Leaving the Light On for Tinnutis Sufferers

 LEAVING THE LIGHT ON 

FOR TINNITUS SUFFERERS

Temporary MS HQ of the Arizona State Sun Devils

On a raucous night at Davis Wade Stadium underdog Miss. State sent Coach Kenny Dillingham and his team staggering back to their tranquil Motel 6 in Pearl (miiiles from the nearest casino) in search of soft pillows to allay the terrible ringing in their ears. The Sun Devils' load had been lightened considerably by the removal of their national ranking after a loss to the Bulldogs, the unanimous preseason pick for the cellar in the SEC. With the light having been left on for them, they probably drifted off peacefully to the soft, celestial lullaby by Donna Summers Ring My Bell .

It was a memorable night for MSU fans, as their 'Dogs raced to a 17 - 0 lead in the first half, were dominated for practically the entire second half by the Sun Devil ground attack, fell behind 20 - 17 with just 1:39 left in the game, then rose from the dead like Lazarus [guess it would've been insensitive to have used the Phoenix reference again?] and retook the lead on a bomb to Thompson with just 30 seconds left in the game, intercepted an ASU desperation pass to snatch away any wild hope the Devils had for trumping our miracle, and won a pendulum-like contest. It was sweet revenge for the Bulldogs, who had lost on the road in Tempe last year in a game that began MSU's descent into the vortex of what became a 2 - 10 season. Sneering Coach Dillingham infused 'Dog fans with a little extra vitriol by casting what seemed to us a double handful of aspersions upon MSU and the state of MS with remarks about the scarcity of nearby non-casino hotels in which his team could stay and our beloved cowbells. To add a little more seasoning to the event, Miss. State had spent beaucoup bucks in the off-season to add fancy sound and lighting to make Davis Wade more fan-friendly for those who are stimulated by blinking lights and noise that can occasionally rival that of cowbells. I'm not sure how much of an attraction those of us who grew up with Jimi Hendrix and strobe lights felt our fan experience had been enhanced, but apparently the young 'uns seem to love it. A point of unanimous agreement was that the win -- over a ranked team that had won the Big 12 championship and had been in the CFP playoffs last season, no less -- brought ecstasy ... well, maybe to all but the small contingent of yellow-clad ASU fans present. Y'all come back now; y'hear? (They probably didn't hear too well for a day or so.) 

Recap

It was an unusual game with massive momentum swings. State got out of the blocks fast, taking the opening kickoff and ending a 4 play drive with a 48 yd. TD pass to Anthony Evans. Meanwhile the improved Bulldog defense kept the ASU offense in check, stifling their running game and using excellent play by cornerback Kelly Jones to shut down their passing attack. However, MSU squandered some chances to build a commanding lead. They settled for a FG before Shapen struck again on the deep ball with a 47 yd. bomb 

Thompson hauls in 47 yd. TD in 2nd quarter

which Brenen Thompson reeled in on a Willie Mays-type catch. An untimely penalty just before the gun for the half gave ASU rare good field position in the 1st half, and they made a 51 yd. FG that was an omen of a tidal shift in the fortunes of the game. 

The Sun Devils came out of the locker room breathing fire and aided by MSU's loss of their most effective defensive player, DL Will Whitson, who had 4 tackles, 2 for loss and a QB sack in the 1st half. ASU turned to the running game that had so bedeviled the Bulldogs last year, ripping off huge chunks of yardage and keeping the ball away from Shapen and his receivers. Taking the 2nd half kickoff, the Devils set out on a momentum-seizing 8 play drive almost exclusively on the ground and scored a TD that pulled them within 7. State mustered a short drive to near midfield, then made the inexplicable decision to gamble and go for it on 4th down at the own 49. They were stopped, and AZ State scored quickly. After a short State drive ended in a punt, and it seemed that they had ASU bottled up at their own 4 with time remaining for a stop and getting the ball back in good field position and some time. 

