Directing You to Basketball Info.

MSU had an open scrimmage on Saturday. My fellow blogger arliss at Mississippi State Basketball has extensive coverage that I advise you check out. Good stuff. This is his initial report and this is a more thorough look a couple of days later. Basketball is just around the corner so get yourself up to date for the season.

MSU 31 UK 14 !!!!!!!!

Fantastic win. I give Croom a ton of grief so it is only fair that I take my hat off to him on this day. Outstanding game from the coaching staff and all of the players. You've gotten us to 5-4 Croom, 1 win from bowl eligibility, and a win over #14 at their place, awesome job. Now lets finish this thing out. Oh yeah, apparently I was completely wrong about that whole Monday off thing. I take it back, good, no great call coach. I'll elaborate on the game further at a later time, for now I am going to soak up the victory. I'm so happy right now.

WV 38 MSU 13, And More

After surviving a gauntlet of tests this week, I am finally ready to return to the more important things in life, namely sports.

There isn't much I can say about that disaster on Saturday. It was eerily reminiscent of the type of spectacle we were accustomed to in 2003 and 2004. This thing was over in the 1st quarter and 6 seconds. Thats how long it took for West Virginia to seize a 31-0 lead. That is just pathetic. You can't sugarcoat it, even if you wanted to. After that things improved with MSU outscoring WV 13-7 in the final 3 quarters. Lets be completely honest though, while that was partly due to improved play from MSU, an equal if not bigger factor was WV stopped caring. So those last 3 quarters of play are pretty meaningless, at least in my mind. Nothing good can be taken from this, except possibly the play of Carroll and even that would be stretching things. He was 18-35 with 169 yards for the record. The entire team took a giant leap back, we have to hope this regression was one game and won't be a trend. So with that, we're moving on.



-How did Croom respond to his team rolling over and dying in the first 15 minutes? Did he have them run laps early Sunday morning? Maybe make Monday's practice an hour and a half longer? I think not. Nope, not Croom, he gives them Monday off instead. Huh? Next week is a bye week Croom, did you forget about that? Give them next Monday off. Heck you can give them next Monday and Tuesday off, I don't care. If you think they need a break that is when you give it to them, when you don't have an opponent. The decisions this man makes never ceases to amaze me. If MSU pulls off a win on Saturday, I will of course gladly retract all of this.

-This isn't confirmed by anyone, but I think Henig is pretty much done for this year unless an emergency comes up (such as a Carroll injury). For one thing, Carroll has probably played well enough to earn the starting job. For another, after Croom put Henig in the UAB game, for what possible reason nobody knows, he was complaining of pain in his hand on the following Monday. Later in the week he was saying he was having trouble moving some of his fingers. Way to go Croom, you screwed up his hand by bringing him back far far to early, in a game in which Carroll was doing fine no less. Another major screw up in a long line of Croom screw ups. Carroll is doing well enough and I feel he should be starting regardless of Henig's health, but the problem is, if Henig is still injured, we don't really have much of a backup now.

-Carroll has already broken a record at MSU. He has 109 pass attempts without an interception, which is the school record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception in a single season.

-Um, remember me praising Ellis Johnson? Well I take it all back. This defense has barely been average 3 of the last 4 weeks. This rushing 3 and 4 men only routine and rarely blitzing isn't going to work. The QB has all day and then some to sit back there. Titus Brown is a good pass rusher there's no question about that, but the problem is nobody else on the DL is any threat to get to the QB. Therefore all the other team has to do to eliminate the pass rush is simply double team Brown, which is what they have been doing. You're going to have to send some linebackers or maybe safety at least every now and again.

Big Time QB Commits to MSU

While the 2007 season is just a little past the half way mark and the 2008 recruiting class is still being put together, MSU has already got its first commit for the 2009 class. Chris Garrett committed to MSU over the past weekend. He is on Rivals 100 juniors to watch and according to this article, Scout's Hot 100 as well, though I can't find a link to it anywhere. Translation: they both think he is very good and one of the top QBs. He'll probably wind up a 4 star, and there is a slight possibility he'll be a 5 star. Chris Garrett also had offers from Mississippi, Colorado, and Alabama.

At 6'4 220, Garrett breaks the mold of the 6ft 200lb QB Croom has been going after the last few years. Thank goodness, and its about time is all I have to say about that. He is a pocket QB and won't be beating anyone with his legs. As a sophomore Garrett was 90-180 for 1478 yard and 9TDs with 8ints. Now what I really like is that it appears he has improved by leaps and bounds over the past year. As a junior, so far he is 56-85 for 929 yards and 13 TDs with 2ints. His completion percentage is up 15% and his TD to INT ratio is about 6 times better.

