SECN guys have us as a, "no-brainer win" for UPig

[blacklistedbully]

All of them, including Marcus Spears have us as the only SEC opponent as a sure, no-brainer win. We are so disrespected by them we did not even rate a discussion for who Arky beats this year.

I am at a complete loss.

[GreenheadDawg]

Good I hope they keep it up. The dumber they will look in the end. But the thing is... how many times do these guys actually get called out on this nonsense when they are wrong

[Coach34]

I agree. After upsetting Bama in Sville and Northern Miss the week after UPig- they will be the letdown game of the year

[HancockCountyDog]

All of them, including Marcus Spears have us as the only SEC opponent as a sure, no-brainer win. We are so disrespected by them we did not even rate a discussion for who Arky beats this year.

I am at a complete loss.

They probably are basing their entire opinion off the bowl game. Based on how we performed against the run, and the way Arkansas can run the ball - I have a feeling that is why they are dismissing us. Just my guess.

[Billy Ray Valentine]

I agree. After upsetting Bama in Sville and Northern Miss the week after UPig- they will be the letdown game of the year

Could be, but "no brainer". I don't see it

[Schultzy]

I love the pre-season treatment we are getting, it sets up nicely for us if we can win at home against Lsu.

[BeardoMSU]

They probably are basing their entire opinion off the bowl game. Based on how we performed against the run, and the way Arkansas can run the ball - I have a feeling that is why they are dismissing us. Just my guess.

Ark does indeed run the ball well, but they don't run it like Gtech. That triple-option is a killer. Ark runs straight at you between the tackles; I'll take our front 7 against that any day. Manny's D will be exceptional against the run this.

[War Machine Dawg]

I agree. After upsetting Bama in Sville and Northern Miss the week after UPig- they will be the letdown game of the year

This. I ****ing HATE where they are on the schedule. I wish we could swap them for UK. Actually, if I could do anything, I'd swap them and a non-con game. Play UPig earlier and have a breather between Bama and Northern Miss. It sucks having to play a team that physical, not to mention good, in between your two biggest rivals. It's a recipe for a disaster, as we've seen all too often over the years.

[Covercorner2]

Arkansas will have just played at Ole Miss and at LSU. I have a feeling they may be demoralized and have less to play for than us that that point. Schedules go both ways...

[War Machine Dawg]

Arkansas will have just played at Ole Miss and at LSU. I have a feeling they may be demoralized and have less to play for than us that that point. Schedules go both ways...

They're going to go in dry on Northern Miss.

[5 Star]

I agree. After upsetting Bama in Sville and Northern Miss the week after UPig- they will be the letdown game of the year
True story

[Jack Lambert]

Ark does indeed run the ball well, but they don't run it like Gtech. That triple-option is a killer. Ark runs straight at you between the tackles; I'll take our front 7 against that any day. Manny's D will be exceptional against the run this.

We will have a DC when we play Arkansas.

[Coach34]

They're going to go in dry on Northern Miss.

agreed. They are a bad match-up for Northern Miss. Those big lineman pushing on those small DL guys will be the difference

[blacklistedbully]

I agree. After upsetting Bama in Sville and Northern Miss the week after UPig- they will be the letdown game of the year

You agree we are a, "no-brainer" win for UPig? Do you realize we got as much discussion as a possible loss for them as did UTEP, Toledo and Tenn-Martin?

[ShotgunDawg]

I think it's interesting how the media has talked us into irrelevance & I don't think it all has to do with disrespect.

The more I think about it, the more I think it has to do with market size. We simply have fewer people telling our story than anyone else.

Since we are smallest media market in the SEC, whenever someone says, "MSU won't be any good." There isn't a media person on the other side to counter that point.

It's sad & I feel for some other fan bases that are not being given the truth about MSU. At some point, some media member said, " MSU will not be good" and everyone just went along with it without questions how a Heisman Trophy candidate QB, with all his receivers back, couldn't at least be dangerous.

