Let's not get carried away...

[BogeyGolfer]

Do I think we have a chance at a special season next year? Sure, 7-9 wins are a real possibility. I will post Bogey's pre-season prediction thread around August 1... However, I've read post about NC/Heisman and beating LSU in BR... None of those things will happen. This is why I wanted to play a quality bowl opponent because our game with Rice didn't tell me anything about how much we've improved since the SC and A&M games b/c that's the last games we played with a healthy Dak.. I think on paper we should be better next year at all positions other than OL, which happens to be the most important.. Folks, I watched the LB again and we struggled running the ball with our RB's and I'm a little concerned... If Dak continues to improve and our OL improves we should be fine... 2014 should be fun...

[Harrydawg]

"none of those things will happen".....you can't say that definitively anymore than people saying it can!

Let's ride this wave without worrying about falling of it!

[HoopsDawg]

No one is predicting national title.

I agree that our O-line is the weakness. We just haven't recruited well at that position. We haven't been able to run the ball with our backs the last 2 years.

[I seen it dawg]

Why can't we enjoy the positive way our season ended instead of we will never do this and that will never happen? It wasn't like someone threw Heisman and NC game predictions out there and said they would happen. You know this is the time of year(recruiting) where it's ok to feel a little overly wooly. Why don't those of you that HAVE to keep it real and make sure the wool doesn't grow give it a damn rest for a month or 2 or maybe until spring practice. Enjoy having a wool coat for a little bit, might make you less depressing.

[CadaverDawg]

So 7 wins is a "special season" to you? You should still be celebrating the special season we just had then...not trying to piss on the assured "special season" we will have next year.

We'll all be sitting on pins and needles until August 1.*

[Political Hack]

next year is the only chance in my lifetime we've got a legitimate dark horse candidate for the Heisman. Next year is only the 2nd time in my lifetime we've got a snow balls chance at hell at making the national championship series. Next year is our best chance to beat LSU in well over a decade.

Lots to be excited about. I doubt any of those things happen, but they're more possible next year than any other in recent memory.

[gravedigger]

Bogey, I'm not thinking most believe either are that probable. I don't. But they aren't nearly as improbable as they are in most years. Lsu is beatable. Dak is talented enough. The schedule is not nearly as hard.

The running game in the liberty bowl makes sense. They decided to force us to throw by loading the box. And we did just that. Had rice not chosen to stop the run with the extra man, we'd have plowed them due to sheer size difference.

[preachermatt83]

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/3551/khslqtk.gif

[preachermatt83]

So 7 wins is a "special season" to you? You should still be celebrating the special season we just had then...not trying to piss on the assured "special season" we will have next year.

We'll all be sitting on pins and needles until August 1.*

#truth

[mic]

The running game and running backs will be better next simply because we wont have 2 playbooks for 2 different types of QB's. The O-line will be better for that reason for sure.. And it wont hurt that we will have more carries for JRob and Shump..

[messageboardsuperhero]

I agree that some people are getting a little carried away, but next really does set up well for us and there is certainly reason for optimism. And I have yet to see anyone predict that we will win the national title, so I have no idea where that came from.

My expectation is at least eight regular season wins and anything less will be a disappointment.

[BogeyGolfer]

I agree that some people are getting a little carried away, but next really does set up well for us and there is certainly reason for optimism.

My expectation is at least eight regular season wins and anything less will be a disappointment.

Well said, what fans tend to forget is that other teams will get better and will have more experience at certain positions as well. Again, my biggest concern is OL... I did notice that we played Clayborn a lot in the bowl game early ... We need him to step up big time.

[msstate7]

The running game and running backs will be better next simply because we wont have 2 playbooks for 2 different types of QB's. The O-line will be better for that reason for sure.. And it wont hurt that we will have more carries for JRob and Shump..

I've got a feeling griffin and Williams could be a factor in our running game next season

[msstate7]

Well said, what fans tend to forget is that other teams will get better and will have more experience at certain positions as well. Again, my biggest concern is OL... I did notice that we played Clayborn a lot in the bowl game early ... We need him to step up big time.

I don't think guard will be an issue next season barring injuries. Need someone to take our tackle opposite clausell and be ready by lsu game.

[Political Hack]

I say "Let's get carried away."

