Been looking around at SEC message boards....

[CadaverDawg]

And the consensus is they all think we are on the verge of losing, and we're starting to look like the old MSU. Nobody really gives us a shot to beat Alabama.

That being said, I think we have all done a good job of hiding the fact that there are some concerns with how we've played the last two games. And then add the Dak injury to that, and the Bama game worries me.

Do you think we can get back into that mode we were in during the big 3 game streak earlier this season? If so, what is it going to take (besides getting Dak healed up)? What does Mullen do to reignite that flame?

[Liverpooldawg]

He won't have to reignite the flame. We may not beat them in Tuscaloosa, but that won't be why. It is obvious we need Dak to be as healthy as possible. We will be flat Saturday too. We won't be a week from Saturday.

[smootness]

It's going to take Dak being healthy. That's it.

People worried after the UAB game, too. The main reason we haven't looked as good in the last two games is because we weren't playing Auburn or Bama or LSU.

I have no concerns if Dak is good to go. That doesn't mean we're guaranteed to win, but we are the same team. Give us a top opponent, and we will play a different game.

[DLGDawg]

Just my opinion only but....We will be playing for the west title....the fire will be lit. Big azz roaring flame.

And the consensus is they all think we are on the verge of losing, and we're starting to look like the old MSU. Nobody really gives us a shot to beat Alabama.

That being said, I think we have all done a good job of hiding the fact that there are some concerns with how we've played the last two games. And then add the Dak injury to that, and the Bama game worries me.

Do you think we can get back into that mode we were in during the big 3 game streak earlier this season? If so, what is it going to take (besides getting Dak healed up)? What does Mullen do to reignite that flame?

[Political Hack]

Defense and FG kicking has now emerged. We're a complete team right now. more so than at the beginning of the season. The offense may not look as sharpe with Dak banged up, but the rest of the team looks solid. When UAB scored points on us everyone said the same crap. At no point in the UK or Arky games was I worried about losing. None. At all.

[cheewgumm]

Doesn't really matter. We''ll be fired up for Bama.

Personally I like them saying it. Under sell. Over perform.

[ShotgunDawg]

And the consensus is they all think we are on the verge of losing, and we're starting to look like the old MSU. Nobody really gives us a shot to beat Alabama.

That being said, I think we have all done a good job of hiding the fact that there are some concerns with how we've played the last two games. And then add the Dak injury to that, and the Bama game worries me.

Do you think we can get back into that mode we were in during the big 3 game streak earlier this season? If so, what is it going to take (besides getting Dak healed up)? What does Mullen do to reignite that flame?

- I think it's natural for other fan bases to believe that because 1) they don't want us to win because they don't want to have to compartmentalize there being one more team in the conference that their own school must overcome. 2) Fans are ignorant and lazy, therefore, recruiting rankings become a very convenient way of explaining who wins and who loses. Recruiting rankings also provide an excuse to those who lose. Due to recruiting rankings, people just aren't sold on us overall because they can't understand it.


- In a former life I was a coach. During that time period, I learned that kids aren't stupid, you can't fool them, and that teams inevitably go through peaks, valleys, ups and downs through the course of a long season, no matter how great of a motivator, how good a coach you are, or how good your team is. All offseason and our preseason games, our team prepared for, both mentally and physically, the massive 3 game stretch that included LSU, A&M, and Auburn. It was the complete focus of the fan base, coaches, etc....Once that 3 game stretch finished, it was inevitable that our team would come down off those highs in the same way most people feel after a big exam and doing "all nighters" for a week studying. Following a period of intense focus and/or "all nighters" you come to realize that you were much more exhausted following the exam than you were in the actual process of preparing for and taking the exam. To make matters worse, we had to play 2 competent/ emerging/ hungry football teams during our mentally exhausted period.

Secondly, winning in sports is all about making adjustments. How many times have you seen a rookie hitter called up to the Major Leagues, catch fire at the plate, and people think he's the next big thing, but then after a couple months in MLB the pitchers adjust to him and he can no longer make contact? This happens to most hitters and many teams in sports. The other side makes an adjustment, and it's up to you to make the next adjustment. Once you do, you can beat anyone because you've learned to WIN in multiple ways. The true sign of a championship team is the ability to adjust and find ways to win games in different ways. Arkansas was the first game this season that we have won with a different recipe and we are better for it. We are now complete.