It's mindless

[TaleofTwoDogs]

The SECN is riding the nob of Alabama/Auburn. Every time I listen to SEC NOW they are bending over for ALA/AUB. One time Marcus Spears actually said that we were just Miss State and he wasn't being complimentary. Most of their so-called experts treat us like we are returning only an inexperienced 2-star team.

[Bothrops]

The only reason we lose this game is because it's between OM and Bama. If this was a mid season game I think we play to our potential and win it.

[blacklistedbully]

I think it's interesting how the media has talked us into irrelevance & I don't think it all has to do with disrespect.

The more I think about it, the more I think it has to do with market size. We simply have fewer people telling our story than anyone else.

Since we are smallest media market in the SEC, whenever someone says, "MSU won't be any good." There isn't a media person on the other side to counter that point.

It's sad & I feel for some other fan bases that are not being given the truth about MSU. At some point, some media member said, " MSU will not be good" and everyone just went along with it without questions how a Heisman Trophy candidate QB, with all his receivers back, couldn't at least be dangerous.

It's mindless

Problem with this theory is UNM. They get slobbered over as well.

[ShotgunDawg]

Problem with this theory is UNM. They get slobbered over as well.

Maybe the same can be said for the opposite. When someone says OM is really good, because of recruiting rankings, who is there to say different?

I heard Greg McElroy say today that Kelly is winning QB competition at Ole Miss, and, while we all agree that's likely the case, nobody at Ole Miss has offered any hint about this.

So where is McElroy getting that information?

All he is going by is what the prevailing thought was going into fall camp.

I'm not saying that my theory accounts for ALL of the problem, but I do think it's a factor.

For example: MSU will always be voted lower in the SEC standings at media days simply because Alabama, Auburn, & LSU all have far more media guys than us, and most of those guys are homers anyway.

As for Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas actually has a pretty big population, but Arkansas is the media driven story this off season to sell more magazines. Every year the media has to create a story and this year it's Josh Dobbs & Arkansas. Nothing more, nothing less.

At some point, the number of media members covering the schools begins to factor in how well that team in known to people on the outside.

[Hail State]

Maybe the same can be said for the opposite. When someone says OM is really good, because of recruiting rankings, who is there to say different?

I heard Greg McElroy say today that Kelly is winning QB competition at Ole Miss, and, while we all agree that's likely the case, nobody at Ole Miss has offered any hint about this.

So where is McElroy getting that information?

All he is going by is what the prevailing thought was going into fall camp.

I'm not saying that my theory accounts for ALL of the problem, but I do think it's a factor.

For example: MSU will always be voted lower in the SEC standings at media days simply because Alabama, Auburn, & LSU all have far more media guys than us, and most of those guys are homers anyway.



As for Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas actually has a pretty big population, but Arkansas is the media driven story this off season to sell more magazines. Every year the media has to create a story and this year it's Josh Dobbs & Arkansas. Nothing more, nothing less.

At some point, the number of media members covering the schools begins to factor in how well that team in known to people on the outside.

Will end once those bog coonass bastards taste our boot heel September 12th.

[dawgs]

We will have a DC when we play Arkansas.


This is exactly what I was about to say

[Maroonthirteen]

Problem with this theory is UNM. They get slobbered over as well.

Shotgun is on point.

The reason OM gets more love...They have a journalism school and do a good job of getting their mouthpieces the talking points. Also, OM has the attention of the Memphis media.

[Joe Schmedlap]

I am not. This game will be our toughest away game of the year. I am not expecting a Bulldog victory in Fayetteville for multiple reasons: State typically plays like poop in the state of Arkansas, the game is sandwiched between two emotional home games, the Pig attack might wear down our thin D line, Dak may be beaten up by that point in the season, etc.


All of them, including Marcus Spears have us as the only SEC opponent as a sure, no-brainer win. We are so disrespected by them we did not even rate a discussion for who Arky beats this year.

I am at a complete loss.

[spudd21]

I literally don't watch ESPN or any of the talking heads this time of year because it's all garbage right now.