It's more fun that way.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Well said, what fans tend to forget is that other teams will get better and will have more experience at certain positions as well. Again, my biggest concern is OL... I did notice that we played Clayborn a lot in the bowl game early ... We need him to step up big time.

I do agree that OL experience is a concern at some positions (especially at Gabe Jackson's spot), but Siddoway is replaceable and we aren't the only team that is losing a couple of offensive linemen.

We get back Malone and bring back Beckwith, Day, and Clayborne (who is ETREMELY talented)- these guys won't replace Jackson, but our interior OL is good enough that there shouldn't be a HUGE drop-off. As for tackle, Clausell is very solid, and I like J. Johnson, Carter, and Senior. All in all, we're not too bad off on the OL. And this is without even talking about some promising young guys like Desper, Flowers, Thomas, etc.

And I'm not sure where your comment about us struggling to run with our RB's comes from. Perkins, Shumpert, Robinson, and Griffin combined for 139 yards on 27 carries (about 5.2 YPC)- just because our backs didn't get 10 yards every time they touched the ball doesn't mean they "struggled."

ETA: And of our RBs that are returning (Robinson, Shumpert, and Griffin), they ran for 92 yards on 14 carries (6.6 YPC). Is that struggling?

[chainedup_Dawg]

Some are getting carried away. I am thinking more along the lines of 8-9 wins. I will be happy with 8, anything over that is gravy to me. However, you are right, our RBs struggled, at least Perkins did, JRob did not in his limited carries. So really, since Perkins is gone, that is not something I'd be worried about.

[RougeDawg]

Well said, what fans tend to forget is that other teams will get better and will have more experience at certain positions as well. Again, my biggest concern is OL... I did notice that we played Clayborn a lot in the bowl game early ... We need him to step up big time.

And a lot of teams will regress in certain positions, particularly the most important position on the field, QB. LSU is losing a ton of players to draft and graduation as well as Bama. We should have beaten auburn this year. We Re better than ark UL Vandy, OM and our OOC's. We should beat A&M without JFF. He's the reason they aren't a 6 win team. We beat LSU and we are looking at a real special season, if we best the teams we are supposed to beat.

[engie]

My expectations for this year was 6-6, with 7-5 being enough to make me "happy".

My expectations for next year are 8-4, with 9-3 being enough to make he happy.

[Offshore Dawg]

Damn, just give it a rest at least until spring practice, <17>. Some of you can never be satisfied with anything.

[Goat Holder]

You're missing the entire point.

The point is to hype us up, as to get exposure. Who cares if we disappoint? Better to be in the spotlight and leave it, than to never have been in it at all. We are the only fanbase who wishes to stay 'objective' all the damn time.

[BogeyGolfer]

You're missing the entire point.

The point is to hype us up, as to get exposure. Who cares if we disappoint? Better to be in the spotlight and leave it, than to never have been in it at all. We are the only fanbase who wishes to stay 'objective' all the damn time.

No, I get that part of it... I'm all for the hype and Dak Attack stuff if it brings positive exposure and doesn't backfire... But I feel as if we can discuss these issues on here since we are all State fans.

[Goat Holder]

Well you are correct that we as State fans, deep down, have no choice but to be cautious. On that note, to keep it real, I'm still not completely sold on Prescott being anything more than an above average QB myself. And plus he could get hurt at anytime. I guess to me it's just more fun to be positive than negative. Especially when the potential is there for next year.

[Quaoarsking]

No, I get that part of it... I'm all for the hype and Dak Attack stuff if it brings positive exposure and doesn't backfire... But I feel as if we can discuss these issues on here since we are all State fans.

There's really no way it could backfire. Did NIU's Heisman campaign for Jordan Lynch "backfire" because he choked away the conference championship? No, it succeeded beyond their wildest dreams -- he got an arguably-undeserved invitation to New York, which brought a lot of great press and attention to their program. I hope our campaign for Dak backfires that well...

[NeshobaChuck]

Honestly with the talent we will have next year and talent we should have coming in anything less than 9 wins is a disappointment in my eyes but that is just me..

[Todd4State]

No, I get that part of it... I'm all for the hype and Dak Attack stuff if it brings positive exposure and doesn't backfire... But I feel as if we can discuss these issues on here since we are all State fans.

All anyone has said is that he should be a candidate for the Heisman- not that he will for sure win it. Dak not winning doesn't mean his campaign backfired. Do you think Tennessee fans felt stupid about running Peyton Manning for Heisman after he didn't win it?

