team we have played this season with its hurry-up offense and ability to score fast in both the run game and passing game.
Against Arkansas, the Rebels put up 703 total yards which were 240 through the air and 463 on the ground. Most of those yards came in the second quarter after the game was already out of reach.
This is a well-coached team, but they might be a little distracted with the Auburn coaching vacancy which seems to be calling on Lane Kiffin more than the Ole Miss fan base would like. I believe that this might be an issue this Thursday night. State wins late by stopping the big plays and containing the run game.
Mississippi State – 31
Ole Miss – 28