Bulldogs4

As we all know, nothing is given or automatic on a Friday night in 7A-3. Each team is capable on a given night to beat anyone though I agree that Brandon & OG are the two best teams. But it appears this is one of those years where nobody is invincible. If one of those two teams plays poorly or has a rash of turnovers, they could certainly drop a game. While Meridian is still a ways to go to be equal to Brandon/OG, the win last night has to be a shot in the arm for confidence. Now we just have to build on it. Petal and Pearl are winnable games but we have proven that we are capable of losing those types of games too. Beating Brandon will be a long shot but we will see what happens there. While Coach Boyles is not a miracle worker, the team has slowly improved throughout the season. Hopefully the improvement will continue now with a big win under our belts.

Well Arkansas played tough against Alabama but came up short. I have seen that cut both ways. It could give Arkansas a ton of confidence and they will come out firing bullets next week. But on the other hand, an effort like today can take a lot out of team and even when the spirit is willing the fresh just may not respond. With Rogers out, I think we will be okay with Wright at QB but behind him we have basically nobody. So that is a deep concern. Will be interesting to see how the State-Arkansas game plays out.

Big Big win for the Wildcats… NWR had been playing very well this year!!! Lets Go Cats!!!

I watched Biloxi when they played Meridian earlier in the season. I thought they had some talent on the team. In the second half we wore down their DL. After they played us, they beat GC and I thought they were capable of making a run but it just has not materialized. Biloxi was a power house in football back in the 1960’s and even earlier during the Big 8 days. Meridian had a great rivalry with them for many years prior to 1980.

The schedule makers have done State favors with the next three games. We know the timing of when games are played can be a major factor in who wins or loses. State plays Arkansas after Arkansas has played LSU, A&M, Ole Miss and Bama over 4 consecutive Saturdays. Bama has been really good at beating teams twice.. State plays Auburn after Auburn has played LSU and Ole Miss back to back. Those are going to be two very emotional games for Auburn. State plays KY after they have played Mizzou and TN back to back. Again those are going be two big games for KY., I say that with the full knowledge if State does not improve immensely defensively and offensively none of the above will matter. Offensively, we have got to be able to score in the first quarter. Against LSU, Scar and Bama we were down 17-0 and 14-0 (2) before we ever scratched. We know defensively we are weak but if we put some points on the board early it is possible that the defense will play better. Opportunity knocks for State. Not that I have much confidence until we win a game but we are probably catching the next three opponents at about the best time we could hope for.

Unfortunately for State, the DL appeared to be a strength coming in to the season. But I think we have had 4 players go down with injuries. Obviously, injuries are a part of the game. We also know that a strong DL can help neutralize a weak secondary. They have had to throw in some young guys earlier than they planned. The Arkansas game will tell us a lot about this team. They are about equal to us but they are at home. We will see what happens.

Dang…USC beats AZ 43-41 in 3 OT’s. That must have been one heck of a game. Too bad it was not watched by anybody east of the mountain time zone.

USM losing is tough to see. Hall is a good guy and coach but this year is just about gone for the Eagles. AZ has an early lead over USC . It may not last but I did pick them to win in an upset. Coaching stability huge for State and Ole Miss. With Kiffin now in his fourth season at Ole Miss, it is paying off for him and the school. Same thing at KY with Stoops. I know they got crushed tonight but their program is in solid shape these days with him at the helm.

Kiffin made this game a lot closer than it should have been. Reminded me a bit of the AZ - State game. Game should not have been this close. But a win is a win is a win….And that is all that matters.

After digesting the WM-State game, I am of opinion that the WM coach is an idiot. His third string QB looked far better than the first two QB’s. Had he started we might have lost this game. Mean while back in Oxford, Ole Miss appears to have regained control of the game.

Let’s see if Ole Miss responds. That fourth down gamble totally changed the momentum of this game. Still a lot of time left though.

I know it is in his DNA. But PUNT THE BALL. I mean Kiffin just said here. I am going to give you a score. Fortunately, the D held them to three. But that three points may make a difference at the end of the game. They could have had Arky backed up. It is a game now.