[blacklistedbully]

I am not. This game will be our toughest away game of the year. I am not expecting a Bulldog victory in Fayetteville for multiple reasons: State typically plays like poop in the state of Arkansas, the game is sandwiched between two emotional home games, the Pig attack might wear down our thin D line, Dak may be beaten up by that point in the season, etc.

There is a big difference from an opponent having an edge and one that is a no-brainer. Example, USM, NW State, Troy & La Tech are, "no-brainer" wins for us. UNM is not a no-brainer, even though we own them in Starkville. UK is a should win, but not quite a no-brainer.

The SECN guys, who should know better, seem to think we have as much chance of beating UPig as USM has to beat us. While I can see how some of y'all can reason a possible or even likely loss for us (I disagree), that's a long way from being a no-brainer win for them.

The SECN guys gave explanations why they thought UPig should beat UNM, TAMU, LSU, Mizzou & Tenn. They just lumped us in with UTEP, Toledo, TT & UTM as teams so badly over-matched that we don't even warrant a 5-second discussion of why we should lose.

What I hear from some of you is this could be a loss for us due to placement in schedule and location, making it a very tough game for us. Does that, in your mind, equate to a no-brainer win for Arky?

[tcdog70]

Maybe the same can be said for the opposite. When someone says OM is really good, because of recruiting rankings, who is there to say different?

I heard Greg McElroy say today that Kelly is winning QB competition at Ole Miss, and, while we all agree that's likely the case, nobody at Ole Miss has offered any hint about this.

So where is McElroy getting that information?

All he is going by is what the prevailing thought was going into fall camp.

I'm not saying that my theory accounts for ALL of the problem, but I do think it's a factor.

For example: MSU will always be voted lower in the SEC standings at media days simply because Alabama, Auburn, & LSU all have far more media guys than us, and most of those guys are homers anyway.

As for Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas actually has a pretty big population, but Arkansas is the media driven story this off season to sell more magazines. Every year the media has to create a story and this year it's Josh Dobbs & Arkansas. Nothing more, nothing less.

At some point, the number of media members covering the schools begins to factor in how well that team in known to people on the outside.

I've heard from a couple of my Reb buddies that Kelly was the QB. he was the QB the day they signed Him. I watched him play several games last Year and he is the real deal. he is better than Bo Wallace but He is a Dickhead.

[ShotgunDawg]

I've heard from a couple of my Reb buddies that Kelly was the QB. he was the QB the day they signed Him. I watched him play several games last Year and he is the real deal. he is better than Bo Wallace but He is a Dickhead.

Then why did he look so terrible in the Spring game?

[Bubb Rubb]

Arkansas will have just played at Ole Miss and at LSU. I have a feeling they may be demoralized and have less to play for than us that that point. Schedules go both ways...

How did that work out for them last year? They lost a lot of games early and went on a run late.

[Entodawg]

I heard from a buddy who's been to a few of their practices that Kelly isn't separating from Buchanan, and it's not because Buchanan is playing lights out. Kelly will probably make some great plays for them, but he's going to throw a lot of picks just like Bo. Buchanan doesn't have the quickness for Freeze's offense.

[ShotgunDawg]

I heard from a buddy who's been to a few of their practices that Kelly isn't separating from Buchanan, and it's not because Buchanan is playing lights out. Kelly will probably make some great plays for them, but he's going to throw a lot of picks just like Bo. Buchanan doesn't have the quickness for Freeze's offense.

Are Ole Miss' practices not closed?

I ask because it seems crazy to me that everyone has a buddy at that's been at Ole Miss' practice, yet us MSU fans can't find out a damn thing about what's going with our own team.

[rtdawg]

I've heard from a couple of my Reb buddies that Kelly was the QB. he was the QB the day they signed Him. I watched him play several games last Year and he is the real deal. he is better than Bo Wallace but He is a Dickhead.

I heard the exact opposite from people at EMCC. Said he wasn't near as good as Wallace....

[ShotgunDawg]

I heard the exact opposite from people at EMCC. Said he wasn't near as good as Wallace....

