I see Brandon Harris is transferring from LSU

[Bucky Dog]

Not surprised at all, but it leaves them with Etling and like 4 Freshmen. I do like our chances against them next year in Starkville, FWIW.

[lamont]

Not surprised at all, but it leaves them with Etling and like 4 Freshmen. I do like our chances against them next year in Starkville, FWIW.

Based on what exactly?

They hired a new OC and wont be vanilla on offense anymore- and have one of the best DC's in the country
They have a solid QB
They have one of the best TB's in the SEC
They return 3 OL starters and another that played a ton
They have the best defensive player in the SEC
D is loaded with 4 and 5 stars- plus they signed more for depth
Veteran kicker returning

[msstate7]

Based on what exactly?

They hired a new OC and wont be vanilla on offense anymore- and have one of the best DC's in the country
They have a solid QB
They have one of the best TB's in the SEC
They return 3 OL starters and another that played a ton
They have the best defensive player in the SEC
D is loaded with 4 and 5 stars- plus they signed more for depth
Veteran kicker returning

Ready to see what Aranda does after losing a crap load of talent. Wisconsin had no drop off losing aranda. Seems if a team lost the best DC in the country there would be a significant drop off. Key is an absolute monster rushing the passer, but we'll challenge him in the running game. Losing those 2 WRs and Guidry not qualifying could present problems in the passing game. Canada was fired at nc state before getting Pitt job, so he's hardly a lock to turn them into patriots

[Bucky Dog]

Based on what exactly?

They hired a new OC and wont be vanilla on offense anymore- and have one of the best DC's in the country
They have a solid QB
They have one of the best TB's in the SEC
They return 3 OL starters and another that played a ton
They have the best defensive player in the SEC
D is loaded with 4 and 5 stars- plus they signed more for depth
Veteran kicker returning

All valid points, sure, but Etling sucks and they will have trouble scoring against most. Our D will be much better IMO and we have the All SEC QB and have them at home.

[turkish]

Miles = Saban, and so does O, apparently.

[Snowman79]

Not surprised at all, but it leaves them with Etling and like 4 Freshmen. I do like our chances against them next year in Starkville, FWIW.

You should know by now that positivity does not go far around here.

[Covercorner2]

Based on what exactly?

They hired a new OC and wont be vanilla on offense anymore- and have one of the best DC's in the country
They have a solid QB
They have one of the best TB's in the SEC
They return 3 OL starters and another that played a ton
They have the best defensive player in the SEC
D is loaded with 4 and 5 stars- plus they signed more for depth
Veteran kicker returning

We hung tight with them last year on the road. We will be improved, they lose a lot. And it's in Starkville.

[lamont]

Ready to see what Aranda does after losing a crap load of talent. Wisconsin had no drop off losing aranda. Seems if a team lost the best DC in the country there would be a significant drop off.

Unless they kept running the same system???

LSU has been a top 10 recruiter for 15 straight years- they arent going to drop off with better coaching

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

Based on they hired an idiot to be head coach

[lamont]

All valid points, sure, but Etling sucks and they will have trouble scoring against most. Our D will be much better IMO and we have the All SEC QB and have them at home.

Etling doesnt suck- he is a game manager. He completed 60% of his passes and had better than 2:1 TD/INT ratio. Only threw 5 picks in 270 passes. Fitz threw 10 in 361

We dont have the All-SEC QB. We have a guy that is dangerous and will certainly contend with about 6 other SEC QB's. 2017 will be the year of the QB in the SEC. Best its been in a long time.

[lamont]

We hung tight with them last year on the road. We will be improved, they lose a lot. And it's in Starkville.

We didnt hang with them- they dominated us and relaxed- just as they did in 2015. Do you not see a common theme in those games???

We outscored Auburn in the 2nd half too- but they had control of the clock and were just running it out. LSU was trying to do the same

[msstate7]

Unless they kept running the same system???

LSU has been a top 10 recruiter for 15 straight years- they arent going to drop off with better coaching

I'm not sure Ed O is a better coach than les miles

[msstate7]

Etling doesnt suck- he is a game manager. He completed 60% of his passes and had better than 2:1 TD/INT ratio. Only threw 5 picks in 270 passes. Fitz threw 10 in 361

We dont have the All-SEC QB. We have a guy that is dangerous and will certainly contend with about 6 other SEC QB's. 2017 will be the year of the QB in the SEC. Best its been in a long time.

It's a damn shame vegas says we have the 2nd best sec qb according to heisman odds and McElroy says we have the best qb, but you down fitz every chance.

[lamont]

I'm not sure Ed O is a better coach than les miles

difference is O wont be calling the offense and demanding they stay as obvious on offense as possible. O will simply be a guy that calls time-outs or decides to punt or go for it

[turkish]

O, the Experiment, will not end well for O or LSU. And I'm gonna enjoy it.