If Daniels goes down, they are in serious trouble. He single handily won todays game. He is a tremendous QB but his effectiveness could start to be hampered with the beating he has been taking.

Certainly disappointing today. No cohesion at all. No way that WM should be within 10 points in the fourth quarter. Offensive struggles are understandable but our defense has been atrocious this year. But again this is our 4th head coach in less than 6 years. Stability is a must and the revolving door of HC’s (for generally different reasons but nonetheless it has happened) has hurt the program and this year the chickens have come home to roost. As I have noted, we are in a difficult situation. If you fire Arnett, then it is 5 Head Coaches in 6 years. Then you are probably looking at 5 more years before the program recovers. In our best interest, we need to ride with what we have. Plus we still have six games left this year.

Ole Miss wins. Arkansas has been a thorn in recent years but they are just not very good this year. Now they did take LSU to the final play but even with a letdown I think Ole Miss will win this one. Ole Miss 29, Arkansas 24. State 52, Western Michigan 3. Missouri wins and all the sudden LSU becomes LSWho with three losses. Missouri 36, LSU 27. Georgia is about due for a loss. This is a game they should win but for some reason I think they have a WTF game and lose it more so than KY winning it. KY 21, UGA 19. A&M wins an ugly game over Bama 17-16. Can’t decide if Bama misses an extra point or if they score 3 FG’s and a TD. OK bursts TX’s bubble in the State Fair of TX game. OK 48, TX 40. Washington State 31, University of California at Los Angeles 23 ND 28, Louie-Ville 18 AZ pulls off the upset AZ 34, University of Southern California 33.

A&M is playing well other than the disaster at MIA. This weekend’s game with Bama will tell us if they are for real. That is the makings of a close low scoring game.

We made the only choice that was realistic. That said a good coach should adjust themselves to the available talent they have. To date we have not done that.

Doubt it. Meridian-OG has kind of been like State-Bama over the last 5-6 years. OG has been the better team and even when we have had a chance to win we have found a way to lose. Meridian is 3-3 this year but we could be 5-1. But we are still a major work in progress although we have improved some during the season. This will be by far our toughest test to date. OG is clearly the better team but we will see how goes Friday night.

Arkansas is simply not very good this year. Ole Miss will certainly be vulnerable to a let down but I think they will win this game. This season is so weird. State and Ole Miss playing both LSU and Bama before October 1st just seems strange.

We were on the road last night but listened to the last part of the LSU-OM game on the radio. What a great game and a great win for Ole Miss. Before the season, I said State was a 6-6 team with a possibility of 8-4 if everything went right. 6-6 is still possible. There are growing pains with a new HC and a mostly new staff. Playing Western Michigan and then having an open date is the best RX this team could ask for. Last night 3 turnovers were just killers. Not that we win the game but when you take care of the ball, you at least give yourself a chance to win. 3-3 at the break with Auburn, A&M, Arky, KY, USM and OM left. Hard to see 3 wins there at this juncture.

One thing you can book. State is going to throw a pick 6 in the first quarter against Bama. Like clockwork. Like Nicklaus used to birdie the first hole in every major tournament. He immediately put pressure on his opponent. State insists on digging its own hole against Bama. It is just what we do.

Arkansas has been destroyed today at the LOS. I am traveling through Arkansas currently and have been listening to their radio guys and it has not been pretty.I think they said they have had 15 negative plays through three and half quarters. That is rough to say the least.

Another game that has flown under the radar is the Washington-Arizona game. WA is favored by 18.5. I do think they will win the game but I like AZ to cover the spread. And if De Laura can avoid turning over the ball (admittedly a very difficult expectation) then I think AZ has a chance to win this game. Additionally it is a home game for AZ as well. We will see how it goes.

Simply put. State needs to man up and beat Bama. In the last nine years only 2014 and 2017 did we play them straight up with a chance to win either game. Otherwise, they have had an easy time with us over the last 15 years. At this point, it is on the players to find a way to win. We will see how it goes tomorrow night.

That is why I picked 58-35. CO will score some but USC will score more and gradually pull away.