I can't tell you how huge this could end up being. MSU can definitely build off of a commit of this caliber. Good players want to be playing with other good players. Seeing a QB like Chris Garrett heading to MSU may very well entice other big time players to come as well. Now I'm not saying to be expecting a top 10 class here, that would be ridiculous. I am saying that Croom may have something going here and may be able to build off of this momentum, and the Garrett commit just adds to that momentum. Lets say that MSU can pull off two more victories and get to a bowl game. Recruits are going to see a team on the upswing with a top QB coming in. It won't single handedly win anybody over, but it sure won't hurt either.

UT 33 MSU 21

Well, another good effort but not enough to get the job done. Yet again I did not get to see the game but a few things were obvious from simply following on the radio and looking at the box score. First of all, this game was lost on the line of scrimmage. The MSU defensive line never got any pressure on Ainge and consequently he burned the secondary to the tune of 260 yards and 2TDs. That really wasn't all that unexpected. What really hurt was on top of that the D-line was unable to even slow down the Tenn. ground game. Arian Foster racked up 139 yards and a TD while Montario Hardesty got 78 yards on the ground. That was surprising, at least to me. I wasn't expecting the defense to give up over 200 yards on the ground. Basically Tennessee's offensive line took the Bulldog D-line completely out of the game. That is all there is to it. Seems simple I know but thats really the beginning and ending of the story

One big positive is that MSU finally found some semblance of a passing game. Carroll was 18/33, throwing for 203 yards and 2TD with 0 INT. Not Heisman numbers to be sure, but more than enough to keep the defense guessing, which is all I've been looking for. I wish I could've seen the game to see how Carroll looked. Oh well, thats the way the cookie crumbles. Promising numbers though which I hope bodes well for the future. A couple of observations from the last 2 games.

-Eric Hoskins has apparently taken the starting FB job. I'm pretty sure he is a walk-on but I could be mistaken. From what I've heard he has been quite impressive. I'm glad to see someone has finally stepped up. I never liked what I saw of Jeremy Jones. For being 270 lbs he sure was tentative. He never seemed to explode into his blocks, instead choosing to pull up just before contact. Your 270, run over those defenders.

-Marcus Washington got burned time and again on Saturday. He eventually got pulled in favor of Jasper O'Quinn who came up with a big interception in the 2nd half. In might have just been one game but O'Quinn might be close to taking the 2nd CB spot.

-Remember when I was praising Ellis Johnson a few weeks back? Well, maybe I was a bit too hasty. The D has been burned extra crispy against S. Carolina and Tennessee. I'm not horribly concerned yet but some adjustments probably need to be made.

-What has happened to Christian Ducre? He was really coming on strong but has been invisible in both the UAB game and on Saturday. If I remember correctly he only got a single carry against Tennessee.

I'm not all that upset by the loss actually. It seemed like MSU played a pretty good game but simply didn't have the horses to keep up. Surprisingly enough, the offense actually did well enough to keep MSU in the game, but the defense couldn't hold UT down. A complete reversal of what we're accustomed to seeing. Anyways, now we're down to 5 games to get 2 more wins.

4-2

After a week long hiatus I make my triumphant return. As I'm sure you know by now, MSU squeaked out a victory over UAB, 30-13. Thats one of those rare times that you can call a 17-point victory a squeaker. The offense was atrocious in the 1st half, racking up a measly 50 yards of offense. This is a against a very bad UAB defense too. They picked it up in the 2nd half but with 12:30 to go in the 4th quarter, MSU was still down 13-9. Fortunately State was able to put a couple of drives together and return an interception to salt things away. Just one or two quick points:

-It really is inexcusable for the offense to be this poor, particularly the passing game. You can only muster 50 yards in a half? 284 yards the whole game? Against UAB? Something needs to be done. Get an offensive coordinator who knows what the heck they are doing. Get a QB coach. Scrap the West Coast offense. I don't care, just fix it. I know what you're thinking, and no, the QB injuries are not an excuse. 119 yards passing against UAB? I guarantee you at least 75 other school's 2nd and/or 3rd string QBs could put up far more than 119 yards against UAB.

