Espn picks rice.

[EngineerDawg]

Am I missing something or just plain ignorant to the level of play rice is capable of?

[preachermatt83]

They are on line with Bowling Green imho

[EnterpriseDawg]

Am I missing something or just plain ignorant to the level of play rice is capable of?

He pointed to our inability to stop the run. Did he (McShame) even watch our games? Did we not hold Auburn to the lowest run total in a game?Hopefully the players feel disrespected and come out with a chip.

[DapperDawg]

You've just been buying into the ED sunshine pumping too much. Just kidding, but in all honesty we don't have the hype and momentum we'd like to think we do.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Rice is a solid team- they did win their league championship. The Liberty Bowl is always tough for the SEC team since they have to play a league champion who would love to take down an SEC team- plus the SEC team is usually only a 6 or 7 win team anyway.

That being said, I think our players will have motivation to be there after coming so close to missing a bowl. I expect us to win by a touchdown or more.

[DownwardDawg]

I expect us to win by 17.

[BogeyGolfer]

Am I missing something or just plain ignorant to the level of play rice is capable of?

We will beat Rice by at least 14 points and I wouldn't be surprised if it turned into a blow out. They will not be able to run on us and our secondary has gotten a lot better... Rice is not as good as BG.

[messageboardsuperhero]

We will beat Rice by at least 14 points and I wouldn't be surprised if it turned into a blow out. They will not be able to run on us and our secondary has gotten a lot better... Rice is not as good as BG.

And for the record, we are a MUCH better team now than we were when we played BG- particularly on defense.

[Todd4State]

He pointed to our inability to stop the run. Did he (McShame) even watch our games? Did we not hold Auburn to the lowest run total in a game?Hopefully the players feel disrespected and come out with a chip.

WTF? Obviously he didn't watch us. So much for that exposure we got from playing Oklahoma State and Kentucky on Thursday during fall break.

[Coach34]

Rice is going to play this game like it's the Super Bowl.

Most SEC teams dont give a shit about being the in the Liberty and just **** off for the most part. They usually lost a game late that dropped them to it and just want to get thru it. I think (and hope) we approach it differently because we are a young team that clawed its way into a bowl. We want to keep the hype and momentum going.

We'll see NYE

[Coach34]

WTF? Obviously he didn't watch us. So much for that exposure we got from playing Oklahoma State and Kentucky on Thursday during fall break.

ISWYDT

[Todd4State]

Rice is small and one dimensional outside of their 6'5" WR. Their RB's have good size, but Chris and PJ Jones is going to be difficult for them to handle. But small and one dimensional against a SEC team like us means that they are in a world of trouble. We're not just big- we're very physical. We will easily be the most physical team that they will have played this year.

[nsvltndog]

We went to the 1991 Liberty Bowl expecting to hammer Air Force. We froze our tails off in the stands in front of a 95% MSU crowd and got destroyed by them by more than 3 TD's. If we show up to play we should win barring a turnover fest like we had in the Gator Bowl last year. If we don't take them seriously we will likely lose. Both Wake Forest and Central Florida played us close in recent Bowl Games. We lost to Northwestern and crushed Michigan. This points to a tendancy to play down to no name opponents like Rice.

[Todd4State]

We went to the 1991 Liberty Bowl expecting to hammer Air Force. We froze our tails off in the stands in front of a 95% MSU crowd and got destroyed by them by more than 3 TD's. If we show up to play we should win barring a turnover fest like we had in the Gator Bowl last year. If we don't take them seriously we will likely lose. Both Wake Forest and Central Florida played us close in recent Bowl Games. We lost to Northwestern and crushed Michigan. This points to a tendancy to play down to no name opponents like Rice.

All of that is history- and it doesn't have anything to do with our current team. Jackie would let his team have a good time during the bowl- and it cost us some. With Wake Forest, I think we were kind of on cruise control at that point and we had major o-line issues and Relf was banged up. Ballard and Fletcher Cox were NFL talents that carried us that game. Central Florida was close because we had Croom.

[Todd4State]

ISWYDT


:cool:

[gravedigger]

So what. Rice probably could beat ole miss.

[Pollodawg]

I saw that too. All I could do was chuckle. A lot of talking heads had Michigan picked to run us out of the stadium in 2010 too.

[Pollodawg]

And Rice could probably handle UK, and give Arky and UF a decent game.

[mstatefan91]

I think it could be a close game, but I also think if we get their run scheme down, then it could be a blowout if Dak and company are on point.

Basically, I hope our guys are zoned in on this game. That includes the coaching staff

[Bothrops]

The question is, can we get up for this game like we did Bama and OM? If so, Rice will get absolutely demolished. If not, we won't start playing till the 4th quarter and better hope we aren't down on the scoreboard. In that case it will be us vs. the clock.