Well, I watched the Spring game and he sucked & I didn't hear that from anyone.

I'm sure he's better than the Spring game, but the point remain.

[Covercorner2]

How did that work out for them last year? They lost a lot of games early and went on a run late.

They played LSU and Ole Miss at home in terrible conditions....

[thf24]

I heard the exact opposite from people at EMCC. Said he wasn't near as good as Wallace....

Pretty sure EMCC's coach himself said he wasn't as good as Bo.

He could have all the arm talent in the world, but given his history I just don't see how in the world he has the mental makeup necessary for a P5 QB. Unless he's come a long, long way in a very short time in that regard, I'm betting on him to fold any time he faces the least bit of adversity.

[MadDawg]

There is a big difference from an opponent having an edge and one that is a no-brainer. Example, USM, NW State, Troy & La Tech are, "no-brainer" wins for us. UNM is not a no-brainer, even though we own them in Starkville. UK is a should win, but not quite a no-brainer.

The SECN guys, who should know better, seem to think we have as much chance of beating UPig as USM has to beat us. While I can see how some of y'all can reason a possible or even likely loss for us (I disagree), that's a long way from being a no-brainer win for them.

The SECN guys gave explanations why they thought UPig should beat UNM, TAMU, LSU, Mizzou & Tenn. They just lumped us in with UTEP, Toledo, TT & UTM as teams so badly over-matched that we don't even warrant a 5-second discussion of why we should lose.

What I hear from some of you is this could be a loss for us due to placement in schedule and location, making it a very tough game for us. Does that, in your mind, equate to a no-brainer win for Arky?

You are exactly right. In my season prediction I called this one an 'L' too, due to location and where it is on our schedule. But it sure isn't an automatic win. Arkansas will have to bust ass to win this game, we ain't going to give it to them.

[blacklistedbully]

Why look to GT as a reason UPig should kick our ass? We played Upig ourselves, pretty much when they were peaking last year, didn't exactly play our best down-the-stretch, yet still beat them. Yes, it was a home game, but unlike many, I don't expect them to be much, if any better than they were last year, while I do expect us to be improved, particularly with Diaz calling the defense this time around.

And as far as GT goes, I put that mostly on having to face the TO without a DC. It's pretty well-know the TO works mostly because it's so uncommon that teams with only a week to prepare can struggle versus it. It's why GT hasn't been very successful in bowl games, the other team's DC has the extra time to prepare for it. With Collins, we not only lost our DC for all the prep time, but he seemed to have, "checked out on us" well before that anyway.

I submit we did not get the kind of preparation we needed defensively for the Orange Bowl due to this, nullifying the usual advantage teams get with the extra time to prepare. Extra time only helps if you have someone qualified to take advantage of that time.

[DancingRabbit]

With Chad Kelly, in 2014 EMCC went 12-0 and won the NJCAA championship. Kelly threw for 3906 yards and was 1st Team NJCAA All-America.

With Dontreal Pruitt, in 2013 EMCC went 12-0 and won the NJCAA championship. Pruitt threw for 3939 yards and was 1st Team NCJAA All-America. Pruitt went to sign with Troy where he started one game because the starter was injured. Georgia beat Troy 66-0 that day.

Maybe Kelly will decent at Ole Miss, but being all-world at EMCC doesn't tell you anything.

[Maroonthirteen]

Yeah, I agree with blacklisted in that "no-brainer" is overly harsh. I disagree in that I believe Arkansas will be improved. It will be our toughest road game of the year. Just looking at it on paper, I don't give us much of a chance to win. But it will be an even match in regards to talent. It will come down to who is healthier at that point and playing well.

[Bubb Rubb]

We had a month to prepare for the triple option. That was one of the worst defensive performances we've ever produced - not just poor gameplan, but poor tackling, poor execution. Reminded me of the Ron Cooper days.

[Political Hack]

They're going to go in dry on Northern Miss.

yes. they are. Going to find out really quick if those rock stars have any grit and I'm placing my bets on "no."