Finally, to answer your question Cadaver, I think this team's psychological state is one that has divided this season into 2 different seasons. There was relief followed by exhaustion after the first part of the season, but now the finish line is beginning to emerge on the horizon. I don't believe this team has peaked yet. They have been through some battles, been scared a few times, and now know they can win football games in numerous ways and are better for it.

If I were coaching MSU football, I would feel very excited that I think we are about to catch our second win and completely come together as a football team. I've seen nothing that indicates otherwise. We have seen a peak and valley. Now we are playing for the 'Ship and about to peak again. The nation will be shocked at how we play in Tuscaloosa

[ShotgunDawg]

In 1996, when we went to the Final Four, we only beat 12th seed VCU 58-51 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. We played ugly that game and struggled to make baskets. However, it turned out to be good because if forced us to refocus following beating Kentucky in the SEC Tournament.

I see some similarities here. The Alabama game will be our UConn game from 1996.

[TUSK]

"The Alabama game will be our UConn game from 1996."


I'm about.......

to cry.


if you cats whip bammer in titletown this year to stay ranked numero uno... it's prolly bigger than the '80 game.

[drunkernhelldawg]

Some great posts in this thread. My personal opinion is that we weren't as good as we looked against LSU and AU nor as bad as we looked vs. KY and Ark. Ark. did a tremendous job of adjusting to our running game. That was a real threat, but we overcame it and won the game. I like our chances to run the table because our coaches have done a great job of keeping our team emotionally level. Dan Mullen made a great comment after the Ark, that there are different ways you have to win different games. Our team is ready for every contingency, expected or not.

[maroonmania]

Some great posts in this thread. My personal opinion is that we weren't as good as we looked against LSU and AU nor as bad as we looked vs. KY and Ark. Ark. did a tremendous job of adjusting to our running game. That was a real threat, but we overcame it and won the game. I like our chances to run the table because our coaches have done a great job of keeping our team emotionally level. Dan Mullen made a great comment after the Ark, that there are different ways you have to win different games. Our team is ready for every contingency, expected or not.

Look, do we have some things to cleanup from the last 2 games? Yes (namely turnovers and penalties). HOWEVER, I'm fine that we have won the last 2 games against decent, not great, competition and haven't used up ONE BIT of emotion in either. Glad we are saving it all up for AL and OM. We may or may not win those 2 games but it will NOT be because we didn't come mentally ready to play.

[ShotgunDawg]

Some great posts in this thread. My personal opinion is that we weren't as good as we looked against LSU and AU nor as bad as we looked vs. KY and Ark. Ark. did a tremendous job of adjusting to our running game. That was a real threat, but we overcame it and won the game. I like our chances to run the table because our coaches have done a great job of keeping our team emotionally level. Dan Mullen made a great comment after the Ark, that there are different ways you have to win different games. Our team is ready for every contingency, expected or not.

I agree with most of what you say, particularly the last part. However, I do think we are as good as we played at LSU and against Auburn, but you can't play at an elite level every game, and other teams watch film, prepare, and practice to limit the things we do well and force us to adjust.

After watching, us play LSU and Auburn, Kentucky and Arkansas made adjustments, that when combined with us being a little flat and tight, forced us into some errors that we don't normally make. I almost feel like we were playing a step slow in those games because we were playing not to lose instead of playing to win.

I always feel like good teams play best in games where the goal is to just win the game. Against Arkansas and KY, the expectation was to look like the number 1 team in the country, and that's tough thing to do because you feel like you have to blow people out and that mentality takes you out of what you do best. Against Bama and Ole Miss, the goal is to simply win the game, and being in that mental state, takes a lot of pressure off the team.

Against Bama and Ole Miss, we will play to whip their ass. I'm not worried about our mental state in those game. That being said though, we are a really really good football team that is now better than we were at the beginning of the year because we now know we can win a game with our defense.

