Takeaways after Mississippi State loses to Missouri in a sad Senior Day performance

Mississippi State football took yet another loss, falling to the #23 Missouri Tigers 39-20 on Senior Day in Starkville. In a game where many believed the Bulldogs had a chance, they looked like the same poor team they have all season. State is now 2-9 on the season and 0-7 in SEC play.

State had every chance to seize control early in this game and failed to do so

When this game started, Mississippi State was granted a great chance at taking control. They took the ball first and moved down into the Missouri redzone. But a dropped pass led to a field goal. The defense forced a quick three-and-out, but with the ball near midfield, State had to punt right back after failing to convert on 3rd and 1. The defense had another fantastic series, forcing Mizzou to punt from their own one. State was set on at the Mizzou 32.

But two plays later, a sack fumble was returned by the Tigers for a score. And from that point on, the game spiraled away. It woke up the Tigers, who immediately asserted themselves as the far better team. If State goes up a couple scores early like they should have, this could've been different. Instead, they showed why they're a two win team.

It's impossible to only blame the Bulldog defense at this point

Much of the year, it's been the defense that everyone has piled on. That was justified, and believe me, they were bad again today outside of the opening possessions. But the offense takes equal blame for this loss in my opinion. State finished with just 338 yards. They went 2-10 on third down and 1-3 on fourth down. They settled for field goals twice in the redzone, including on a goal to go. Michael Van Buren had inaccurate passes. There were drops. There were blown blocking assignments. And there were calls that were head-scratching.

Jeff Lebby's side of the ball has had its moments this season. You can see the makings of a good offense with further development. It's more than can be said for the defense. But there's been plenty of bad from that side of the ball too, and it's fair to criticize that.

The Bulldogs wasted an opportunity to have all the momentum entering the Egg Bowl

There was a pretty notable (and hilarious) result earlier today when #9 Ole Miss, who simply had to win out to go to the playoff, lost to Florida. That loss has ended any shot at the Rebels going to the playoff, which was their biggest goal this season. They went all in on being a championship contender, and they failed at that. Needless to say, the mood in Oxford is pretty dejected right now. And if State could've pulled off a big upset over Missouri today, they'd have had all the momentum going into the Egg Bowl.

Instead, State, as discussed, killed their chances at the upset by wasting away their opening drives, and that has killed their chances at having momentum going to Oxford as a result. You could've convinced yourself of a fired-up Bulldog team heading north against a shellshocked Ole Miss team and having a chance. That won't be happening. I'm sure State will still go all out to end the season on a high-note, but they won't have the same juice (juice that would be needed to get a win).