[RougeDawg]

This game will be a double digit Bulldog victory at minimum. We should be an 8 win SEC team, but we just had too many in season changes to see this come to fruition. If Dak is healthy and in spring practice, we most likely beat OK St and Auburn. Then the remainder of the season probably plays out differently. We could have beaten A&M and USC with just a couple breaks, and gave Bama their best game besides Auburn. We gave Auburn their best game of the year at home as well. Either way, we are a much better team than a 6 win team.

[Dawg61]

Awesome! ESPN says MSU will lose Rice Bowl. What's next? Sushi will beat us too?

[Todd4State]

The question is, can we get up for this game like we did Bama and OM? If so, Rice will get absolutely demolished. If not, we won't start playing till the 4th quarter and better hope we aren't down on the scoreboard. In that case it will be us vs. the clock.

I will be shocked if we are not up for this game.

[drunkernhelldawg]

Haven't they won ten games? I expect it to be close.

[DownwardDawg]

Does he not know Mullen's record against the spread???

[bluelightstar]

I saw that too. All I could do was chuckle. A lot of talking heads had Michigan picked to run us out of the stadium in 2010 too.

This just isn't true

[Dawg61]

Excellent point. I think Mullen has only won 3 total games he was the underdog in and only lost 2 he was the favorite in. That's not against the spread. Basically if we are a - we win and if we are a + we lose. Every time. This game we are a - so it's like a mathematical certainty we'll win or I'll eat a gigantic bowl of rice.

[Pollodawg]

This just isn't true

Really, as best I remember, we were dogs in that one

[SignalToNoise]

I'm with C34- most SEC teams would be disappointed to be playing in the Liberty Bowl, but we are trending up at this time. Clawing our way to 6 wins with some OT drama. We will come out fired up and excited to be there. Rice may land a few punches early but eventually we'll take control and win by 14+.

[DawgInMemphis]

We went to the 1991 Liberty Bowl expecting to hammer Air Force. We froze our tails off in the stands in front of a 95% MSU crowd and got destroyed by them by more than 3 TD's. If we show up to play we should win barring a turnover fest like we had in the Gator Bowl last year. If we don't take them seriously we will likely lose. Both Wake Forest and Central Florida played us close in recent Bowl Games. We lost to Northwestern and crushed Michigan. This points to a tendancy to play down to no name opponents like Rice.

Very few, if any, players on this team were even alive in 1991...

[Political Hack]

I ate rice for dinner last night.

[EnterpriseDawg]

I ate rice for dinner last night.

Shrimp fried rice? I love that stuff!

[blacklistedbully]

We also have a lot of freshmen/RS freshmen playing. They will be pumped up for this bowl.

[Goat Holder]

Yes, it is.

[CJDAWG85]

Rice's O-Line is small. They have a couple of big guys, but the average weight of all of them on the Liberty bowl roster is 295lbs.

[Coach34]

They should not be able to handle our front if our front comes to play

[EngineerDawg]

Shrimp fried rice? I love that stuff!

Dak will be frying all the Rice NYE.

side note:
I don't know which is worse... USM or conference USA as a whole.

EAST DIVISION W L W L
Marshall 7 1 9 4
East Carolina 6 2 9 3
Middle Tennessee 6 2 8 4
Florida Atlantic 4 4 6 6
UAB 1 7 2 10
Southern Miss 1 7 1 11
FIU 1 7 1 11

WEST DIVISION W L W L
Rice 7 1 10 3
UTSA 6 2 7 5
North Texas 6 2 8 4
Tulane 5 3 7 5
Louisiana Tech 3 5 4 8
Tulsa 2 6 3 9
UTEP 1 7 2 10

[gravedigger]

They did all pick us to lose but because of the sickness that want around the night before due to the meal. They didn't predict a big win for michigan but they all did pick us to lose.

[FISHDAWG]

Am I missing something or just plain ignorant to the level of play rice is capable of?

Chris Jones and Dak Prescott say - you aren't missing anything - ESPN is the one that's missing something , but what else is new ...... I will be betting the entire balance of my V-cash on that game

[CJDAWG85]

Both teams are +7 in the TO Margin

Difference is pretty clear to me...

Last 4 games for MSU

A&M +2
Bama +3
Arky +1
TSUN +2 (Should be +4)

TO Margin +8 (Should be +10)

Last 4 games for Rice

La Tech +3
UAB -2
Tulane -1
Marshall +1

TO Margin +1



Rice is -1 in the TO Margin on the road this season... This will be virtually a home game for MSU

[nsvltndog]

My 1991 Liberty Bowl comment was simply to provide context of what can happen when you go into a game like this thinking you can't be beat by a perceived inferior no name opponent. I fully expect us to win if the players approach the game the same way they would against a solid SEC team. If we come out ready like we did againt Bama, Arkansas, and Mississippi and continue our momentum for the 4th consecutive game we will win. If we have a Bowling Green or Kentucky type performance we will have to sweat it out.