[Skydawg1]

O will simply be a guy that calls time-outs or decides to punt or go for itIn that case, I like State's chances too!

[lamont]

It's a damn shame vegas says we have the 2nd best sec qb according to heisman odds and McElroy says we have the best qb, but you down fitz every chance.

I'm not downing Fitz. Fitz is a damn beast. But you saw that bowl game just like I did. We struggled to score vs a MAC team. We lost 3 OL starters and our best WR. We have some huge questions on offense at OL and WR- and they have to be answered by Game 3 when we play LSU

Fitz is good- but so is Hurts is he not- and has more weapons? So is Stidham with more weapons. So is Allen. So is Lock. So is Eason. So is Bentley. Shay-Shay has an OL and lots of WR's. The SEC is QB-loaded in 2017

[HoopsDawg]

I wish we could get Harris as a transfer, but I'm sure he's looking to go somewhere he can start. He would allow us to redshirt Key. Also, Mullen could probably really help him out.

[confucius say]

Lsu will be more talented us and better in the trenches. We will have the best playmaker on the field though at the most important position. If he plays well, we'll have a shot.

[preachermatt83]

Based on what exactly?

They hired a new OC and wont be vanilla on offense anymore- and have one of the best DC's in the country
They have a solid QB
They have one of the best TB's in the SEC
They return 3 OL starters and another that played a ton
They have the best defensive player in the SEC
D is loaded with 4 and 5 stars- plus they signed more for depth
Veteran kicker returning

Sounds almost like you are describing another Sec West team that is still gonna suck.

[preachermatt83]

Lsu will be more talented us and better in the trenches. We will have the best playmaker on the field though at the most important position. If he plays well, we'll have a shot.

Sounds like dejavu. 2014

[lamont]

Here is where many of you let your fandom cloud whats going on:

You look at the development of Prescott and see the talent that Fitz has- and you get warm and fuzzy about the possibilities. But there is a difference:

Dak Prescott threw for over 8000 yards in HS. He was a bonafide star and an accomplished passer before he entered college. Dak was extremely underrated because LSU didnt want him. Had LSU offered months earlier- his rating would have been much higher. He didnt get the LSU bump so he remained a 3-star

Fitz played QB 1 year in HS in an option offense. His learning curve is huge. He is years behind other QB's. He will improve next year and remain a weapon with his legs. His passing will get better- but he doesnt have DeRunnya, Fred, and Robert Johnson. His talent at WR isnt the level of those guys. Thats a big deal also.

Fitz will have a good year and we will do some good things offensively. But that stretch of LSU, Georgia, and Auburn most likely ends up 0-3.

[lamont]

Sounds like dejavu. 2014

Not at all. Plenty of people liked us in that game. And we had a veteran OL protecting our QB

[lamont]

I wish we could get Harris as a transfer, but I'm sure he's looking to go somewhere he can start. He would allow us to redshirt Key. Also, Mullen could probably really help him out.

I thought about that too. Would be great if we could get him

[confucius say]

Sounds like dejavu. 2014

Or 2015

[TUSK]

Miles = Saban, and so does O, apparently.

Because you have only 219 posts, I'm gonna cut you some slack, Turkish....

It's "Miles > Saban".

Also, "Tuskish" does not have the letter "R" in it...

*

[confucius say]

Here is where many of you let your fandom cloud whats going on:

You look at the development of Prescott and see the talent that Fitz has- and you get warm and fuzzy about the possibilities. But there is a difference:

Dak Prescott threw for over 8000 yards in HS. He was a bonafide star and an accomplished passer before he entered college. Dak was extremely underrated because LSU didnt want him. Had LSU offered months earlier- his rating would have been much higher. He didnt get the LSU bump so he remained a 3-star

Fitz played QB 1 year in HS in an option offense. His learning curve is huge. He is years behind other QB's. He will improve next year and remain a weapon with his legs. His passing will get better- but he doesnt have DeRunnya, Fred, and Robert Johnson. His talent at WR isnt the level of those guys. Thats a big deal also.

Fitz will have a good year and we will do some good things offensively. But that stretch of LSU, Georgia, and Auburn most likely ends up 0-3.

I don't disagree, but fitz was also the best rb in the conference last year. Waaaay better than dak as a runner. Meaning, he doesn't have to be the passer dak was and can still be just as productive.

[Bucky Dog]

You should know by now that positivity does not go far around here.

Yeah I walked right into that! I might as well not go to the game next year.

[TUSK]

I don't disagree, but fitz was also the best rb in the conference last year. Waaaay better than dak as a runner. Meaning, he doesn't have to be the passer dak was and can still be just as productive.

