Thirteen turnovers, three games. Just when you thought MSU’s statistical gutter-dwelling days were over on a national scale, the Dawgs find a way to be ranked 118th in something…
Against LSU, State lost the turnover battle 4-0; Georgia Tech, 5-1; Houston, 4-2. MSU’s turnover margin now stands at plus 2.2.
When combining overall yardage versus LSU and Georgia Tech — two ranked teams then and now — MSU outgained its opponents 861 to 742.
Against Houston — a squad now ranked No. 23 in the AP and Coach’s polls after polishing off its third BCS team of 2009 — the Bulldogs seemingly executed the perfect winning formula (created by UTEP a week prior): State controlled the clock, dominated the running game and kept pace in overall yardage, respectably gaining 490 yards to the 553 put up by the nation’s leading offense.
During this three-game losing fest, the only glaring negative stat, besides turnovers of course, State produced lies within … well, the points category, losing each game by 10 or less while scoring a combined 81 points.
Honestly, this stat, while the most depressing, may be the most impressing.
Forget the heart-crushing timeliness of each cough up or picked pass, this team’s ability to hang with top competition while constantly gift wrapping balls should not be overlooked.
On that note, neither should specific turnover narratives. So, to abruptly change directions, let’s reveal the top turnover from each of the past three games. Like a Premier Ford commercial, we’ve got 13 to choose from!
LSU: Well, the four first-half turnovers, strangely enough, didn’t seem terribly consequential (at the time of each mistake, that is). So, let’s go with the pick-six Tyson Lee threw to open its first offensive drive. Not only did the interception kick start the three-game TO storm, but it stood as a seriously bad game omen.
Georgia Tech: Got to go with the Dixon fumble with 4:28 remaining in the second quarter which the Yellow Jackets returned for a 40-yard touchdown, putting them up 28-14 before the half. Not only was State gathering steam on a drive starting from its own 15, that was Dixon’s first fumble in 329 carries. Again, bad omens.
Houston: May as well designate Lee’s fourth-quarter fumble with about 6 minutes left — which came directly after a soaring, would-be-tying Dixon touchdown negated due to a bogus holding call on Arnil Stallworth — as this game’s most debilitating turnover. Not only did this fumble represent a bumbling grand finale to the turnover party, icing on the nightmare if you will, it more or less sealed MSU’s fate. Again, a bad omen, turnover No. 13.
Now, to choose the losing streak’s worst of the worst: Actually, it’s technically not a turnover at all — turnover on downs to be exact. Goal line stand, LSU.
Anyway, nothing annoys me more than the familiar saying (which presents itself in many forms) shared by all college football fans: “If we did this, we would be this.”
However, against my better judgment, I’m going to spout the MSU version of the BS phrase that ails my ears so: If the Bulldogs would have won the turnover battle the past three games, they would be sitting at 5-1 right now.
And the stats truly do support such a lofty declaration.
Can you imagine?
State would be ranked about 13th, and Bulldog fans would be thinking Cotton Bowl. Dare I say, even whispers of Atlanta would accidentally creep out as students walked from class to class on the Drill Field. Dan Mullen would be on his way to a program turnaround that Houston Nutt couldn’t touch.
But alas, here are the Dawgs, 2-4 (1-2 in SEC), playing games Mississippi State style.
Items of interest:
• What was up with that cannon blast right before Derek DePasquale missed a 51-yard field goal attempt before the first half ended? Who lit the fuse? I hope that guy doesn’t end up doing special ops in Afghanistan.
• Tyson Lee did not step over the line of scrimmage when CFO West officials called an illegal forward pass on MSU’s opening third-quarter drive. Not only has photo evidence popped up on Internet message boards dealing with State athletics, but my friends and I replayed footage recorded on DVR several times. The rule states a player’s entire body must be beyond the line of scrimmage; Lee was clearly about a foot behind it. That awful call prevented State from being first and goal on the nine-play drive, with a big-time likelihood of going ahead 24-14. At postgame, Mullen said his job was to coach, not referee.
• Let’s examine Dixon’s stunning 50-yard touchdown rumble, which landed a “Sports Center” No. 1 Top Play. The three Cougar players — senior cornerback Brandon Brinkley, junior cornerback Jamal Robinson and sophomore safety Nick Saenz — who hitched a 30-yard ride combined for a weight of 550 pounds. After the run, an ESPNU announcer said: “Well, the Houston Cougars, they aren’t in Conference USA anymore. Welcome to the SEC! This is a man-sized run!” An interesting statement, it feels like something an announcer would say about an LSU, Alabama or Florida, “Welcome to the SEC.”
Nevertheless, if Dixon keeps up this 100-yard-plus tear every game against ranked opponents, it’s hard to view him as less than a second rounder. Obviously, such high expectations can only be realized if he swears away off-season Cheetos and runs a legit 4.5 at the NFL combine.
Editor’s Note: An update was made at 2:19 p.m., 10/13/09, to clarify which on-field crew was officiating the game.