-Henig played a couple of series and was horrendous. 2-8, 26 yards, 2 interceptions. Was his hand bothering him? Was he brought back too soon? Or is this just the same old Henig? I don't know, but I do know Croom needs to stop pulling QBs out of the game. Carroll gets two series, the first of which not a single pass was called and on the second he goes 1-2, and then he gets yanked. Why? Riddell leads a 70+ yard TD drive against South Carolina and is immediately pulled in favor of Carroll the next series? An even bigger why? In each scenario, the replacement QB was a complete disaster. Let me give you some advice Croom, pick a QB and stick with him, even if he starts out slow and especially if he looks great on a long TD drive. I swear we must have the only coaching staff that pulls a guy for scoring TDs. Insane.

-Dixon stepped up big, putting up career highs of 32 carries, 152 yards, and 3 TDs. Maybe moving him to 2nd string motivated him a little? Looks like your move worked Croom. See, I don't just bash the guy, I'll give him praise too when he deserves it.

-Anthony Johnson's pick 6 made it 4 total for the team on the year. Impressive to say the least.

-While I'm dishing out the praise, congratulations Croom on getting your 4th win in a season. First time since 2000 that MSU has broken the 3 win barrier. You can't see me, but I'm doing a slow clap for you right now.

So, after the game on Saturday and on Sunday, I was pretty upset about how Mississippi State played. MSU once again struggled mightily against an inferior team that they had no business having such a difficult time against. Despite the 17-point margin of victory, they actually came extremely close to dropping this one. I was upset because my thinking was that nothing has changed in year 4. Upset one team you shouldn't (Auburn) and lose to a team you should never ever lose to (a hair from losing to UAB). Then come Monday, I decided I would rather just enjoy the moment. MSU is 4-2. Go ahead and say it out loud a few times. Go ahead. MSU is 4-2. We are 4-2. Sounds good doesn't it? MSU has a realistic shot at making a bowl. Its been a while since you could say that and keep a straight face. I don't know what the rest of the year will bring, but save for the LSU game, Mississippi State has been competitive all year. They aren't rolling over and dying after a little adversity. They're putting up a fight every game and I think that is what we have all been wanting to see. MSU isn't the doormat they were in years past. So you know what, while there are some glaring problems, I am very happy with what is going on this year. I thought they had a chance against South Carolina, I think they have a chance against Tennessee tomorrow. I never thought I would be able to feel that way about MSU at the beginning of the year. Maybe Croom is turning this thing around after all? I don't know, more needs to be seen, but I'm very pleased with where Mississippi State is at right now.



-As far as the Tennessee game goes, here is a matchup preview from Rivals. Nothing ground breaking but you can give it a lookover. Carroll will be starting. Croom said on Monday that Henig would at least get a series or two, but has since backed off that and is now saying he'll have to see how things go. Kinda sounds like Henig isn't looking good in practice but I don't know.

OOooOOOOOoooOo, New Basketball Court

Click on the image for a bigger picture. I like it. The absence of the Hump logo is unfortunate. I always thought those were pretty cool for some reason. Also I would like to have seen the lane be painted maroon. That is just me though.

A Hodgepodge of Thoughts

After rewatching the USC game I came to the conclusion that I didn't really have a whole lot to say about it. At least not anything terribly worthwhile. I've found that when I go beyond a broad look at the game I am far too harsh on the players, coaches, etc., even now when we are nearly a week removed the game. I'm not sure why, disappointment maybe? One would think I would be more pleased with a very respectable game against the #11 team in the country given our recent history. Anyways, I'm combining my thoughts (very broad and general thoughts) on the game with pretty much everything else I have deemed noteworthy regarding the football team.

-First off, injury news. Josh Riddell is out for the season after tearing his ACL against South Carolina. Terrrrrrrific. The QB position is in shambles yet again. Luckily Zack Harrington has returned to the team to help bolster the depleted position a bit. Here I was just last week saying Harrington leaving the team wasn't a big deal. Boy was I wrong. You know things are bad when you are left hoping that a walk on QB will return to the team. Some more good news is that Henig returned to practice on Monday. In fact he has done so well this week that Croom has said he'll be the #2 option against UAB. Wesley Carroll will be starting on Saturday.

-In a big roster move, Ducre will be get the start ahead of Dixon against UAB. The main motivator for this is the feeling that Dixon is doing too much east-west running. A good example would be that 4th and 1 disaster of a play against South Carolina. I don't know why a 235 pound back is trying to out quick people. Lower your head big guy. Frankly I think this is a great move. I've felt that Ducre has been running better, but I assumed it was simply due to the fact he only gets 10-12 runs a game and therefore is fresh. Looks like there has been more to it.