Unfortunately the Devils didn't read the script. They set off on a 19 play drive that ate up almost 9 minutes and carried to the MSU 3 with first and goal. Then, incredibly the tides of fortune turned again. The 'Dogs, who had literally been pushed all over the field in the 2nd half, proved to be better fighters inside a phone booth, and made

Bulldog D gives a Devil hell

a series of defensive stops in The Stand, which allowed them to remain in the game. After 3 running plays only moved the ball to the 1 yd. line, ASU had to settle for a chip shot FG to take a 23 - 20 lead with only 1:39 remaining. With the door open, after the kickoff the 'Dogs took the ball 77 yds. in 6 plays and just 1 minute, thanks to Thompson blowing by some poor DB who was (mistakenly,whether by poor coaching or player error) matched up alone with him en route to a 58 yd. catch and run. 24 - 20, good guys! 

Thompson: "Race you to the end zone?"

Davis Wade, of course, exploded, and ASU seemed to hit panic mode as they faced 75 yds. with only 30 seconds and 2 timeouts remaining. On first down, highly regarded but cowbell-shocked and Bulldog-harried ASU QB Sam Leavitt, who only completed 45% of his passes for 82 yds. and had 2 INT's, threw the second of those to a receptive and grateful Bulldog, safety Hunter Washington. That was "all she wrote" ... until the last few seconds ticked off, and the Maroon horde stormed the field.

Scott Field taken by storm

What We (I anyway) Learned 

Much of what we learned from this game, on top of what we witnessed in the USM game, has been encouraging ... unlike last year and the year before, when those were seldom heard. Let's consider:

Encouraging Words

• We're a much better team than we were last year.  Better players. Better depth. Better coaching. [And I'm pretty sure we were right in assuming that Dear Ole State was that team dressed in Vanderbilt black we were cheering Sat. night?! "Maroooon!! Whii..??" errr  "Blaa..??" 😕]
• We're fortunate that Blake Shapen got well and returned to MSU this year. He is talented, especially throwing the deep ball, and he seems to be a real leader.
• Our portalese receivers, Thompson and Evans, are so far all we hoped they might be ... and they would make great additions to the MSU 4x100m relay team. They can flat fly! 

  

  Kelly Jones covers Tyson like the night

• Our secondary has really developed. Kelly Jones has become more than the freakish athlete we were told he is; he now looks like an NFL corner. Brumfield, who is well this year, seems to have become more like the guy we hoped we were getting from the portal last year. Our safeties are tough, and they seem to know what they're doing this year.
• The OL is protecting better.
• The DL is deeper and has been getting push. Last year offenses had a James Bond "licence to kill" against us and could name their poison of running or throwing. This year we at least bother the QB and are somewhat better against the run.
• Will Whitson, when well, is a beast. He has basically been our pass rush.
• The defense on the whole is better; in fact, "The Stand" on the goal line rivaled the Shapen to Thompson late TD pass as a play of the game. And that stand was made by a collection of mostly anonymous portal signees and returners who had been retrieved from the slag heap of highly publicized freshman and juco signees who had been labeled "busts" until this season. [If you've not already done so, I urge you to go to Bart and Charlie's Sunday Coffee edition of their "Out of Left Field" podcast and fast forward to the 24:00 mark and listen to the names.]
• The fans, especially the students have rediscovered the joy of attending football games, yelling like hell (as the song says), ringing loudly (if not responsibly), and even staying until the game is over.

Reality Checks

• We're 2 and 0, but we don't really know who we've beaten yet. ASU may not be anywhere near the team they were last year ... to be determined.
• Stopping the run, especially straight up the middle, still seems to be an iffy proposition. I didn't see the monstrous "You Know Who" lined up for the Devils last night, but they instead had 2 RB's who gained over 100 yds. against us. The OL's of the elite SEC teams we'll face will be at least as good, as will the RB's.
• I still worry about the QB run/scramble. We were fortunate last night that Leavitt, who gained 46 yds. (before sacks were subtracted), chose to keep throwing rather than tucking and running. (Poor game planning or decision-making on their part.) Almost every SEC team we face has a plus runner at QB.
• I fear that the fact that our running game was largely ineffective against AZ State, despite our having quality backs, is an indictment of our OL. ASU might be a better run defense than most of our SEC foes ... or not.
• Our Aussie punter, who we have insisted on using some, is a little shaky. Is there a problem with Pulliam punting too much?
• I've yet to see a weak sister emerge among our scheduled SEC opponents, and most have been better than advertised.
• The crowd arrived early, mostly stayed for the duration, were loud and much less than remotely responsible ringers, and stormed the field. Yet never mind dove season, for the biggest game we'd played at home in several seasons, we still had about 10,000 fans disguised as empty seats. [Guess the Vandy unis and new sound and lights didn't quite "enhance the fan experience" sufficiently for them to actually buy tickets to the extent we'd hoped? Now we'll see if winning does.]

