SEC on TBS

[RockyDog]

Brad Logan posted the old intro on the tweeter, so I had to go back and look up the history. If you were a 70s/80s kid, and a MSU fan, this was basically your only chance to see the Dogs unless you attended on campus or in Jackson.

TBS broadcasted SEC football games from 1984 through the 1991 season, losing football to the birth of the mighty Jefferson Pilot game of the week. The MSU Bulldogs were victorious a total of 2 out of 14 times on TBS, beating TN in 1986 and Jackie's upset of Texas in 1991.

For those of you that didn't experience MSU football before this time, this is much of the reason us older folks have the angst we do for the sport. It was pretty much like watching Croomball on a regular basis. MSU was put on TV to be a sacrificial lamb to the big boys of the SEC and we would be lucky to cross the 50 a couple of times per game. In most of our TV losses, a score of 0, 3 or 7 were the norm.

Fun times.

[viverlibre]

That TN game is the game Don Smith had a long run? I remember but don't remember if I watched it live or saw it on replay. I clearly remember the TX game, but would have sworn it was on ESPN.

[Coursesuper]

Was in California in the late 80’s. Got up many a Saturday morning to watch the 9:00 AM game. And good lord were we terrible.

[RockyDog]

That TN game is the game Don Smith had a long run? I remember but don't remember if I watched it live or saw it on replay. I clearly remember the TX game, but would have sworn it was on ESPN.

I guess the 1992 game in Vegas would have been on ESPN. I don’t remember exactly as that was my first game as a student in the stands.

ETA: Yep, MSUdawg below was right. Had em backwards. I was at MSU for a senior day at that game in 1991.

[State82]

That TN game is the game Don Smith had a long run? I remember but don't remember if I watched it live or saw it on replay.

I watched it live. Sitting in Neyland Stadium. And it was glorious.

[parabrave]

TBS cameramen always gave great attention to the cheerleaders

[Reunion Dog]

Came back with the Cheerleaders from Knoxville. Everette was driving the bus and watched Susan Akin win Miss America on the Satellite.

Big E called ahead to The Tuscaloosa PD and they met us at the city limits and gave us a damn UNBELIEVABLE police escort down McFarland over the Black Warrior. He was going 80+mph thru there and everyone was waving to us.

It was fun while it lasted?

[msudawg1200]

That TN game is the game Don Smith had a long run? I remember but don't remember if I watched it live or saw it on replay. I clearly remember the TX game, but would have sworn it was on ESPN.

1991 Texas game was at home and on TBS. You can find it on Youtube. The 92 game was in Austin and a night game on ESPN.

[msudawg1200]

Came back with the Cheerleaders from Knoxville. Everette was driving the bus and watched Susan Akin win Miss America on the Satellite.

Big E called ahead to The Tuscaloosa PD and they met us at the city limits and gave us a damn UNBELIEVABLE police escort down McFarland over the Black Warrior. He was going 80+mph thru there and everyone was waving to us.

It was fun while it lasted?

You couldn't have watched Susan Akin win Miss America after the 86 Tennessee game, because she won Miss America in September of 1985. On that day we played Syracuse at home.

[msudawg1200]

Dawgs on TBS (1984-91):
1984 @ Mississippi(Jackson) L 3-24
1986 @ #8 Tennessee W 27-23
1986 #8 Alabama L 3-38 MSU #19
1986 @ Mississippi(Jackson) L 3-24
1987 #14 Tennessee L 10-38
1988 #12 Louisiana State L 3-20
1989 @ #5 Alabama L 10-23
1990 #8 Tennessee L 7-40
1990 @ #17 Florida L 21-34
1990 Alabama L 0-22
1991 #13 Texas W 13-7
1991 @ #6 Tennessee L 24-26 MSU #23
1991 #14 Florida(Orlando) L 7-29 MSU #21
1991 @ #7 Alabama L 7-13

Interesting tidbits:
2-12 overall record 1-6 in Starkville 1-4 in true road games 0-3 in neutral games (0-2 in Jackson State was the "road" team in both, 0-1 in Orlando State was technically the home team. Yes, Templeton sold our home games vs Florida to play in Tampa in 89 and the aforementioned Orlando in 91)

2-9 vs ranked teams. State was ranked three times and lost all three as a lower ranked team vs a higher ranked team.

The 91 Bama game was the controversial false start ending where Bama LBer John Sullins was calling out a snap count and had been all game, and we jumped inside the five going into score in the last minutes and ended up not scoring. Of course, Bama should've been flagged, but they were not.