-The punt with 3:30 minutes to go, down by 10, was a ridiculously stupid call. For all intents and purposes, Croom literally gave up on the game and this team with over 3 minutes still to go. That is an embarrassment and it made me physically ill. Now would we be able to convert a 4th and 10? Highly unlikely with this clunker of an offense. It doesn't matter though, you have to at least try. Punting there effectively ends the game. Even had South Carolina just taken 3 knees, we would have gotten the ball back around the same spot on the field(our own 20) with about 2:00 left needing two scores. Thats not going to happen. I really believe Croom was hoping he would be able to get out of there with just a 10 point loss. I'll admit, Croom has not made near as many bone headed calls as years past. Saturday though, he added to his long list of grave errors. He gave up with over 3 minutes to go, down by just 10.

-We saw the radical difference in coaching philosophies between Croom and Spurrier in high contrast. MSU got the lead and Croom went into a shell and hoped he wouldn't have to score again if they just didn't screw up. It was the definition of playing not to lose. Spurrier on the other hand gets a huge blocked punt just when he needed most. Immediately he goes for the throat and gets a TD on the first play of the drive. That is the definition of playing to win. Sitting on leads and hoping for the best is going to burn you again and again and again in the future Croom. Mark my words.

-Okay, those are the two things that upset me most about the South Carolina game. Now looking at the positive side of the coin. MSU gave #11 South Carolina, at South Carolina, all they could handle. MSU was up 21-17 with 4:00 minutes to go in the 3rd. That is no small feat. Now don't get me wrong, in my eyes this was NOT A MORAL VICTORY. First off I'm not even sure there is such a thing (I think it is more to just make people feel better). Second, there are no moral victories in year 4. However I think it is pretty obvious that the talent level has gone up at most positions. The team has improved, significantly improved even. That is a credit to Croom, however I am not even close to being sold on him yet. Maybe I'll get into why at a later date.

The Imminent Approach of Basketball, Football Stuck in Twilight Zone

This isn't going to be about our game against South Carolina. I'll get to that tomorrow.....which means I'll probably actually get to it Wednesday. Mississippi State lost 38-21 by the way, in case you didn't know. How you wouldn't know by now I have no idea, but maybe it could happen.

-So first up, the wacky wacky weekend has really shaken up the college football world. Heck, the whole season has really shaken up the college football world. Lets take a look at the AP poll for this week: (Note: bold is my own addition)

1. LSU
2. USC
3. California
4. Ohio State
5. Wisconsin
6. South Florida
7. Boston College
8. Kentucky
9. Florida
10. Oklahoma
11. South Carolina
12. Georgia
13. West Virginia
14. Oregon
15. Virginia Tech
16. Hawaii
17. Missouri
18. Arizona State
19. Texas
20. Cincinnati
21. Rutgers
22. Clemson
23. Purdue
24. Kansas State
25. Nebraska


Lets look at that top 10 first. South Florida, Boston College, and Kentucky all in the top 10, all at the same time. In football. When am I going to wake up. Honestly did you ever think you'd see the day? Combine that with some of the other interesting characters in the top 25 and you see how insane this year is so far. Cincinnati, Rutgers, Kansas State, and Hawaii all residing in the top 25 on top of USF, BC, and UK in the top 10? I never thought I would see an AP poll resembling anything like this. My , how things have changed. This poll really should bring hope to MSU. You're telling me these guys can turn it all around and MSU can't? I don't think so. If we can see an AP poll like this, then I'm convinced MSU will get back in it one day.

-Switching gears to basketball, I have a couple of goodies from Rivals. First, they are counting down their top 64 for the upcoming year. They're putting MSU at #17. I was somewhat surprised. Personally I think that is a little too high. They certainly have talent and could have quite a bit of potential. There are just a few too many ? for my liking. How will Brian Johnson turn out? They'll need big contributions from him. He was highly rated out of high school but didn't get to show a whole lot at UL before getting injured. How will that knee hold up? How about the redshirt freshman Phil Turner? He'll have to be able to contribute coming off the bench. Will he? Maybe, maybe not. Lastly one of the 4 freshman will have to be able to give significant help to the team come gametime. I don't care which one, but at least one will have to be able make an impact this year. We'll see what happens.

-Secondly, they have two predictions for breakout player of the year. One of them likes our own Barry Stewart. A comparison is made to Timmy Bowers, you may remember him. Don't tease me McClellan.