[Mjoelner34]

Good I hope they keep it up. The dumber they will look in the end. But the thing is... how many times do these guys actually get called out on this nonsense when they are wrong

How often do they get called out? Never. And, they'll never admit it themselves. They spew the same thing year after year and pat themselves on the back when they get it right and ignore all of their wrong prognostications. It reminds me of when I was a kid growing up in south Mississippi. Every year Saints fans would be in my face claiming "We're going to the playoffs this year!". Then, after 16 years of hearing that, it finally happened and every one of them were crowing like they were the second coming of Nostradamus.

The problem is, I think we burned the talking heads pretty good back around 2000. After two great years, we were finally picked to be great and fell flat on our face and have been picked last or at least in the lower tier every year since. Last year we were #1 for 5 weeks and won 10 during the regular season for the 1st time in school history. This year is going to be another great year and we're picked last or next to last again. Next year will be a rebuilding year and we'll probably be picked 1st or 2nd (based off of last year and this year) but will finish in the middle of the pack so the year after, we'll go back to being picked last again no matter what we're going to bring to the table in 2017.

[tcdog70]

I heard the exact opposite from people at EMCC. Said he wasn't near as good as Wallace....

His Arm is stronger and He can run.I talked to some players. And I watched both play. But the same players said he was an idiot off the field. Most any player coming from JUCO takes a while to adjust to SEC speed.Ole Miss's last 3 QBs have all been from Scooba. The Kid was going to play at Clemson till He went stupid. I hope He is a bust.

[Pollodawg]

"No brainer" pretty much describes most of these media types to a T from my observation.

[DancingRabbit]

How often do they get called out? Never. And, they'll never admit it themselves. They spew the same thing year after year and pat themselves on the back when they get it right and ignore all of their wrong prognostications. It reminds me of when I was a kid growing up in south Mississippi. Every year Saints fans would be in my face claiming "We're going to the playoffs this year!". Then, after 16 years of hearing that, it finally happened and every one of them were crowing like they were the second coming of Nostradamus.

The problem is, I think we burned the talking heads pretty good back around 2000. After two great years, we were finally picked to be great and fell flat on our face and have been picked last or at least in the lower tier every year since. Last year we were #1 for 5 weeks and won 10 during the regular season for the 1st time in school history. This year is going to be another great year and we're picked last or next to last again. Next year will be a rebuilding year and we'll probably be picked 1st or 2nd (based off of last year and this year) but will finish in the middle of the pack so the year after, we'll go back to being picked last again no matter what we're going to bring to the table in 2017.

Not a chance. The mantra will be, "there is no way they can replace Dak", and we'll be picked 5th at best and probably 7th.

[dawgs]

We had a month to prepare for the triple option. That was one of the worst defensive performances we've ever produced - not just poor gameplan, but poor tackling, poor execution. Reminded me of the Ron Cooper days.



A month with no DC. The triple option is all about preparation and planning. Given our DC situation, we didn't have either.

[blacklistedbully]

We had a month to prepare for the triple option. That was one of the worst defensive performances we've ever produced - not just poor gameplan, but poor tackling, poor execution. Reminded me of the Ron Cooper days.

Coaching matters. It's why the really great DC's, the kind you need to beat Top-10 teams, particularly those teams that are among the leaders in the country in total offense, get paid $1/2-a-million or so per year. We didn't have that guy to prep for GT. Having a month is great, but only if you;re capable of using that month wisely.

I agree our tackling was poor, but I also noticed we not only looked unprepared for the TO, we made little-to-no in-game adjustments. We never seemed to react to the persistent dives up the middle, for instance. I think a really good DC would have better prepared us, and been capable of making adjustments in-game.

[Pollodawg]

His Arm is stronger and He can run.I talked to some players. And I watched both play. But the same players said he was an idiot off the field. Most any player coming from JUCO takes a while to adjust to SEC speed.Ole Miss's last 3 QBs have all been from Scooba. The Kid was going to play at Clemson till He went stupid. I hope He is a bust.

