I saw something unsettling last Saturday that I hadn’t seen in quite a while. In the midst of a 22-14 loss at the hands of Louisiana Tech, I saw the Bulldogs hang their heads in defeat. Down eight points with minutes to go in the game, Louisiana Tech earned a first down on a key third down, and at that point, the game was over. The game wasn’t over because time had run out, or because Tech’s lead was insurmountable; It was over because Mississippi State had given up.
That was something we didn’t see last year. Though the Bulldogs didn’t win all of their games and certainly had times when they could have given up, they never did.
At West Virginia, a first-quarter nightmare saw the Mountaineers jump out to a 28-point lead. That’s a good time to give up, if such a thing exists. Is that what the ‘Dogs did? Of course not. They fought hard the rest of the game, holding WVU to 10 points in the final three quarters while mustering 13 of their own.
The never-quit attitude paid off in the Egg Bowl, as the Bulldogs found themselves dominated for three and a half quarters by a three-win Ole Miss team but managed to score three times in the last eight minutes to win on a last-second field goal.
What changed for the Bulldogs? Did an off-season full of player expulsions, suspensions and dismissals remind our program that it is “lowly MSU” and will never have any sustained success in football? Was our eight-win season in 2007 just a flash-in-the-pan, once a decade fluke fueled by lucky special teams plays, as some have suggested? I don’t think so, and certainly hope not.
The news from Ruston wasn’t entirely bad, despite the outcome. The coaching staff has been criticized for years for a lack of offensive production and creativity, and there was evidence to support head coach Sylvester Croom’s claims that the play-calling will be more diverse this season. The offense gained 348 yards, but the surprising statistic was 257 of those were through the air. Croom has since said that a lot of the passes resulted from the quarterbacks changing the play at the line of scrimmage.
While I’m on the quarterbacks, Croom has said that he’s done experimenting with a two-quarterback system. Wesley Carroll is now the clear starter, and transfer Tyson Lee will back him up. In my estimation, it couldn’t have been due to poor play by Lee, as Lee completed 10 of his 15 passes with no interceptions, compared to 12-25 completed with three picks by Carroll. Each quarterback also led one touchdown drive. Croom must simply have not been impressed with Lee’s leadership or other intangibles.
Also promising for the Bulldogs was the emergence of three receivers. Aubrey Bell, Delmon Robinson and Brandon McRae each had over 60 yards receiving. McRae eclipsed his receiving totals from last season in the first half and Robinson was making his Bulldog debut.
A big positive for MSU is the return of senior Derek Pegues, who missed last week’s game due to suspension. Pegues, in addition to being a big part of MSU’s defense, returns punts for the Bulldogs. That was an area of great concern for State last weekend as Jamayel Smith returned three punts for -3 yards and a lost fumble. Pegues is perhaps best known for his critical punt return for a touchdown in last year’s Egg Bowl. He is a dynamic and, perhaps more importantly, sure-handed return man. His leadership was also missed last weekend.
It’s not time for MSU fans to give up hope on the season just yet. Sylvester Croom is a good motivator, and the team should be able to overcome last week’s debacle and move on. Obviously the loss hurts State’s overall record, but I wouldn’t judge the team based on one loss. Hopefully the next time the Bulldogs find themselves losing late in the game, they will regain the never-quit attitude they had a year ago.