[Intramural All-American]

"The Alabama game will be our UConn game from 1996."


I'm about.......

to cry.


if you cats whip bammer in titletown this year to stay ranked numero uno... it's prolly bigger than the '80 game.

Why are you here again? I still don't quite understand it.

[TUSK]

I like opposing views...

I like it when peeps disagree with me so I can get different perspectives on things...

I'm not nearly the "homer" that some here believe me to be...

I'm way more objective than a few... and certainly more convicted/committed.

[Todd4State]

"The Alabama game will be our UConn game from 1996."


I'm about.......

to cry.


if you cats whip bammer in titletown this year to stay ranked numero uno... it's prolly bigger than the '80 game.

That's debatable. You had a SEC record winning streak in 1980 that we broke. With the media attention and all, you could make an argument that winning there would be bigger. But that's putting the cart before the horse at this point.

[MarketingBully01]

And the consensus is they all think we are on the verge of losing, and we're starting to look like the old MSU. Nobody really gives us a shot to beat Alabama.

That being said, I think we have all done a good job of hiding the fact that there are some concerns with how we've played the last two games. And then add the Dak injury to that, and the Bama game worries me.

Do you think we can get back into that mode we were in during the big 3 game streak earlier this season? If so, what is it going to take (besides getting Dak healed up)? What does Mullen do to reignite that flame?

I think the X factor in this game could be Jameon. I think he should be 100% by that time and may have a break out game. I also think Bear Wilson could be a factor as well. We need to utilize some of the routes that Ole Miss did against Bama that confused their secondary. I think our balance with a healthier Dak will keep their defense off balance.

The key for our defense to stopping Alabama will be doubling and bracketing Cooper and make Sims beat us without utilizing Cooper. Sims is an average QB at best without his Cooper crutch. If we can do those things, I think we have a shot. Alabama is talented but in their big games this year they have basically cracked. Will be interesting to see how they play against LSU. Sims hasn't been in many big games this year.

[MarketingBully01]

All you really can say about the last two weeks vs Kentucky and Arkansas is they were ready for us and pumped to play us and for whatever reason we were not. With that said, we found ways to win those games and in the end that is all that matters.

[Reason2succeed]

1)The veteran leadership on this team will have us ready for Bama.
2)We will not be intimidated by Bryant-Denny any more than Death Valley so that is a moot point.
3) Mullen and Collins will have some wrinkles to throw at Bama that we have not see in the last two games.
4) Bama is the de facto SEC West Championship game (assuming Bama beats LSU and I do). This is our primary goal. Refer to 1 again.
5) Shut down or limit Cooper and Yeldon and we win. Blake Sims can hurt you running or by getting it to Cooper and that's about it. Score points on a ofter than usual Bama defense that will be physically punished by LSU this week and we win.
6)The media is hyping up Bama but let's be honest Bama is not their usual selves. Yes, they skull drug A&M but look at how A&M is playing now. They barely beat ULM at home and were making bone headed decisions.
7)The media is going to sell Bama because they have the big game this week and that's the media's job, to sell us bug games. Also, if the media does not hype up Bama then it takes away the relevance of State and Auburn beating them. At this point the SEC front office wants State and Auburn in the College Football Playoff. They are the best two teams and the best way for the SEC to get two. Anything else puts two teams in jeopardy and the SEC wants the $$$ that two teams would generate for the entire conference.

[sbcmortgageman]

Can anyone name me the final scores of any close wins FSU last year had? Exactly. They don't have to all be pretty but they count the same in the win column.

[Yossarian]

When we play Bama, will we play the team that won by an extra point against Arkansas or the one that lost by a point to OM....or do you have a great win this year that you would like to point out?

[Political Hack]

"The Alabama game will be our UConn game from 1996."


