While Saturday’s 33-21 loss to Tennessee may seem like any other to Mississippi State fans, to head coach Sylvester Croom it was something more. Croom said he knew his players were hurting but that a close loss like the one the Bulldogs suffered is supposed to hurt. He also knew his players may not see the big picture now, but in that loss, they took a huge step forward.
He said that though the final score may have not indicated the fact, he saw his young club grow right in front of his eyes.
Croom said he realized his Bulldogs (4-3, 1-3 SEC) had their weak moments in Saturday’s loss, and he saw enough dropped passes and sloppy tackling to go around. But at the same time, he saw his team rack up 338 yards of total offense, and most importantly, he said he believed his team competed to the end with a quality Southeastern Conference opponent.
“I am very proud of our players, and I’m as proud of this football team as I’ve been since I’ve been here,” Croom said. “We probably played as good as we could today. I told the players to come out of that locker room with their heads held high.”
The Bulldogs headed into the final quarter of the first meeting between the two teams since 2003, trailing Tennessee (4-2, 2-1 SEC) by a slim 27-21 deficit. However, in the quarter, the Bulldog defense was unable to get Tennessee’s offense off the field. The defense kept the Vols out of the end zone, forcing Tennessee kicker Daniel Lincoln to convert two field goals, which put the game out of reach for State.
Croom said that while the skill players may have gotten the glory, the game was won and lost in the trenches. Tennessee held the football for close to 10 minutes in the final quarter and Croom said his team could not recover.
“That big offensive line laid heavy on us and just wore us down,” Croom said. “Philip [Fulmer], having that offensive lineman mentality like I do, said, ‘We’re going to lean on them. If we win, we win. If we don’t, we don’t.'”
The Tennessee offensive line was able to hold off the Mississippi State defensive rush all afternoon. The Bulldogs forced little pressure on Vols quarterback Eric Ainge, who had the comfort of taking his time in finding an open receiver. Ainge completed 22 of 36 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns.
Volunteer running backs also contributed behind the offensive line. Adrian Foster and Montario Hardesty combined to rush for 217 yards and one touchdown.
Croom said he felt that if the Bulldog defense could get Tennessee in long yardage situations, his defensive ends would be able to get to Ainge. However, the Vols line and Ainge stood strong and gave State defensive end Titus Brown a wearisome afternoon.
“It wasn’t that the offensive was using just brute strength, it had a lot to do with Eric Ainge being a good quarterback,” Brown said. “He got the ball out fast. It’s frustrating. You work so hard to get by a tackler and then he delivers the throw, but I take my hat off to him. He’s probably the best quarterback we’ve seen yet.”
State’s offense was able to hold its own in the early quarters of the game. MSU’s first score came when senior wide receiver Tony Burks hauled in a 38-yard pass from Wesley Carroll for a touchdown. Jamayel Smith also caught a touchdown pass from Carroll in the third quarter. The two receivers combined for 10 receptions for 149 yards. Sophomore running back Anthony Dixon also found the end zone on a 30-yard run in the second quarter.
However, it continues to be Carroll who draws praise from his head coach.
Carroll, who suffered a mild concussion late in the second quarter, completed 18 of 33 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns, but it’s his poise and toughness Croom said he admires.
“Wes didn’t know his name at halftime,” Croom said of Carroll’s condition. “I thought he was done, but he went out there and finished the ballgame. We’re talking about a true freshman playing against the University of Tennessee and got us that close to winning the ball game. He’s got it, whatever it is.”
Carroll acknowledges the compliments from his coach but said that none of that matters without the win.
“When we lose, it doesn’t matter how good I play,” Carroll said. “I’m only concerned about winning; I don’t care about stats or any of that.”
The one issue that did draw the ire of Croom was not with his players but with the Maroon and White fans and their reaction toward Michael Henig.
“I was disappointed today,” Croom said. “For our fans to boo Mike was disgraceful. You can boo me, I get paid to do this, but those kids are out there fighting for the Maroon and White and Mississippi State, and to me that was disgraceful.