“What’s wrong with your offense?”
It’s a question Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom hears much more than he would like to. It always comes up, emerging from the field of reporters that he faces week after week, game after game.
It’s a question he is tired of answering, but it’s one that will not disappear unless his offense begins to show some kind of life.
The Mississippi State offense is struggling, no doubt. Though it has faced some of the most stifling defenses in the nation-Auburn, Georgia, LSU and Florida-it has fallen on its knees versus all of those Southeastern Conference foes.
The lackluster Bulldog offense has scored 26 combined points in all four SEC contests, while averaging less than 250 total offensive yards in those games. Like a car with little gas, it has sputtered on the field, having more three-and-outs in a game than first downs.
So, what’s wrong? What is stopping this West Coast offense from catching fire? What is it that’s holding them back?
Apparently it’s a number of things, the little things.
“Guys are missing blocks … Receivers aren’t catching the ball. Sometimes Omarr (Conner) is not having good throws,” center Chris McNeil said, explaining the many problems with State’s offense. “It’s a combination of 11 guys out there not getting it done.”
It’s not a certain position either. It’s everything and everybody. An offense has to work as one, something this offense hasn’t done since the first game of the season when they scored 38 points on Division 1-AA Murray State, who’s total defense currently ranks 89th out of 116 Division 1-AA teams.
“On offense it’s really a group effort,” offensive tackle Brian Anderson said. “I don’t know if you can really point to one thing.”
One definite problem with the offense has been the absence of injury-plagued running back Jerious Norwood, a pre-season all-SEC pick. Against those four SEC opponents, Norwood was bruised and battered, totaling a combined 91 yards in State’s first three losses.
Before suffering a concussion in the second quarter against LSU, he gained only nine rushing yards on seven carries.
As Croom said during pre-season practice, “Without Norwood this is an ugly, ugly offense.” Unfortunately, it’s coming true, as State’s offense has crumbled in the wake of Norwood’s absence.
“If I can bare the pain, then I’ll keep going,” said Norwood, who suffered a sprained knee in the Bulldogs’ loss to Auburn. “We’ve got to have other guys to step up when I’m not there. We’ve got to be more focused, and we’ve got to pay attention to detail.”
Penalties have plagued the Bulldogs in three of their losses, twice tallying eight flags and once having nine. Most of those from pre-snap penalties, which Croom can’t understand since he has forced that issue so sternly in practice, but still his team continues to create self-infliction.
“My biggest disappointment is that we are still an undisciplined team, and a lot of it is with our older players,” Croom said. “All I want us to do is to play as good as we are capable of playing, not making dumb mistakes and dumb penalties.”
Bye week offers a break
After a tumultuous three week stretch where they faced three top 15 opponents and lost to them all, the Bulldogs, who have played six straight games, are relieved to have a week with no opponent.
“The bye week couldn’t come at a better time,” cornerback Kevin Dockery said.
After playing these stellar teams, the Bulldogs have only one legitimate bowl team left on their schedule in Alabama (6-0, 4-0 SEC) on Nov. 5. The latter five teams have a cumulative record of 14-15.
“We just got to focus on the second half of the season and try to get better, just try to improve,” linebacker Clarence McDougal said. “It’s disappointing (the season’s results so far), but we know we can still play. We played well against those teams. We know we can play with the best.”
The Bulldogs were faced with nearly the same situation at the mid-point of last season. State was 1-5 when it had its bye week, a week before its much heralded win over Florida.
“Coach has been harping on running to the ball,” McDougal said of defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, who’s defense is the only bright spot on the team thus far. “We just try to play with a lot of confidence. We just got to keep trying to turn this season around.”
At the halfway part of this already disappointing season, the Dawgs have sustained several injuries, one especially to that of Omarr Conner, who went to the locker room during the Florida game after sustaining a bruised sternum. Conner is set to start versus Houston tomorrow.
“We just have to put the first half (of the season) behind us,” Croom said. “On offense, we have to be able to throw the football. Our defense has made outstanding improvements, but offensively we’re not where I thought we would be.”
The Bulldogs are far from being a productive offense. State ranks in the latter half of most offensive categories in the nation.