I'm about.......

to cry.


if you cats whip bammer in titletown this year to stay ranked numero uno... it's prolly bigger than the '80 game.

being #1 > beating #1

[ShotgunDawg]

1)The veteran leadership on this team will have us ready for Bama.
2)We will not be intimidated by Bryant-Denny any more than Death Valley so that is a moot point.
3) Mullen and Collins will have some wrinkles to throw at Bama that we have not see in the last two games.
4) Bama is the de facto SEC West Championship game (assuming Bama beats LSU and I do). This is our primary goal. Refer to 1 again.
5) Shut down or limit Cooper and Yeldon and we win. Blake Sims can hurt you running or by getting it to Cooper and that's about it. Score points on a ofter than usual Bama defense that will be physically punished by LSU this week and we win.
6)The media is hyping up Bama but let's be honest Bama is not their usual selves. Yes, they skull drug A&M but look at how A&M is playing now. They barely beat ULM at home and were making bone headed decisions.
7)The media is going to sell Bama because they have the big game this week and that's the media's job, to sell us bug games. Also, if the media does not hype up Bama then it takes away the relevance of State and Auburn beating them. At this point the SEC front office wants State and Auburn in the College Football Playoff. They are the best two teams and the best way for the SEC to get two. Anything else puts two teams in jeopardy and the SEC wants the $$$ that two teams would generate for the entire conference.

It's really not. Even if Bama beats us, they still have to beat Auburn, which is no easy task. If Auburn wins that game and we beat Ole Miss, we still win the West.

[shoeless joe]

"The Alabama game will be our UConn game from 1996."


I'm about.......

to cry.


if you cats whip bammer in titletown this year to stay ranked numero uno... it's prolly bigger than the '80 game.

Did that 80 bama team have 2 losses when we beat them too? **

[Reason2succeed]

It's really not. Even if Bama beats us, they still have to beat Auburn, which is no easy task. If Auburn wins that game and we beat Ole Miss, we still win the West.

No, it is. Yes, we could take the back door into it but who wants to do that? Hail NO! Bama IS the de facto SEC West Championship game because if we win we are champion (assuming a win against Vandy at home).

[ShotgunDawg]

No, it is. Yes, we could take the back door into it but who wants to do that? Hail NO! Bama IS the de facto SEC West Championship game because if we win we are champion (assuming a win against Vandy at home).

Your opinion here simply isn't a fact. Yes, we'd all love to beat Bama, that's obvious. But it isn't a "De facto" West championship unless you consider Bama beating Auburn a foregone conclusion, which would be crazy. Your opinion isn't reality.

For us, the Bama is a virtual clincher game.

[Political Hack]

Your opinion here simply isn't a fact. Yes, we'd all love to beat Bama, that's obvious. But it isn't a "De facto" West championship unless you consider Bama beating Auburn a foregone conclusion, which would be crazy. Your opinion isn't reality.

For us, the Bama is a virtual clincher game.

for us it is though. We beat Bama, we win the west barring catastrophe against Vandy.

[Schultzy]

Beating bama over there won't be easy, but their stock is inflated by a blowout win over an A&m team that had quit after being demolished by tsun and us.

I think lsu beats them and our road to Atlanta looks much clearer.

[PMDawg]

Once LSU beats them, I look for them to lay down, so we should cruise. It will look like last year's Sugar Bowl.

[defiantdog]

Bama hasn't won every game this year in a convincing matter either. A lot of these analysts calling for us to lose soon don't understand how difficult it is to get up for every game. And I believe our guys thrive off being the underdog.

[LC Dawg]

We've got to start out strong in Tuscaloosa. We did that in Baton Rouge and it gave us confidence and took their crowd out of the game some. We can't start like we did last week or Alabama could jump on us. Look at our Auburn game. We forced some early turnovers and jumped out on them and they couldn't recover, even with us turning it over four straight possessions. We can't let that happen to us in Tuscaloosa. I don't think this Alabama team is as strong as the past few but we can't give them anything. Dak's health will obviously be huge not just for his offense but because the whole team feeds off him.

[basedog]

I think the Kentucky win at Lexington has been under-rated, they were and are a much better team at home.

Arkansas matched up pretty good against us and Bama, with saying that the turnovers were a game changer for us.

I expect Collins to have pretty much the same game plan as he had against Auburn. One thing for sure, both teams will be fired up and I expect the team that wins the turnover battle and fewest penalties wins this game.

I'm thinking we win this game with big passing plays by Dak. Pretty even teams. I think the biggest difference is our O-Line is better than Bama.

