Close, But No Cigar

 CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR

Once again the Gridiron Gods have spoken: "Dear Ole State, thou aren't quiiite there yet." We State fans know how Moses felt when he reached the mountaintop, knowing that despite overcoming much adversity, he wouldn't make it down the other side to the Promised Land. No lie, this one hurt ... still does the next day. We came sooo close. A snippet from the old Paul Revere & the Raiders song Hungry comes to mind, i.e., "I can almost taste it ...." 

The back and forth, ping pong characteristic of Miss. State games so far this season seems to be our lot in life for now. Before the season began, I thought we had no chance to beat UT-E. But going into the game, although I didn't really expect to win, I thought we had a puncher's chance. During the game I saw my expectations for a Bulldog win come and go numerous times. It was like those long rallies when Chris Evert Lloyd played Martina Navratilova in Grand Slam tournaments. When we won the toss in OT and got to play defense first, I expected MSU to win. Even after giving up a first OT play TD to UT-E (UT - East to differentiate from the Western orange-clad UT interloper we have allowed to buy its way into the conference) and looking lost on our first 2 offensive plays, when Evans made the catch and hurdled his way down the sideline for a 1st down at the 5, I still expected the 'Dogs to win. Sadly, the law of averages ruled that the skill and fortune that we had against AZ State would elude us last night. In the end, I was left with massive disappointment over a loss in a game that I genuinely thought on several occasions we had in hand, but some hope and pride that we had proven that we can indeed play with a top level SEC team. We are better -- not quite good enough yet -- but much, much better.

Fluctuation Between Hope and Fear

Consider the constant shift in fortune of the Bulldogs last night:

• As the game began, Shapen, the line, and the backs looked completely overmatched, and the first possession ended with a 3 and out and a punt by Pulliam from the MSU 19, but his 54 yd. kick pinned the Vol returner to the sideline, he muffed it, and the Bulldogs recovered at the UT 20 then scored to take the lead.
• The Big Orange gashed State running and passing, driving quickly toward a tying TD but were stopped by the 'Dog D and had to settle for a FG and continued to trail.
• State's 3 and out and punt from their own 32 looked destined to set UT up in great field position to drive and take the lead but Pulliam boomed a 67 yd. punt that rolled dead at the Vol 1. 

  

  Pulliam punts, Gayten recovers UT bobble

  
  
• With the Vols looking at 99 yds. of real estate MSU seemed set up to get the ball back with great field position, but UT completed a 39 yd. pass and suddenly they were the ones driving to score, but the Bulldogs dug in and forced a punt from the State 49.
• On the first play Shapen threw a pass behind Fluff which ricocheted into the hands of a Vol, who turned it into a Pick 6, giving UT the lead, but State took the kickoff and drove 75 yds. for a TD in 15 plays to regain the lead on the first play of the 2nd quarter.
• The 'Dogs had a drive which ended in a FG to stretch the lead to 17 - 10, but the Big Orange took advantage of 2 consecutive 15 yd. penalties to go 75 yds. (including the 30 by the zebras) in 4 plays to tie the game 17 - 17.
• Taking the 2nd half kickoff, UT drove for a go-ahead FG, but after Ferrie missed his first FG of the year, which would've tied the game, MSU picked off a Vol pass and drove for a TD to retake the lead 24 - 20.
• State held UT and took over on their own 17 with a chance to put the game away, but Shapen was hit from his blindside, fumbled, and a portly Vol scooped it up and waddled into the end zone, giving the lead back to the team in garish orange.
• MSU immediately fought back by driving for a FG to tie it at 27 apiece, followed by an INT that led to a go-ahead TD and a 34 - 27 lead with 7:59 to go in the game, but UT drove 75 yds. in a 13 play drive that included an 11 yd. completion on 4th and 4 from the MSU 47 to tie the game 34 - all with 1:55 left. 
  
• When Tennessee scored that last TD in regulation, I told my son that I thought it was likely that they'd go for 2 because they had some offensive momentum and didn't want to go to OT and have to play defense because they had had no luck stopping Fluff. But I was wrong; they were confidently playing for OT.

