Bulldogs4

Lebby is our 5th HC in 8 years. I agree that we have made a lot of progress this year despite the last two weeks. Stability at the Head is crucial. A win would do wonders but it is hard to see that right now. Going forward I think we can have some success in the Portal and on the recruiting front with the excitement of building an offense around Taylor, including getting better at the OL. Defensively it all starts up front and we must get better with the interior DL. We will see how it goes.

At this juncture, I see Ole Miss winning by 2-3 touchdowns. I know it’s a rivalry game and anything can happen but this year one team is winning games bigly and closely. One team has won some games , lost a few close games and has lost three games bigly. One team makes plays that leads to wins. One team commits crucial penalties, turnovers that lead to losses. No reason that I see that changing in one game. Does that about sum it up?

Team seems to be a complete mess. I do think there is plenty of talent. But that is what to be expected in this current era of throwing together a team every year. Most often it will take time to gel. Some times it is faster. But in this case you have only TWO regulars back, maybe three with Warren but he did not really play much last year. We are going to take our lumps over the next month. You hope that the team does not get discouraged because it is a long season. But in our microwave society fans have very little patience anymore. They expect results yesterday. We know Jans is a proven coach and he will have this team playing better as the season progresses. Patience will be required and it will eventually be rewarded.

I would agree that adding the 9th conference game along with having 16 teams in the conference makes the conference championship game meaningless (for the most part). But if people still attend it will continue. If attendance starts dwindling and TV ratings craters it will go away.

Kind of reminds me of State not recruiting Jerry Rice who grew up wanting to play at State only. a few miles away from where he grew up. Leaves me SMH.

Sad that this Hardy kid played at Lawrence County and State did not recruit him.

Plus throw in an additional 21 points on turnovers so the offense/special teams get some credit as well.

Not sure why Taylor is not playing now. Give the kid some experience.

Ugly wins are always good wins. State is so painful to watch. Our guys never give up but we have a monopoly on doing the dumbest things at just the right time for the opponent.

But they lost at home and played poorly. Too many turnovers and the edge they had with Saban is gone.

USM laying an egg though I know they are without their starting QB. SCar had two long TD passes and a fumble return for 21 of their 30 points in the first half. So I was not surprised that A&M came back to win. This is a different A&M team this year. They are solid. Okie giving Bama all they can handle right now. Daniel Hill has been a bright spot. Sure wish he was at State.

Just goes to show you never know how playoff games will go. Regular season really means nada other than potential home field advantage.

Area is safe and they have plenty of security. A few years ago, there were a few incidents but that is not a really problem. But I get it that perception dominates reality these days. IMO, there is still plenty of football talent at the high school. Now CC is right that very few of the white alumni attend games anymore which is sad. Unfortunately the school does not have many white students anymore either. Like a lot of cities, those kids are in private schools or the county schools. That is a discussion for another day. I do believe a young , energetic coach could revitalize the football program. There is still pride here and the support could return. Boyles had actually galvanized that in the community and he had people excited again about the football team. There is a solid youth program in place and the middle schools are doing well. With the right hire, the program can make a comeback. We will see what happens. But for sure, Shelton Gandy is not the answer.

Florida @ Ole Miss. SEC matchups can be fickle and you never know what will happen. But even if Florida plays better this week (and I believe they will) Ole Miss should cruise. Ole Miss 40, Florida 14 State @ Missouri. It is weird that a single lineman (Albert Reese) can make such a difference. But if he is available, I think State finds a way to eke out a win. Unfortunately, Smith is out on the defense, but I think the defense can load the box and try to stop the run. If those two things happen and if Shapen & Taylor both play, State wins 30-23. Alabama plays a complete game and overwhelms Oklahoma. Bama 28, OK 10. I look for Georgia to pummel TX. TX has been uber lucky all year. That runs out Saturday. UGA 35, TX 14. A&M keeps rolling even though SCAR puts up a fight. A&M 35, SC 13. Game stays close for a while though. I think Arkansas beats LSU. After last week, LSU has checked out. Arkansas cleans up the penalties and gets a win in Red Stick. Arkansas 24, LSU 22. USM gets it done in the Rock over Texas State. 31-20.