No.

[lamont]

I don't disagree, but fitz was also the best rb in the conference last year. Waaaay better than dak as a runner. Meaning, he doesn't have to be the passer dak was and can still be just as productive.

agreed- he is a beast. So teams are going to cheat the SS in and play games against us. They are going to play their best guy on Gray and force others like Myles, Dear, Mixon, etc to beat them. Fitz didnt do shit against LSU, Auburn, or Bama last year. Georgia is going to use the Alabama gameplan against us that has been so successful the last 8 years- and while they arent Bama- I'm betting it will be effective.

We have our work cut out for us

[Bucky Dog]

I wish we could get Harris as a transfer, but I'm sure he's looking to go somewhere he can start. He would allow us to redshirt Key. Also, Mullen could probably really help him out.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing.

[lamont]

No.

maybe Guice was better...maybe. But Fitz was extremely close. 2nd in rushing and 4th in ypc.

[TUSK]

Fitz might have been the #3 or #4 running back.....




in Tuscaloosa.

[Schultzy]

I think we have a chance to have a drastic turnaround on Defense if we have one Cornerback step up. Our front seven could be damn good and help is on the way at safety, plus I already liked McLaurin back there.

Surely Grantham will bring back that tough minded physical play our best defenses have had in the past. It could be this aspect we were missing most.

[confucius say]

agreed- he is a beast. So teams are going to cheat the SS in and play games against us. They are going to play their best guy on Gray and force others like Myles, Dear, Mixon, etc to beat them. Fitz didnt do shit against LSU, Auburn, or Bama last year. Georgia is going to use the Alabama gameplan against us that has been so successful the last 8 years- and while they arent Bama- I'm betting it will be effective.

We have our work cut out for us

Truth. He'll have to be able to throw to beat Lsu and Bama for sure. Auburn and Georgia to a lesser degree. Good news is he should be passing against a 7-8 man box. But my point is he can go 8-4 (like dak did as a sr) without being near the passer dak was as a sr.

[lamont]

Fitz might have been the #3 or #4 running back.....




in Tuscaloosa.

Fitz put up the numbers with inferior talent- the other slapdicks in T-Town didnt.

[confucius say]

maybe Guice was better...maybe. But Fitz was extremely close. 2nd in rushing and 4th in ypc.

Don't forget td. First there too.

[confucius say]

Fitz put up the numbers with inferior talent- the other slapdicks in T-Town didnt.

If fitz was Bama's qb last year they'd have another national title.

[TUSK]

If fitz was Bama's qb last year they'd have another national title.

That's certainly a possibility.... but as a RB, he woulda been a "walk-on", most likely.

[TUSK]

Fitz put up the numbers with inferior talent- the other slapdicks in T-Town didnt.

That's bc we split up carries amongst our future NFL RB slap ducks and y'all run a guy my size between the tackles.

You're better than this.

[ILOATHEBears]

I think we have a chance to have a drastic turnaround on Defense if we have one Cornerback step up. Our front seven could be damn good and help is on the way at safety, plus I already liked McLaurin back there.

Surely Grantham will bring back that tough minded physical play our best defenses have had in the past. It could be this aspect we were missing most.

I'm with u. Hope our defense mans up this year. We were soft. Looked like the ****** monologues some games. I want the same tenacity like Day had for our online in BR, stomping on folks

[lamont]

That's bc we split up carries amongst our future NFL RB slap ducks and y'all run a guy my size between the tackles.

You're better than this.

So what you split carries???

Harris was 7.10 per carry- Fitz was 7.05- and that includes Fitz getting sacked on passes. Fitz outperformed him. Its not even a discussion. Scarbrough at 6,50

Fitz was 13 yards short of being the SEC rushing leader. He is better than what Bama has- especially running behind our OL that wasnt very talented.

I am better- and just showed you why I'm the best

[justwin]

Based on what exactly?

They hired a new OC and wont be vanilla on offense anymore- and have one of the best DC's in the country
They have a solid QB
They have one of the best TB's in the SEC
They return 3 OL starters and another that played a ton
They have the best defensive player in the SEC
D is loaded with 4 and 5 stars- plus they signed more for depth
Veteran kicker returning

We won't have Holloway & Shump on the roster. That's why we have a great shot. Said differently, had Aeris started game 1 of his RS FR year and gotten majority of the snaps since that game, we're probably 3-0 vs LSU last 3 years. Not saying Aeris is all SEC but he just has to be above avg which he is. Shump lost us the game in 2015. Playing Holloway & Shump 80% of the snaps last year lost us the game despite our attrocious D. We have lost by a total of 5 points to LSU last two years which is easily overcome by featuring a power back...ask Bama, ask LSU, ask Ark, hell, ask any other significant SEC team that when in doubt, give it to big guy a bunch of times and don't be so cute.

