A New Level of Ineptitude for Miss. State Football

Anyone who doesn't care about Mississippi State football (which is probably the majority, if not all, of all 5 people who read this) probably should stop reading about here...

Well, at least I can take solace in the fact that no one can ever accuse me of picking where I went to school based on the football program. After watching tonight's Auburn/MS State game, I'm seriously rethinking that decision. The game ended with Auburn winning 3-2...3-2. Are you freakin' joking? That's a baseball score. I haven't written, before now, anything about State's football program because, well, they aren't very good. Every once in a while, State will have a 3-4 year period of being pretty good but then will revert back to sucking the knee caps of the SEC elite. So needless to say, I've seen some crappy football from my beloved Bulldogs. But I can't remember when I have been so utterly frustrated at the lack of offensive cohesion from a MS State team. Did I just say offensive cohesion in the same sentence with MS State? Ugh.

The defense played wonderful and should be praised for playing their guts out against the #9 team in the country. Time and time and time again, State's defense shut down Auburn's offense. They brought pressure, got sacks, stuffed the run and defended the pass pretty well most of the night. The defense played the way you want to see them play. They were heroes tonight even though the team lost. The offense however was utterly abysmal.

I have absolutely no idea what State's offense was doing tonight but it sure wasn't playing football. The offensive line is a terrible, at best, and the quarterback...well, the best thing I can say about him is that he played like a gutless gimp. That may be harsh but I really don't care. Plant his rear end on the bench if that's the best he can do and put in the back up. Heck, I don't even know who the freakin' backup QB is but I'll be willing to bet he could do a helluva better job than Carroll did tonight. I'm not even sure he would be the backup at my high school. It might help the QB to have an offensive coordinator that used a little imagination as well. Here's a hint: up the middle, up the middle, up the middle, punt is NOT a good offensive series. Maybe they really don't have any imagination because the offense couldn't handle it if they tried.

Here's the thing. I've seen all this before. This level of offensive suckiness is not new. No, what was new tonight is that the defense didn't go quietly into the night, they kept fighting. Auburn was holding a 3-0 lead in the 4th quarter when State's defense got a safety. Then with under 5 minutes left in the game, Auburn still holding on to a 3-2 lead, State's defense came up with, not one, but two fumble on successive series...gifts sent down by the football gods. And State couldn't even get a 1st down either time. Absolutely pathetic. Auburn was trying their best to give the game to State...but State said "no, we're MS State...don't you know we aren't suppose to win?"

Even though I love MS State, and don't regret going there at all, I can't help feeling a bit envious while I watch USC dismantle Ohio State. I wonder what it would have been like to go to a school that went to major bowls, every year, and compete for the national championship on a regular basis. I think that would be pretty stinkin' cool to go to a school like that.

It's gonna be another long year for the Bulldogs...a very long year.