Think there is some scuttlebutt that USM’s QB may be out this week. That might be affecting the line.

Having a Shapen available is crucial. I am as excited as anyone about Taylor but he is still a Freshman. Having both of them these next two games gives us the best opportunity to win one or both games. Albert Reese is crucial for the OL to be better. Smith is a big blow for the defense but hopefully we can overcome that a little better than the guys on the offensive side. I will make my picks later in the week.,

Only 2 games in. Way toooooo early to wonder about Jan’s’ or this team. Iowa State was a very polished team whereas we were 5 individuals playing street ball. Way too much dribbling, no player movement on offense w/out the ball and passing was nonexistent. We will get better and no need to panic at all. Did I say we have only played 2 games? Epps did not play which definitely affected guard play. I think we will be fine going forward.

Regardless of what happens I am very happy for Coach Huff and USM for the season they have had. Unfortunately for USM, with all these open, he may get snatched up by someone even though he has only been there one year.

I know this is unthinkable. But if USM runs the table and wins the Sunbelt and the Championship game, could they sneak in the playoff as the G5 representative? They would be 11-2 and would have a resume that could match up with just about anyone else in the G5. I know it is unlikely but….. Discuss…

USM with a heck of a win over Arkansas State intercepting a pass in the end zone on the last play of the game to clinch a 27-21 win.

Still under talented. I was wrong with my prediction. Georgia is already good and when you fail to take points, make a crucial penalty and have a costly turnover in the second quarter, you eliminate any chance of winning the game. Plus Georgia was clicking on all cylinders today. Taylor got some valuable playing time today if there are any positives to take away from the day.

Not surprising that State struggled early. First game of the season. Lot of new players and it is going to take a while to gel. UNA is not a bad team and of course you knew they were going to play over their heads against a SEC team. The way State played late bodes well for the future. Offense will get better. Otherwise after just one game, way too early to judge how this team will develop.

1. I like USM to get the win but ASU will be pesky. It will not be easy but Eagles eek out a win: 37-31. 2. Georgia @ State. Tough to decide on this game. Common sense says to take Georgia in a land slide to wallop State. But at the tenth game of the game of the season a team is who they are. I am going to go with the unthinkable. State in an upset 28-27. Georgia has been playing with fire all season and this time they get burned. The breaks they usually get will go against them. I don’t have a fever. Ole Miss wins but the game is not a slaughter. A&M wins. KY beats FL Vandy over Auburn LSU gives Bama a good game just because the road team always plays better in this game but Bama prevails. Closer than expected though. TT by a bunch over BYU. Hopefully they blow them out. I have never had anything for BYU since the Mountain West refs gave them the game back in 2001 at State. Their OL bear hugged our DL/LB’s all night before they finally threw a token flag in the fourth quarter. Worst ever officiated game I have ever seen in person from start to end.

The vogue thing to do these days is to fire the coach mid season. It is an utterly stupid way to run a football program. I did not like it when State did it two years ago. Let the season finish out and then make a decision. And Coaching stability is vitally important to a college football program. Lebby is only two years in and making good progress and yet some of our own stupid fans were clamoring for a change over the last two weeks because we lost two gut wrenching games. I get it that emotions come into play. But only a one fourth brain person could not conclude that State is on the way to success. Seldom does it come instantaneously generally it comes in increments. Let’s look around the conference. Smart and Kiffin have been at their respective jobs for a while now = success. Heupel, Sark have been doing their thing for several years = success. Auburn, Florida, LSU changing coaches frequently is causing instability and their success is diminishing or has already diminished. A&M & Bama have relatively new coaches but they both came into good situations and are continuing to have success. Lea at Vandy is in his fifth season = success. Stoops at KY has struggled some last year and this year but they came up with a big road win last night. KY has done the right thing by riding with him through the low points. Arkansas-they have just not done a good job of hiring the right HC. Beamer at SC has had mixed success but I think they will do the smart thing and keep him. Just an observation from me. Frequently changing HC generally leads to diminished results over a period of time.

Which means we need stability at State. Lebby has a good thing going and we need to ride this wave for a while longer. Georgia good but they are not invincible either. They have been vulnerable all year. We just need to find a way win it next week.