Thursday night, the unthinkable happened. The Mississippi State Bulldogs fell in a heartbreaker to South Carolina while the world was watching. Covered by ESPN and hyped as a season re-opener, fans and critics from around the nation watched as our Bulldogs lost 16-14. As the game progressed and quarter gave way to quarter, fans watched and waited, hoping for a classic MSU comeback. It happens all the time, game after game. But this time was different. There was no victory for the MSU Bulldogs, and while it pains me to accept the reality of defeat, it has to be done nonetheless.
The media has been vicious in their attacks, and alumni have been quick to point the finger. Even students, faculty and local residents have jumped on the bandwagon to down our MSU Bulldogs. Well, enough is enough.
I am tired of hearing about how our team lost Thursday night. They lost. Deal with it. Get over it and prepare to support our team as they hit the road in what will be one of our hardest games of the year. We play Florida this Saturday! Big, bad Florida, at Florida. Last year we beat them and caused a major upset. Our victory propelled us forward and gave us the momentum to have a great season.We cannot allow our defeat to South Carolina cause us to lose momentum and propel us into a losing season.
When considering Thursday’s game, a lot of people fail to realize that South Carolina is not a poor team. They were ranked just behind MSU in polls and were off to a really strong start before Thursday’s game.
A number of critics have been quick to place blame on our quarterback, Wayne Madkin. There are some things I do not understand, and how people can place the blame for a team’s loss on one person is one of those things.
Wayne Madkin may not be the best quarterback in the SEC. Wayne Madkin may not be the best quarterback in Mississippi, but he is the best quarterback at MSU, and we have to support him with our whole hearts. It is fine for outsiders to attack our Bulldogs. It is even acceptable for alumni to criticize our team. But MSU students need to show a little loyalty and a lot of pride for our team. In the past several years our Bulldogs have emerged as a powerhouse in SEC football. I am sure our Bulldogs will remain a powerhouse. The chances, however, of their remaining strong is lessened by undue and unnecessary criticism.
We have to stand by our team no matter what. Maybe our team will rebound from this defeat and go on to beat Florida in a whopping victory. Maybe our team will rebound from this defeat and go on to win the SEC championship, or maybe our team won’t win another game. The truth is, it does not matter. We have to support our team no matter what. We have to stand by them 100 percent.
I am sure Thursday’s game was a wake-up call. It probably made our team realize where they need improvement and what changes need to be made. It made our critics realize we are not infallible and that we are capable of losing. It also made us, as students, realize that football is not a religion, that athletes are not gods and everyone is human. It is hoped that we will come back strong from this loss and go on to have another stellar year. Regardless of what happens, we, as MSU students, need to stand by and support our team.