[Tbonewannabe]

That's debatable. You had a SEC record winning streak in 1980 that we broke. With the media attention and all, you could make an argument that winning there would be bigger. But that's putting the cart before the horse at this point.

Bama at the time was one of the best college football teams in history. The only reason this game would be viewed bigger is because college football is bigger. We had a very good team that beat one of the best ever. The win for us this year might be bigger for us but a loss for Bama just probably means Cotton bowl instead of Orange.

[Chip]

This Bama team hasn't shown they have the heart of a champion. When they were punched in the mouth by Ole Miss, they went to their knees like a rag doll. When Arkansas punched them in the mouth, their knees wobbled, but Arkansas didn't have the team to beat them.

We'll see if they have developed any heart this Saturday night, because LSU is going to punch them in the mouth harder than Ole Miss did.

One thing we know about Mississippi State's team is that the team has heart - and they're led by a guy who has the heart of a lion.

The road atmosphere isn't going to effect this upperclassman laden Mississippi State team. They will be there to go to war.

[Coach34]

"The Alabama game will be our UConn game from 1996."


I'm about.......

to cry.


if you cats whip bammer in titletown this year to stay ranked numero uno... it's prolly bigger than the '80 game.

no doubt about it

[DownwardDawg]

The last two games went exactly how I expected them to go. We slept thru both games and still win. I never expected our team to get very fired up for either game. Besides, UK is pretty good this year and Arky is very solid. They should have beaten Bama and I expect them to beat om. We will be very fired up for Bama and om.

[Chip]

^^^ And it's highly unlikely that we'll be fired up for the game this weekend either. It will be a mechanical type of performance with little emotion. But you're right, they will be fired up for Bama and Ole Miss.

[RougeDawg]

Bama's best win is against mighty Florida!! I don't understand the talk about us not having a chance against them.

Plus Against Arkansas we were -2 in turnovers. We have only been -1 in one other game all year with most being even and +1-2. The Arkansas game was more to do with our lack of enthusiasm and bad play as anything. We played flat and sloppy and basically held their offense to 3 points (we gave them 7 on muffed punt). People are just looking for reasons to down us. I have no different feelings about us going into Tuscaloosa than I did Baton Rouge. We will be the better and more experienced team. If we do not lose turnover battle by more than 1, we should win.

[PMDawg]

What is Alabama's last good win? WVA? Meh. Really, they only have 2 good wins in the last two seasons. LSU last year and A&M last year. They are severely over hyped at the moment.

[smootness]

Defense and FG kicking has now emerged. We're a complete team right now. more so than at the beginning of the season. The offense may not look as sharpe with Dak banged up, but the rest of the team looks solid. When UAB scored points on us everyone said the same crap. At no point in the UK or Arky games was I worried about losing. None. At all.

Totally agree.

[Jack Lambert]

They are all just hoping we lose. They can't stand the fact we are 8 and 0 and the only undefeated team in the SEC. We have been at the bottom so long they just can't accept we have gotten to where we are now. LIke I said in several post Alabama is not that good. Watch LSU will make them look average at best.

[AROB44]

no doubt about it

Got to disagree with you here 34. The 1980 Bama win is the bigger one. Bama was #1 and had the longest win streak plus we hadn't beaten them in modern history. I'll stick with 1980 even if we win at T town in a couple of weeks.

[Coach34]

Got to disagree with you here 34. The 1980 Bama win is the bigger one. Bama was #1 and had the longest win streak plus we hadn't beaten them in modern history. I'll stick with 1980 even if we win at T town in a couple of weeks.

A win in T-Town over a top 5 Bama team to clinch the SEC West, keep us #1, and basically give us our 1st SEC Title (cause nobody in the East is beating us) since 1941 will be the biggest win in school history. It's not even close. Next Saturday is for the SEC title for us

[AROB44]

I like opposing views...

I like it when peeps disagree with me so I can get different perspectives on things...

I'm not nearly the "homer" that some here believe me to be...

I'm way more objective than a few... and certainly more convicted/committed.

committed.....that's the operative word for you. Just kidding, I think