What We Learned

Discouraging

1. The streak continues. Miss. State has now lost its last 13 SEC games.
2. Pass protection continues to be a problem, as Shapen was sacked 5 times and pressured numerous others. 
3. To beat top teams the 'Dogs must be able to complete deep passes. Other than a 49 yd. completion to Ayden Williams late in the game MSU had only 1 other completion of more than 20 yds. There was a drop on a deep ball in the 1st half. Pressure on Shapen was one reason; another was that Thompson, our most dangerous deep threat, was injured and didn't play in the 2nd half.
4. Blake missed seeing a wide open Evans on the last 3rd down in OT, a play in which he elected to keep it and slipped down as he cut (and even then may well have scored had he not).
5. While overall the State defense had some moments, they were vulnerable to chunk plays, giving up 5 passes and 1 run of over 20 yds.
6. Still not enough QB pressure. The UT QB often had way too much time to survey the field and throw. The result was that he was sacked just twice despite having thrown 40 passes.
7. One streak ends. Ferrie finally missed a FG, one that was not especially long. He made one from 51, but in an OT game game any miss was a difference maker. 

   

   Booth scores, but zebra throws flag 

   
   
8. Penalties were still a killer. Not as many, but we managed to have a TD called back [shout out to the zebras, who had to have been wearing orange undies and probably have the complete Dolly Parton collection of 8 tracks and cassettes] and get called for penalties at the most inopportune times.
9. The injury bug. The 'Dogs had several key players on both sides of the ball leave the game and not return ... and who knows how long they'll be out?

Encouraging

1. The students and fans created an electric atmosphere ... and even remembered to "ring responsibly." My ears are still ringing (no pun intended). 
2. The running game is steadily improving, a credit to our line and our backs.
3. Fluff is a beast. And Booth is a threat too.  

4. 

   Rampaging Fluff
   
   

   Zakari Tillman was tremendous ... although he did miss a crucial tackle in OT.
5. State had numerous chances to quit, and fought until the very last play.
6. Lebby and the staff had our guys well prepared and kept them in the game despite (to use a Lebby term) "a ton" of adversity. The fake punt, which nearly made me faint when I saw the snap go to the up back, was brilliant and took enormous ... well ... you know. 
   
   
   
7. Ethan Pulliam was magnificent as a punter, with 2 punts that set the table for State scores. He was my co-MVP along with Fluff.   Even though Shapen was not particularly sharp, State was 8 of 19 on 3rd down conversions (compared to 5 of 14 for UT). 
8. The defense kept MSU in the game despite our having given up 2 TD's on turnovers.  
9. Moral victories are losses, but our guys have to know after last night that they can play with pretty much anybody. They may have hoped that before, but now they know.

The Terrain Ahead

First, a word about the remainder of the schedule in general. Suddenly the road ahead no longer looks so ominous. Difficult? Yes ... but not impossible. Of State's remaining 7 games we have home games against the teams currently ranked [AP/Coaches] #9/7 (UT-W), #12/10 (UGA), and #4/4 (TSUN), and road games versus teams ranked #6/5 (aTm) and #19/18 (Mizzou). We've beaten #25/25 and lost an OT game to #15/15. The 2 unranked teams we play, UF and Arkansas, will be on the road, and there's a reasonable likelihood that both will be playing for new coaches by the time we play them. The opposition as a whole is not as daunting as it originally seemed, and the Bulldogs are significantly better than anticipated by me and by the so-called experts. There are no gimmes in the SEC; but if they continue to play as they have so far, State should be competitive in every game left. A bowl game is no longer a fantasy.

This coming Saturday we travel to Kyle Field to take on the Aggies of aTm. A&M is unbeaten with a big road win over Notre Dame, but they struggled to beat Auburn at home Saturday. Statistically their SEC team rankings are very similar to MSU's. They have an outstanding running back in Le'Veon Moss and a dual threat QB, Marcel Reed. Our old friend Mario Craver is their leading receiver and is 2nd in the SEC in receptions and receiving yds. The Aggies will be favored, but our record against them since they joined the SEC has been a close 5 - 7. We've had some big wins at Kyle Field, despite the support from their huge crowds and the enthusiasm of their milkman cheerleaders. 

2% or whole milk??

I think the game will be decided by how well we can bounce back from a heartbreaking loss. Like last weekend, State will be the underdog, but I'll be surprised and disappointed if we aren't in the game. The 'Dogs have to avoid a letdown from their first loss of the season. Let's call on the Godfather of Soul to send our 'Dogs off to College Station [click here https://youtu.be/_x-ctTWkT3I?si=qtS-hCx90GQfnzW_ ].

Hail, State!!!