Now, I'm sure that when Dak doesn't win the Heisman, Ole Miss fans are going to make fun of us and there will be State fans that will wear their self-worth on their shoulders. Just remember that Deuce and Eli didn't win the Heisman either.

[PMDawg]

I will post Bogey's pre-season prediction thread around August 1...

In other news, I'll be buying a cup of coffee in the morning.

[blacklistedbully]

Southern Miss, UAB, South Alabama, UT-Martin, UK & Vandy on the schedule, TAMU's lousy defense with no JFF or Evans to bail them out and you'd call 7 wins anything other than terrible?

With what we have coming back, we should expect to win all 7 of those as a start, and still have rebuilding Arky, predictable Ole Miss, reloading LSU, reloading Bama & an Auburn team we should have beaten 3 of the past 4.

To me, 8 wins regular season would be something of a disappointment. We've played LSU tough a few times lately with them having their studs. This year sets up better than any have in a long time. I think we take it to Ole Miss again in Oxford, Arky in Starkville, and have a very good chance of taking LSU & Auburn at home.

[Coach 57]

Offshore Dawg, my thoughts exactly!

Every year we do this crap! We are our own worst enemy! Between Sally, the bears, Finebaum, ESPN, Phil Steele, Bleacher Report, Matt Stevens, Talty, the CL almost as a whole, Ashoff, and almost every CFB talking head (minus Bo Bounds) we don't need more people not being excited or positive about our program. So yeah Bogey, go ahead and throw your hat in the ring with the rest of the haters.

Look you give credit for "others getting better" but not a FULL offseason with Dak not only being THE guy but being healthy enough to take ACTUAL preseason snaps (unlike this year). Not only the fact that JRob will be the feature back and will be JUST like the QB position (an upgrade), the WR core has another year to get better. You assessment of the entire OL is false. Now if you want to ASSUME the RT position will be an issue that we need to address. Sure, I've already said that. Siddoway may not have been a world beater, but he was decent. But whose to say We can't upgrade that position with either the talent that redshirted or the JUCO route? Did you forget Malone (the STARTING RG) was out the whole year. & is coming back? Between him, Beckwith (his replacement) or Clayborn can't fill Gabe's spot? Bogey, I don't want to categorize you or anybody else but this is getting ridiculous! We just crushed a 10 win team? In our 4th straight bowl appearance. After beating UM who was assumed by some to be "ready to try for the West ". Then beating Arky who we've NEVER beat there! And after ALL Of that our coach just PASSED (to some) the "greatest MSU coach of all time" in bowl wins, all the while being hit by injuries the way we did? In the voice of Cris Carter...."Come on mane!"

[CadaverDawg]

In other news, I'll be buying a cup of coffee in the morning.

Haha my thoughts exactly.

+1

[Todd4State]

Offshore Dawg, my thoughts exactly!

Every year we do this crap! We are our own worst enemy! Between Sally, the bears, Finebaum, ESPN, Phil Steele, Bleacher Report, Matt Stevens, Talty, the CL almost as a whole, Ashoff, and almost every CFB talking head (minus Bo Bounds) we don't need more people not being excited or positive about our program. So yeah Bogey, go ahead and throw your hat in the ring with the rest of the haters.

Look you give credit for "others getting better" but not a FULL offseason with Dak not only being THE guy but being healthy enough to take ACTUAL preseason snaps (unlike this year). Not only the fact that JRob will be the feature back and will be JUST like the QB position (an upgrade), the WR core has another year to get better. You assessment of the entire OL is false. Now if you want to ASSUME the RT position will be an issue that we need to address. Sure, I've already said that. Siddoway may not have been a world beater, but he was decent. But whose to say We can't upgrade that position with either the talent that redshirted or the JUCO route? Did you forget Malone (the STARTING RG) was out the whole year. & is coming back? Between him, Beckwith (his replacement) or Clayborn can't fill Gabe's spot? Bogey, I don't want to categorize you or anybody else but this is getting ridiculous! We just crushed a 10 win team? In our 4th straight bowl appearance. After beating UM who was assumed by some to be "ready to try for the West ". Then beating Arky who we've NEVER beat there! And after ALL Of that our coach just PASSED (to some) the "greatest MSU coach of all time" in bowl wins, all the while being hit by injuries the way we did? In the voice of Cris Carter...."Come on mane!"