I know a guy who used to go to Scuba before he graduated and went to State. Ironically, this kid is an OM fan who only went to State to major in Biological Engineering so that it would look better on his Med School application. At any rate, he used to kind of know Bo from what I understand. Dude told me out of his own mouth that Bo was dumb. This is an OM fan,mind you, telling me this. Apparently Mr. Ballace was none-too--bright.

[Pollodawg]

What I loved about the Manny era at MSU was that once when Manny figured out what you were up to, he took it away from you. Go back and look at the 2011 Gator Bowl. They scored on us twice like we were standing still. Manny called the boys over to the grease board and put an end to that. They didn't get another point all game.

[Bubb Rubb]

Coaching matters. It's why the really great DC's, the kind you need to beat Top-10 teams, particularly those teams that are among the leaders in the country in total offense, get paid $1/2-a-million or so per year. We didn't have that guy to prep for GT. Having a month is great, but only if you;re capable of using that month wisely.

I agree our tackling was poor, but I also noticed we not only looked unprepared for the TO, we made little-to-no in-game adjustments. We never seemed to react to the persistent dives up the middle, for instance. I think a really good DC would have better prepared us, and been capable of making adjustments in-game.

No question, and good DC would've helped. But the fact that we didn't have our DC doesn't excuse the performance in my eyes. There were tons of game film to evaluate and use for preparation, and there were coaches on that side of the ball who understood our scheme and personnel. We had some problems defensively last year, and they didn't necessarily start with the Orange Bowl. I'm hoping Diaz has all of it figured out.

[CadaverDawg]

What I loved about the Manny era at MSU was that once when Manny figured out what you were up to, he took it away from you. Go back and look at the 2011 Gator Bowl. They scored on us twice like we were standing still. Manny called the boys over to the grease board and put an end to that. They didn't get another point all game.

Yep, we lacked in-game adjustments last year at times. Our main gameplan was usually solid, but when it wasn't, we couldn't adjust. The South Alabama game (or whoever it was that torched us deep 10 times), was a perfect example. You simply can't allow that to happen.

[Johnson85]

Apparently Mr. Ballace was none-too--bright.

I think this was pretty obvious from the way he acted. There are plenty of exceptions, but usually poor impulse control and lack of intelligence go together. If you listen to him talk, he certainly didn't come off as bright.

He did a lot of good things for UM, but it's pretty clear that it was frustrating as hell for Freeze to work with him and Freeze obviously wasn't too excited about using a scholarship on him, only doing it when he was forced to.

[Johnson85]

No question, and good DC would've helped. But the fact that we didn't have our DC doesn't excuse the performance in my eyes. There were tons of game film to evaluate and use for preparation, and there were coaches on that side of the ball who understood our scheme and personnel. We had some problems defensively last year, and they didn't necessarily start with the Orange Bowl. I'm hoping Diaz has all of it figured out.

We didn't have any assistant coaches ready to be DC's. Collins wasn't particularly good at in game adjustments, but I feel certain had he stayed and not been checked out like he was for the Egg bowl, it would have helped a lot.

[sandwolf]

The South Alabama game (or whoever it was that torched us deep 10 times), was a perfect example. You simply can't allow that to happen.

It was UAB.....we held USA to 3 points.

[CadaverDawg]

It was UAB.....we held USA to 3 points.

That's right, UAB. Thanks

[MedDawg]

Why look to GT as a reason UPig should kick our ass?


Wow. 2014 Georgia Tech >>>>>>> 2014 Arkansas. GaTech led the country in rushing, Arkansas was #24. (MSU was #21, outrushing Arkansas) Georgia Tech won 11 games and finished #8. That's just ignorant to use an 11-win GaTech team as a reason for Arkansas to beat State.


"Oooh, Ohio State had 42 points and over 500 yards against Bama last year, so every SEC team should beat Bama easily in 2015."

[NCDawg]

Oh well, McElroy on SECN said the most we can possibly hope for this year is 3rd place in the SEC West. He gives us no hope for winning the West.