[MagicDawg]

ESPN picking Rice is better for us than them picking us. Hope it gives the team a little bit of a chip on the shoulder. I don't want the team to feel favored or like they can coast at all. This is something the coaches can use to focus the team.

[EngineerDawg]

slightly off subject but did anyone see where espn tried to pull the Christmas commericial because it had too much Jesus?..... http://download.ultradownloads.com.br/wallpaper/279570_Papel-de-Parede-Meme-Facepalm_1280x1024.jpg

[blacklistedbully]

Chris Jones and Dak Prescott say - you aren't missing anything - ESPN is the one that's missing something , but what else is new ...... I will be betting the entire balance of my V-cash on that game

I'll be "all-in" as well, with my big $20 stash.

[Statecoachingblows**]

ESPN picks rice

Now that's a thread name to get a good chuckle!

Headlines will read Dawgs vs. Rice
MSU cleans plate for happy ending...to season

[preachermatt83]

This game will be a double digit Bulldog victory at minimum. We should be an 8 win SEC team, but we just had too many in season changes to see this come to fruition. If Dak is healthy and in spring practice, we most likely beat OK St and Auburn. Then the remainder of the season probably plays out differently. We could have beaten A&M and USC with just a couple breaks, and gave Bama their best game besides Auburn. We gave Auburn their best game of the year at home as well. Either way, we are a much better team than a 6 win team.


Double digit win as a minimum you say?? So ur looking more towards what? A triple digit win?!??!! Geez!! Haha. Jk. I saw that and couldn't pass it up.

[Maroonthirteen]

I have always heard we lost the 91 Liberty because our team partied hard the night before. Also I have always thought Air Forde shut us down because we ran an option offense. AF knew how to run the option and therefore how to stop it.

[nsvltndog]

You would think the same theory would have applied to us being able to stop them, but we never came close to stopping the Air Force option attack that night. I think they attempted 2 passes in the game.

They ran a reverse for about a 30 yard TD in the 4th quarter of that game that still stands out as the most effective reverse I have ever seen. We overpursued it so badly that the dude could have scored in a wheelchair.

[Coach 57]

Rice has a good RB. He's 6'1 230lbs and has over 1k yds. Their QB has a little over 2k passing yds and based in what I have seen they run a similar offense to us. They'll run the speed option occasionally to pressure the DE & OLBs. The passing yds to me are a little low as well as the attempts. It shows me that they like to run the ball (strength) and play defense (greatest strength). I'm not sure where they fall in the season as far as rankings but after watching a few games they have played in they have REALLY good OLBs. Our OL are going to have to have quick feet to hit the 2nd level on running plays. They like to blitz too. And with an undersized DL they are similar to Vandy and love to stunt & twist the gaps in their favor. That's pretty much who they are in a nutshell.

My feelings about the game are this: I feel like if we come to play & Mullen does an EARLY room check, we will crush them into powder! I can see them having trouble with Jameon & Malcolm in the middle of the field. Especially Malcolm. He's just too big and a going to pose a big problem for them. But we need to be patient with our running game though & not just lean on Dak. They are fast enough & skilled enough in defense to overcome bad reads. Which means Dak needs to be on point with his decision making. Defensively if we use the scheme we used Vs UM we should be able to shut them down. I know Wallace coughed the ball up to us a lot but in reality their QB is NO WHERE NEAR Bo's talent level. My early prediction: 34-17

[MSUDawg4Life]

The game is going to come down to execution. If we play well and execute on offense and defense, then we'll walk away with a win. Good offensive and defensive execution will even let us overcome poor special teams play.

However, if we don't take this game seriously. If we come out poorly prepared and play sloppily, then the only thing we're walking away with is a loss.

I think Rice is a solid team and similar to us in a lot of ways. We have a talent edge with a little more size and much more depth. For that reason, I think wwe should win even if both teams play well. We just have to take care of business.

[Political Hack]

3 rd down conversions. we convert third downs, we roll... big time.

[BulldogBear]

I figured as much. Like I said, if we show up we will win regardless of whether Rice shows up or not. If Rice gets down early or doesn't show up, we will murder them. However, if we don't show up and they do... well, we've all seen that game with different unis

[doggone]

If we handle Rice, dominate them, that will force the talking heads at ESPN to eat a little humble pie and credit this team. If we can start rolling next year this can help get us some respect we don't usually have early in the season. Perception matters so much and Freeze has benefited from it. It's State's turn if they take it.