Bulldogs4

Ocean Springs lost to Petal 43-21. I don’t think they are really bad this season but obviously they are rebuilding. Meridian is definitely improved but I feel like we are going to be inconsistent this year as the players get acclimated to Coach Vance. We could be world beaters one Friday night and then lose to the Little Sisters of the Poor the next Friday night.

Meridian kind of reminded me of State in Leach’s first year (2020). Went to Baton Rouge and beat the defending Champs (LSU) convincingly. Then promptly came home and lost to a mediocre Arkansas team. Now where Meridian is concerned, I do think we will improve from here. I will be interested in seeing how we play against Starkville. Obviously I don’t expect to win but if we can clean up some issues from this past Friday night and are competitive, I will feel better about the season going forward. We will see what happens.

And last night, you could tell he was cognizant of not getting hit. Several times he went out of bounds or slid down after a run. Honestly I think he was only tackled once the entire evening. Now granted it was ULM but still good overall. He had two bad passes. Which are going to happen. And two other times he just needed a bit more touch on the pass. But I am nitpicking here because he was just plain good and the ceiling for him is the sky. Defensively we were very vanilla but that was all that was needed. Their TD was just a busted assignment, simple as that. Again nobody is going to be perfect. Now the season really starts at Minnesota. Let’s Go Dawgs!!!

State looked like you are supposed to look like against an inferior opponent. Overall, a good night. We will have a better sense of how good we really are after the game at Minnesota. Really has the makings of a good game. LSU just took Clemmie about behind the woodshed for an old fashioned a** whooping.

Just a classic let down after a big win. Plus give Neshoba Central credit. Playing Meridian is their Super Bowl and they played very well. Lesson learned hopefully for Meridian.

Yep, we are taking our 7 and 6 year old grandsons. And they have a blast. This will be the fifth year in a row that we have taken them for at least one football game during the season. And we usually do the same for basketball as well.

Well Meridian listened to everyone pat them on the shoulder telling them how good they were and then promptly lost to Neshoba Central. I almost saw it coming. You win a game by a large margin that you were supposed be lose. But then you get the big head and lose to a team which was seemingly not even close to the team you beat.

Well it appears that college eligibility will be wide open. Play in the NFL for 5-6 years, get cut and then simply return to college and play football and take a few more classes. Honestly, I really don’t see how that can be stopped. And that applies for all sports.

I did not know that HC had been terrible in the recent years.

Even most SEC fans are now Clemson fans even if it is for one Saturday night only. lsu loses both ways regardless of the outcome of the game.

Certainly have mixed feelings about his firing. Not sure that his outburst warranted being fired but obviously there is more to this story. Instead of calling the Board idiots he should have said what they have done is idiotic. One thing is for sure, EMCC will never match the success they had under him again. But they did Bull Sullivan the same way over 50 years ago. Will be interesting to see where he lands. He is a winner and knows how to coach difficult players in a way that creates success.

Agreed, I have not bet on games in 30+ years. Too unpredictable.

UNC with an impressive defensive performance against mistake prone TCU for an ugly 15-10 win in Dublin. What a cool trip for the players and fans.

Definitely pleasantly surprised. We knew the team would be improved but nobody, I mean nobody expected the result from Friday night. Coach Vance has gotten the kids to play together. Also off the field the kids are showing good character. We will see if we can build on this as the season moves forward. SE Lauderdale appears to be improved. Lanier beating Harrison Central was a surprise. West Lauderdale getting waxed by Seminary was an eye opener. GPT beating Yune was not a surprise but by a blow out and shut out was.

Don’t think Starkville/WP will score 37 points combined. I do favor Starkville to win but in a much lower score overall.

Surprises: Seminary walloping WL. SE Lauderdale seems improved Louisville whipping WP PRC edging WC WJ melting down against Laurel Not a surprise: Hattiesburg collapsing against Petal

Agreed. We made a lot of mistakes last night and there is a lot to clean up with penalties and special teams. But improving that coming off a big win feels much better than a loss. Need to take care of business against Neshoba Central first and then get ready for Starkville. Starkville-OG will be a good match up to see where each stands.

I think it is to be expected that State is predicted to be 3-9 by Vegas/ESPN. Based on the record over the last three years why would they not predict any differently? It is up to State to prove them wrong. The talk and expectations from the Coach and players say that State will be better. The play on the field will yield the results. And we will see how that unfolds this year.

Certainly glad to see Meridian 47, Ocean Springs 9 instead of Ocean Springs 30, Meridian 14.

Well if Meridian can build on last night’s blow out of Ocean Springs, some of the old gang may find their way back here. I am pleasantly surprised. I knew he would improve the program but I was not sure how fast we would see results. Obviously it is just one game but boy it sure does feel good to get a big win on the road against a really good team.

CC, You are probably right about Wells case. Watching the game, it appeared that OS may have been overconfident and Meridian punched them in the nose early on and they never recovered. And Meridian appeared to be in much better physical shape than OS. Coach Vance definitely has made it clear that he wants to “Restore the Roar” in Ray Stadium. Hopefully these players will build on this win to do just that.

We still had a lot of mistakes and we will need to clean up some penalties but it does feel good to get a big win. Ocean Springs , I am sure has been hurt by all the distractions swirling around about Nolan Wells. No doubt it has affected the football team. That is a shame.

Meridian just does not have much to talk about these days. Over the last 10 years I think we may have 2-3 winning seasons. We will see if Tony Vance can revive the program. Mainly it is just a wait and see this year. If we can just look like a competent football team, I will be pleased. Regardless of the win/loss record.

Interesting column by Rick Cleveland in MS Today. Commented that MM Roberts was an avowed racist and that the stadium should have never been named for him in the first place. Of course it will always be called “The Rock” by the fans. https://mississippitoday.org/2026/08/21/usm-the-rock-renasant-stadium/

Auburn, Tulane, JMU will most likely be losses. UCONN, USA, Troy, ULL, OD, LA Tech are 50-50 type games.