This guy gets it. And I agree with you- I really like Clayborn a lot.

[Coach 57]

Thanks Todd, and nobody said we are a NC player. But if you think we can't beat LSU this year your aren't looking at this team as a whole. I'll tell you this, and it piggy backs what Hack has said. I'm 36yrs old and I can tell you this, this team will be the best team in my life time! We will have the most talented QB we have ever had, with ACTUALLY one of the best coaches we've ever had with a LOADED defense & a schedule that is condusive to us making noise.

[EAVdog]

I'm letting myself get carried away and I like it. Will we win the SEC West, will Dak be in the Heisman conversation, could we get into a great bowl? Who knows, the safe bet would be to say no. But what is fun about being safe. What if just once the cards played out for State. I can take being wooly, in fact it feels pretty damn good for a change.

We made it to the National Championship in Baseball last year, have a good shot at it again this year. Pick your heads up, poke your chest out a little, and believe!

[Coach34]

All I know is:

We have 17 starters returning and will be better next year in at least 1 of those lost
We have the best QB at State I've seen in my lifetime
We didnt lose a single WR or TE
Our D was very good the 2nd half of the season- and 9 starters return

That's alot to be excited about going into 2014

[BogeyGolfer]

All I know is:

We have 17 starters returning and will be better next year in at least 1 of those lost
We have the best QB at State I've seen in my lifetime
We didnt lose a single WR or TE
Our D was very good the 2nd half of the season- and 9 starters return

That's alot to be excited about going into 2014

I agree, but we do have some question marks. Other than the ones I have already mentioned,how in the hell are we going to keep Dak healthy for an entire season? I'm not sure we can... We really need to use our backs more but I'm not sure Mullen will change a thing...

[FlabLoser]

Whoever wants to not waste any unwarranted excitement while maintaining enough negativity to hedge message board cred against those of us who are going to enjoy the hell out of the 2014 season and the national attention that Dak is going to bring...just give me your tickets and I'll find some fans to use them.

[FlabLoser]

I agree, but we do have some question marks. Other than the ones I have already mentioned,how in the hell are we going to keep Dak healthy for an entire season? I'm not sure we can... We really need to use our backs more but I'm not sure Mullen will change a thing...

That's a bogey post right there.

[ShotgunDawg]

Bogey, we rushed for 239 yards against Rice. What is the problem there?

[Todd4State]

I agree, but we do have some question marks. Other than the ones I have already mentioned,how in the hell are we going to keep Dak healthy for an entire season? I'm not sure we can... We really need to use our backs more but I'm not sure Mullen will change a thing...

I think it will be the opposite. Dak has a good rapport with Jameon and Bear. He was a little bit off with Malcolm at times, but that's getting better. Then there's Robert Johnson and Fred Brown. We have people for him to throw to- including a couple of proven go to guys. And I know some people are a little down on Morrow at times- but one thing I have noticed about him is that he has improved a lot since he got here. I wouldn't be shocked at all if the switch came on.

Plus, I think one reason why Dak kept it a lot was possibly because he felt he had a better chance to get the first down than Perkins at times. With us having Robinson and Shumpert more involved in the running game, Dak will probably be more inclined to hand it off more than he did this past season. Also, I think Dak has improved a lot on making reads on the option game and in the passing game. I expect that he will continue to improve even more.

[Todd4State]

Bogey, we rushed for 239 yards against Rice. What is the problem there?

And to me sitting in the stands, it seemed like we ran less option than normal. I don't know if that's really the case or not- but there was a lot of variety and Dak making plays with his arm and his legs scrambling. A lot different than what we saw against Auburn from the offense.

[Pollodawg]

I think it will be the opposite. Dak has a good rapport with Jameon and Bear. He was a little bit off with Malcolm at times, but that's getting better. Then there's Robert Johnson and Fred Brown. We have people for him to throw to- including a couple of proven go to guys. And I know some people are a little down on Morrow at times- but one thing I have noticed about him is that he has improved a lot since he got here. I wouldn't be shocked at all if the switch came on.

Plus, I think one reason why Dak kept it a lot was possibly because he felt he had a better chance to get the first down than Perkins at times. With us having Robinson and Shumpert more involved in the running game, Dak will probably be more inclined to hand it off more than he did this past season. Also, I think Dak has improved a lot on making reads on the option game and in the passing game. I expect that he will continue to improve even more.

