There will be no bowl game for the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-7, 0-5) this season.
That much was set in stone with Saturdayܬs 34-31 loss to Kentucky.
The finality of that reality was enough to crush at least one MSU senior.
ܬIt was a low point,ܬ offensive lineman Brian Anderson said. ܬI still donܬt feel too good. It was the last chance for me to go to a bowl game. Itܬs not something I like going through.ܬ
Now the Bulldogs are in need of a win of any kind in the worst way just to meet last seasonܬs three-win mark.
For the next three games, each play will be a fleeting chance for everyone to prove their worth, but for head coach Sylvester Croom and 21 other Bulldogs, this particular game is personal.
ܬItܬs a little extra motivation this week because it is Alabama,ܬ said Brain Anderson, a senior offensive lineman and Butler, Ala., native. ܬFor me especially, since Iܬm from Alabama, it would mean a lot to get this game.ܬ
The Bulldogs have 21 players on their roster who hail from Mississippiܬs sister state, including quarterback Michael Henig and defensive end Titus Brown.
Croom, also an Alabama native, played four years for the Alabama Crimson Tide under legendary head coach Paul ܬBearܬ Bryant and will make his second trip back to Brant-Denny Stadium as an enemy on Saturday.
The first trip back resulted in a 30-14 MSU defeat in 2004, but it filled Croom with many happy memories, nonetheless.
ܬTo stand on that sideline where I played was a great thrill for me,ܬ Croom said. ܬI really wish we had won the football game. Thatܬs the only thing that would have made it better.ܬ
ܬHe tried to downplay it (at the time),ܬ Anderson said. ܬBut I knew it was a big game to him, everybody did.ܬ
Croom, now in his third year as head coach of the Bulldogs, is trying to instill the same type of winning attitude he learned from Bryant at Alabama.
As his team travels to Tuscaloosa Saturday, and he again coaches as a visitor at his former home stadium, Croom said he would be ܬremised not to say that it has had a huge impact of where I am today.ܬ
ܬWhen I played there it meant a great, great deal to me to play on that field,ܬ Croom said. ܬIt was special. I learned a lot, and I felt a lot of myself out on that field with my teammates. I learned a great deal about the game and a great deal about life playing football at the University of Alabama.ܬ
With all the disappointment that has clouded the season for the Bulldogs, there is little left to play for, other than pride.
Still, pride is enough to make many on the team ready to stand up and fight for their season and their coach.
ܬWeܬre going to have a little extra in the tank,ܬ freshman running back Anthony Dixon said. ܬEveryone has told me about how he gets amped up for this game, so a lot of us are going to be going out there just ready to do it for him.ܬ