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.