Agreed about the reads in the passing game. Numerous times, I saw Dak go to his second and third options when the first choice was covered up.

[messageboardsuperhero]

All I know is:

We have 17 starters returning and will be better next year in at least 1 of those lost
We have the best QB at State I've seen in my lifetime
We didnt lose a single WR or TE
Our D was very good the 2nd half of the season- and 9 starters return

That's alot to be excited about going into 2014

You could even argue that one of those starters (Skinner) was a co-starter with Benny Brown- in fact, I'm pretty sure Brown got the start in the Liberty Bowl. Then the other starter we lose (Nickoe) was playing on one leg and is being replaced by Jay Hughes, who has starting experience as well.

Combine all those returning starters with a very good coordinator and the continued improvement of potential star, 1st round picks like Chris Jones and B. McKinney, and you're potentially looking at a very special defense in 2014.

[Esmerelda Villalobos]

I do agree that OL experience is a concern at some positions (especially at Gabe Jackson's spot), but Siddoway is replaceable and we aren't the only team that is losing a couple of offensive linemen.

We get back Malone and bring back Beckwith, Day, and Clayborne (who is ETREMELY talented)- these guys won't replace Jackson, but our interior OL is good enough that there shouldn't be a HUGE drop-off. As for tackle, Clausell is very solid, and I like J. Johnson, Carter, and Senior. All in all, we're not too bad off on the OL. And this is without even talking about some promising young guys like Desper, Flowers, Thomas, etc.

And I'm not sure where your comment about us struggling to run with our RB's comes from. Perkins, Shumpert, Robinson, and Griffin combined for 139 yards on 27 carries (about 5.2 YPC)- just because our backs didn't get 10 yards every time they touched the ball doesn't mean they "struggled."

ETA: And of our RBs that are returning (Robinson, Shumpert, and Griffin), they ran for 92 yards on 14 carries (6.6 YPC). Is that struggling?



Ummmmm what?

[Pollodawg]

Oh, and as far as being excited, goes, I don't expect to win a NC, but what the blue hell is wrong with expecting a solid nine win season with an upset thrown in the mix and our QB getting some national love for the first time ever? Dak is already better than basically every QB we've ever had. I think Fant broke 2,000 yards passing one season, and Dak would have easily done that had he started every game and stayed healthy. Not to mention, I think he would have broken 1,000 yards rushing.

[BogeyGolfer]

Bogey, we rushed for 239 yards against Rice. What is the problem there?

We rushed for 152 against UK and 150 against SC... That's the point I was making earlier, I wished we would have played a tougher bowl opponent to gauge how far we've come with Dak as the starter... Arkansas and UK would beat Rice. No doubt Dak had a tremendous game and I'm excited we will have him two more years but he can't keep taking shots or he won't last half a season.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Ummmmm what?

I was just saying that our OL still looks pretty good for next year, even though we lose a couple of guys.

And then I refuted the idea that we can't run the ball with our RBs.

[I seen it dawg]

We rushed for 152 against UK and 150 against SC... That's the point I was making earlier, I wished we would have played a tougher bowl opponent to gauge how far we've come with Dak as the starter... Arkansas and UK would beat Rice. No doubt Dak had a tremendous game and I'm excited we will have him two more years but he can't keep taking shots or he won't last half a season.

Which meant we got better as the season wore on....

[Coach34]

I agree, but we do have some question marks. Other than the ones I have already mentioned,how in the hell are we going to keep Dak healthy for an entire season? I'm not sure we can... We really need to use our backs more but I'm not sure Mullen will change a thing...

Bogey, we certainly have question marks heading into 2014- all teams do.

While I hate losing Jackson at G- I feel ok knowing Malone can play and Clayborn looked good as a true Freshmen.
I hope Johnson is able to handle RT- that's what he is being brought in to do
I don't worry about Dakota getting hurt- he's as tough as they come
I think we'll see some offensive changes now that Russell is gone
We have the pieces to be a top 3-4 SEC Defense- that will keep us in big games. The offense will have to make some plays vs Bama and LSU to make the threat real

But bottom line- there are alot of reasons to be excited about 2014- probably more so than any in Mullen's tenure to this point

[Todd4State]

We rushed for 152 against UK and 150 against SC... That's the point I was making earlier, I wished we would have played a tougher bowl opponent to gauge how far we've come with Dak as the starter... Arkansas and UK would beat Rice. No doubt Dak had a tremendous game and I'm excited we will have him two more years but he can't keep taking shots or he won't last half a season.