Historical Perspective & Analogies: 

A Look Back Instead of Forward

Meaning no disrespect, I'm not going to waste your time or mine with musings on Alcorn State. Instead I'd like to think about a burning question that has arisen among Bulldog fandom regarding just how big of a win the AZ State game was. 

As you know, I like analogies, and I've sorted through my memory banks and some ancient history for a few. I'm not concerned with when and why our fans rushed the field and tore down goalposts (and incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines in the process). I'd like to focus on games in which there was some back and forth in momentum during which State or others shook off adversity and won a meaningful contest against a worthy foe. Obviously if you've had enough, you can check out now, but if you have the time and interest and enjoy reliving some dramatic sports history, hang with me a bit longer...

• 1961 - MSU vs. Aubrin at Legion Field - MSU had not won an SEC game in 22 tries after the first SEC game of 1958 throughout the 1959 and 1960 seasons and on through 3 conference games in the 1961 season. (Fortunately this was the 4th season that 2-point conversions were allowed). #84 for MSU is AFL star Johnny Baker. https://youtu.be/IJ5s_PeuQis?si=-1dMGI0T5ugHeUnP
• 1974 - Notre Dame at USC at the Los Angeles Coliseum. In one of the most startling momentum swings I've ever seen in any sport, #6 Southern Cal spotted visiting #5 Notre Dame a 24 - 6 halftime lead before roaring back https://youtu.be/0vo1zXnfd90?si=KQFS00wAR8Z3qSqf .
• 1999 - MSU vs. TSUN at Davis Wade Stadium - Hosting #23 TSUN, #18 MSU trailed 20 - 6 going into the 4th quarter before mounting a comeback culminated with the divine Tip, Kick, Pick, and Kick https://youtu.be/vXxNuH7tKV8?si=lVpPbpi-9PelHPdR and the piece de resistance from Mssr. Hazlewood.
• 2007 - In another Egg Bowl comeback at Davis Wade Stadium the Bulldogs of Sylvester Croom had a chance to clinch a winning record and bowl bid for the first time in 7 years by beating their in-state rivals. However, State trailed 14 - 0 in the 4th quarter before a rally ignited by a Derek Pegues punt return TD and a stuff on 4th down by the 'Dogs https://youtu.be/HzyGG8KE2sM?si=KYUcrAhzjtmoIbRH . Au revoir, Coach O! Croomed!

But the "getting up off the mat" comeback is still best illustrated by a few classics from the elemental sport of boxing:

1952 - In their second meeting the undefeated heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano, who was bleeding badly from cuts and his nose, stopped former champion Ezzard Charles, who had rallied from a 2nd round knockdown, in the 8th round.

1974 - In the "Rumble in the Jungle" former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali employed a seemingly foolish "Rope-a-Dope" strategy in his title fight with undefeated champion George Foreman. He leaned against the ropes and let the fearsome Foreman pound him in the body for most of the first 7 rounds before unleashing a counterattack against the arm-weary Foreman that earned him an 8th round KO and another championship belt. (Plenty of videos of this one; take your pick.)

1976 - And finally there was the most amazing back and forth contest between two opponents I've ever seen, a nontitle bout between the aforementioned former champion George Foreman and another powerful contender, Ron Lyle. There were 5 knockdowns in the 5 round fight, 3 by Foreman and 2 by Lyle. Here are the highlights https://youtu.be/qnJV0NMuXcs?si=6mSu7SEeAJcrqwuY .

Onward

I'll be back next week and will be bitterly disappointed if I write about anything vaguely resembling momentum shifts following the battle between the two Mississippi land grant schools/former A&M's. There was a time when this would've been a real contest and possibly a loss https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Alcorn_State_Braves_in_the_NFL_draft, but those days have long gone. Our goals should be to a) win comfortably but not by a shamefully embarrassing margin, b) play lots of players, and c) avoid serious injuries.

Hail, State!