Bulldogs4

Yep. And winning 3 SEC games is not out of the question. This year proved that with three very close calls. But the team has to find a way to get over the hump and win some of those close games.

The schedule is definitely very difficult and the game at Minnesota will be a crucial one with respect to confidence and the potential of a winning season. Minnesota is a solid middle of the road B1G team, not great but not bad, very capable though. A winnable game for State but also lose able as well. As I mentioned, with some of the coaching turnover in the SEC there are some windows that might be open for State with a couple of those games. Like Harry Carey used to say every year about the Cubs “Hope springs eternal” But of course Red said “Hope is a dangerous thing, it can drive a man insane” LOL So we will see!!!

Merry Christmas from Meridian!! Go Wildcats!!!

I know the focus is on Ole Miss-Georgia and rightfully so. But could this be shades of 2013 for State? An unlikely bowl bid with a QB that appears to have a bright future starting in a bowl game. It just feels like a game that could thrust State in to a brighter 2026 in more ways than one. With KT at the helm, a win here and a successful venture into the portal to complement KT on the offense and just as importantly shore a porous defense, maybe State can turn the corner into a winning season next year. With some of the coaching turnover in the conference, there appears to be a window where State can take advantage and get back into the middle of the pack. But it starts with next Friday first and foremost. IMHO, a win is crucial to get fan buy-in going into next season, and put behind the disappointments and near misses of 2025. And then the boost of a star in the making in KT. We will see if it manifests itself in a week.

They really need to have a G5 playoff with 16 teams. Why not? It would make sense. Offset their games with the P4 and keep about 10 of the most historical bowl games for 20 other deserving teams. Those games could be interspersed through the Christmas season. That would cover it very well then.

Georgia is playing at another level and this will be a monumental task for Ole Miss. It is very difficult to beat a really good team twice in one season. But the Georgia of today is not the same animal that Ole Miss faced a couple of months ago. A pro Ole Miss crowd will help Ole Miss but at this juncture it’s hard to see them pulling out a win. For sure a great opportunity awaits.

TNT got two snooze fest games today. Ratings are probably so low they are looking up at Australia. Games should have been Miami-Oklahoma Vandy-Notre Dame A&M-Ole Miss Oregon - Bama or some combination thereof with no rematches. Would have been competitive with good ratings.

Tulane totally overmatched. Have to give a lot of credit to the Ole Miss players. They have handled all this coaching adversity very well. Last two games they have played very well.

Must win for State over Memphis. Despite the fact they were 4-6 coming into the game, you know they are always loaded with talent. 7-5 with Alabama A&M coming up. Still disappointing but there is a glimmer of hope. 9 days off is coming at a good time. Hubs is still not 100% and hopefully he will get some rest and be at full speed then.

I have not looked at the bracket but Alabama should beat Indiana. The Hoosiers have had a great season but they are playing a different animal in Bama this year. And yes I know they beat the ohio state but even they are not the same team this year. The win at Oregon is impressive as well but that was really their only two difficult games this year (out of 13). I still think Jawja is going to win it all. They finished the season on another level from everyone else.

Well that aged well. Bama totally dominated the game from the second quarter on.

Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Biloxi was a Big 8 powerhouse and Meridian had some great match ups with them. In fact the Coastal Big 8 in those was stacked with great teams year in and year out. Hope they can get back to being a good program again. They played Meridian a couple of years at Ray Stadium and even though Meridian won going away, I thought they looked like a good team.

Yep. We would probably have to win 11+ games in the Conference and win a game or two in the Tournament. And that is if “we win the remaining OOC games” (which has no guarantee of happening). And right now I do not see all that happening. But winning without Hubs carrying the team was the most encouraging thing about the game.

Huge comeback for State coming from 17 down to beat Utah in what was effectively a road game. Finished the game on a 59-34 run after being down 40-23. Now Utah is probably not that good but it was encouraging to see this happen.

Ole Miss should win. But if you are an Ole Miss fan, two things are concerning. 1. Playing a team twice and especially one you already beat easily can be problematic. No matter how much the players are cautioned against it, there can be a feeling of complacency that can set in. Tulane has nothing to lose and that can be a dangerous thing for Ole Miss. 2. Coaching upheaval. Now to Ole Miss’ credit, they handled business against State and did not let those distractions affect their performance on the field. Can they do that again? Will not having Kiffin on the sideline affect their performance. History suggests that it will not. The most dangerous thing for Ole Miss is to let Tulane hang around and keep it a close game in to the fourth quarter. Most likely they will establish a lead early and be fine. But….if they don’t…

He will always be remembered for the end of Arizona State game. And that was the game ended the misery of the last two years and started State’s comeback to relevancy. I will always appreciate his effort and I believe he helped bring KT along during the season.

Maybe he and Cannizaro can compare notes.

This is the key. Even though Marcus Boyles was only here one year, he had some momentum in that regard. I believe Vance can do the same. I saw some on here panning his temper. Hopefully he can convert that into a fiery energy. Plus he is a bit older now so maybe that has settled down a bit. As I mentioned there is a good youth and Middle school football program in place. Obviously it will need to be tailored to his system. We will see. I have always been a half glass full person so I am going to be cautiously optimistic going forward. And see where this goes over the next few years.

I thought there were four locker rooms at State. As that was one of the prerequisites for hosting.

Well we see how successful Vance will be at Meridian but I was impressed with his press conference. Very organized, well spoken and a good balance of pragmatism and enthusiasm. He acknowledged the work ahead but he seems more than up to the challenge. We know the biggest key is getting more boys from the hallways and the streets on to the football field. He seems like an individual that can bridge that divide though it has been a problem for many years. I believe he will be successful and I am looking forward to going to Ray Stadium this fall. Win or lose I believe we will see a much better squad on the field.

Tupelo-Gulfport has to rival the 2008 SP-Meridian game as one of the all time great finishes.

If USM garners Freeze & Nix that will be impressive. Freeze is a sleaze ball but he is a good coach and Auburn really pulled the plug prematurely. I could see him being successful in Hattiesburg.

And it appears that Chad Bumphis is out at State. Being popular with the fans does not always equate success. Obviously there were some behind the scenes activity going on with this situation.

It seemed that Hall did a good job down there as the OC. He was very good in the Gulf South at Livingston and West Georgia. Unfortunately USM is in a bad position. They hit the jackpot with Huff but only for one year. I actually think he will do well at Tulane where he has more resources.

Good thing the football team got good news today as this team regressed again. I understand we were playing without Hubs. But against SFO we should still win that game. Very disappointing and honestly just a poor performance today. Period.