Rice won 10 games and looked respectable against Texas A&M and beat a darn good Marshall team in the C-USA Championship Game. They got us in third and long a lot- but we converted most of the time. It takes a good team to do that. I'm not going to complain about us breaking a teams will whether we were supposed to or not.

And I'm the president of the run Dak less fan club, but there's a happy medium there. The option is part of our offense and it's part of Dak's game. We would be foolish to not take advantage of that. I was happy with the play calling and amount of times we ran the option in the Liberty Bowl- to me that was an acceptable amount. Really, the best thing we can do is be multiple like we were in the Liberty Bowl because that will mean that Dak is running less and teams won't be able to key in on him as much.

[Todd4State]

Bogey, we certainly have question marks heading into 2014- all teams do.

While I hate losing Jackson at G- I feel ok knowing Malone can play and Clayborn looked good as a true Freshmen.
I hope Johnson is able to handle RT- that's what he is being brought in to do
I don't worry about Dakota getting hurt- he's as tough as they come
I think we'll see some offensive changes now that Russell is gone
We have the pieces to be a top 3-4 SEC Defense- that will keep us in big games. The offense will have to make some plays vs Bama and LSU to make the threat real

But bottom line- there are alot of reasons to be excited about 2014- probably more so than any in Mullen's tenure to this point

Beckwith is a good guard as well. I think he starts. So, really we have three solid options there- Malone, Beckwith, and Clayborn. The only question I have is about Malone and how healthy he will be.

[smootness]

I have a question. I see a lot of posts mentioning Fred Brown and few mentioning Fred Ross. Are people getting the two confused, or do a lot genuinely feel like Brown the better WR?

And I'm not criticizing that view if it is the case; both are State WRs, so I don't much care which one becomes a stud, but I do personally think Ross has the higher ceiling, and he had more catches/yards this year despite being a true freshman and banged up at times.

Just wondering what some see in Fred Brown; and again, I'm not disagreeing, just genuinely wanting to know. I've seen some who think he can be a stud, and I would love for him to become that.

[Original48]

And I'm the president of the run Dak less fan club, but there's a happy medium there. The option is part of our offense and it's part of Dak's game. We would be foolish to not take advantage of that. I was happy with the play calling and amount of times we ran the option in the Liberty Bowl- to me that was an acceptable amount. Really, the best thing we can do is be multiple like we were in the Liberty Bowl because that will mean that Dak is running less and teams won't be able to key in on him as much.
I think the diamond package is gonna offer Dak a lot of relief in that regard. A potential JRob, Shumpert, Aries Williams look in that set has me a little pumped.

[Johnson85]

I will post Bogey's pre-season prediction thread around August 1...

Considering the quality of your previous predictions, why don't you just post your predictions in a thread started by somebody else. If everybody on the board without a clue what they were talking about started their own prediction threads, it'd get pretty damn messy.

[msstate7]

I have a question. I see a lot of posts mentioning Fred Brown and few mentioning Fred Ross. Are people getting the two confused, or do a lot genuinely feel like Brown the better WR?

And I'm not criticizing that view if it is the case; both are State WRs, so I don't much care which one becomes a stud, but I do personally think Ross has the higher ceiling, and he had more catches/yards this year despite being a true freshman and banged up at times.

Just wondering what some see in Fred Brown; and again, I'm not disagreeing, just genuinely wanting to know. I've seen some who think he can be a stud, and I would love for him to become that.

I like Fred brown bc it seemed in my memory (could be wrong) that he went up and caught balls at their high point. He seemed to use his size as well as any wr we have (again in my memory which could be wrong).

[mic]

I like Fred brown bc it seemed in my memory (could be wrong) that he went up and caught balls at their high point. He seemed to use his size as well as any wr we have (again in my memory which could be wrong).

We all saw the huge improvements with all of the WR core this year. Main reason is we FINALLY have a TRUE WR coach. If Gonzo stays a couple more years these young guys could be very special..

[FISHDAWG]

good point ... driving in to work today while listening to sports talk radio I heard Jon Cooper (Saturdays Down South) being interviewed on an Atlanta station and he was showing us a LOTTA LOVE for next year .... it has already begun - IMO

[RougeDawg]

We rushed for 152 against UK and 150 against SC... That's the point I was making earlier, I wished we would have played a tougher bowl opponent to gauge how far we've come with Dak as the starter... Arkansas and UK would beat Rice. No doubt Dak had a tremendous game and I'm excited we will have him two more years but he can't keep taking shots or he won't last half a season.

You do realize that Dak had to be the bruising RB in our offense this year, because stubborn ass Mullen insisted on keeping tippy toes back there instead of giving JRob and Shump a majority of the "pound it down their throat" carries. When we needed a couple yards, it was Dak getting carry. These will be tremendously decreased going forward. I'm trying to gather your thought process on all of this? We had a "ragged round peg in a square hole" offense for most of 2013 and we had a winning season against a top 5 schedule. Next year we will have a "greased round peg in a lubed round hole" offense. We should be favored in 8-9 of our games, possibly 10(dog against Bama & LSU). How can you not see this? Honestly?

[Political Hack]

Arkansas and UK would not beat Rice on a neutral field. Arkansas lost 9 in a row. Outside of the state of pig sooie curse on State, they got blown out by almost everyone with a pulse. Even Rutgers beat them. UK lost to Western Kentucky on a neutral field.

[Bullmutt]

Guys, I freely admit to being overly optimistic in the pre-season every year, but considering that:

1) we lose only a small number of the two-deep on both sides of the ball,
2) we finally seem to have in place at our offensive skill positions the kinds of players needed for Mullen's scheme,
3) the added maturity and development we should see with all our younger players who played alot this year, and
4) several of the SEC elites we play each year are losing some key pieces or are simply not as strong as in the recent past (I'm thinking Bama OL and DL, after seeing the OK game. Tell me if I'm wrong),

I really feel that a ten win season, barring something totally unforeseen or being badly bitten by the injury bug, is a very real, perhaps likely, possibility. I'd be interested to hear the reasons this is unrealistic.

[drunkernhelldawg]

Considering the quality of your previous predictions, why don't you just post your predictions in a thread started by somebody else. If everybody on the board without a clue what they were talking about started their own prediction threads, it'd get pretty damn messy.

Spoken like a bossman. Gotta keep those wheels turnin'.

[BogeyGolfer]

Arkansas and UK would not beat Rice on a neutral field. Arkansas lost 9 in a row. Outside of the state of pig sooie curse on State, they got blown out by almost everyone with a pulse. Even Rutgers beat them. UK lost to Western Kentucky on a neutral field.

Arkansas almost beat LSU at Tiger Stadium. They would beat Rice by two scores. UK played SC to within a TD, they would also beat Rice... Trust me, Rice is on the same level with South Alabama and Troy.... WKU was the first game if the year for UK but that was a bad loss.

[Todd4State]

Arkansas almost beat LSU at Tiger Stadium. They would beat Rice by two scores. UK played SC to within a TD, they would also beat Rice... Trust me, Rice is on the same level with South Alabama and Troy.... WKU was the first game if the year for UK but that was a bad loss.

So, you're saying that South Alabama and Troy would have won C-USA?

[mic]

BogeyGolfer you need to just hit the eject button on this thread... The more you post the deeper you dig your own grave with this one..

[messageboardsuperhero]

Arkansas almost beat LSU at Tiger Stadium. They would beat Rice by two scores. UK played SC to within a TD, they would also beat Rice... Trust me, Rice is on the same level with South Alabama and Troy.... WKU was the first game if the year for UK but that was a bad loss.

You're stretching REALLY bad on this one.

Rice won the C-USA championship, while Troy and South Alabama were 6-6 in the Sun Belt- Rice is a good notch or two above those teams.

I don't think anyone is saying that Rice is a team of world beaters, but they're probably on the same level as a middle/lower-tier ACC/Big 12 team.

[mic]

You're stretching REALLY bad on this one.

Rice won the C-USA championship, while Troy and South Alabama were 6-6 in the Sun Belt- Rice is a good notch or two above those teams.

I don't think anyone is saying that Rice is a team of world beaters, but they're probably on the same level as a middle/lower-tier ACC/Big 12 team.

They would have beaten Ga Tech by 8...