To beat LSU, we have to stop Guice. Guice is going to touch it 40 times. He's their catalyst. Stop him, we win. Fortunately, Grantham preached that in his recent interview. LSU WRs will drop off. They lost a ton of defenders too.

Playing Shump & Holloway is worst than bunting in the 1st inning. Worst thing in sports.

[justwin]

It's a damn shame vegas says we have the 2nd best sec qb according to heisman odds and McElroy says we have the best qb, but you down fitz every chance.

Vs common opponents in 2016:
We scored 14 vs Auburn. LSU scored 13
We scored 35 vs TAMU. LSU scored 54
We scored 3 vs Bama. LSU zero
We scored 42 vs Ark. LSU 38
We scored 55 vs OM. LSU 38.

Clearly, O isn't our problem.

[TUSK]

So what you split carries???

Harris was 7.10 per carry- Fitz was 7.05- and that includes Fitz getting sacked on passes. Fitz outperformed him. Its not even a discussion. Scarbrough at 6,50

Fitz was 13 yards short of being the SEC rushing leader. He is better than what Bama has- especially running behind our OL that wasnt very talented.

I am better- and just showed you why I'm the best

If you truly believe Fitz is a "better RB" than Scarborough, Harris & Jacobs, then I'll just file this in the "Miles > Saban" folder.

[justwin]

I'm not downing Fitz. Fitz is a damn beast. But you saw that bowl game just like I did. We struggled to score vs a MAC team. We lost 3 OL starters and our best WR. We have some huge questions on offense at OL and WR- and they have to be answered by Game 3 when we play LSU

Fitz is good- but so is Hurts is he not- and has more weapons? So is Stidham with more weapons. So is Allen. So is Lock. So is Eason. So is Bentley. Shay-Shay has an OL and lots of WR's. The SEC is QB-loaded in 2017

day after christmas at 11am in an empty stadium was a big part of our problem in the bowl game. Ross, who was our best WR, dropped two for sure TDs too.

[justwin]

Sounds like dejavu. 2014

I think you're correct and fully expect LSU to overlook us which can only help.

[justwin]

agreed- he is a beast. So teams are going to cheat the SS in and play games against us. They are going to play their best guy on Gray and force others like Myles, Dear, Mixon, etc to beat them. Fitz didnt do shit against LSU, Auburn, or Bama last year. Georgia is going to use the Alabama gameplan against us that has been so successful the last 8 years- and while they arent Bama- I'm betting it will be effective.

We have our work cut out for us

Ross, our best WR, played terribly vs LSU. Dropped two for sure TDs. Two. He also dropped at least 2 tds vs Bama before it got out of hand.

[lamont]

If you truly believe Fitz is a "better RB" than Scarborough, Harris & Jacobs, then I'll just file this in the "Miles > Saban" folder.

Miles was > until the NCAA ****ed Ok State and put Bama in the NC game. From there Miles for some odd reason refused to change with the times- Saban didnt. Saban surely proved to be the guy that adapted better as they got older. Got to credit him for that

Numbers dont lie- its about production. Its about the talent you play with. Fitz was 13 yards from being the SEC rushing leader. Sacks as QB kept him from leading the SEC. Its not who has the most talent- its who was better in 2016. That was Fitz

[lamont]

Ross, our best WR, played terribly vs LSU. Dropped two for sure TDs. Two. He also dropped at least 2 tds vs Bama before it got out of hand.

Guys are going to drop passes in 2017 too

[justwin]

I don't disagree, but fitz was also the best rb in the conference last year. Waaaay better than dak as a runner. Meaning, he doesn't have to be the passer dak was and can still be just as productive.

No, dude, the best RBs in the conference was Guice, Williams @ Ark, Pettway @ Aub when healthy. But what makes Fitz so dangerous is that he's going to be paired with a top 6 SEC RB in Aeris which is plenty.

[lamont]

But what makes Fitz so dangerous is that he's going to be paired with a top 6 SEC RB in Aeris which is plenty.

Chubb
Michel
Guice
Scarbrough
Harris
T. Williams
R. Williams
Webb
Snell


I love Aeris- but with all those guys- its damn hard to say he is "top 6"

and thats leaving off Johnson at Aub and Crockett at Mizzou

[TUSK]

Miles was > until the NCAA ****ed Ok State and put Bama in the NC game. From there Miles for some odd reason refused to change with the times- Saban didnt. Saban surely proved to be the guy that adapted better as they got older. Got to credit him for that

Numbers dont lie- its about production. Its about the talent you play with. Fitz was 13 yards from being the SEC rushing leader. Sacks as QB kept him from leading the SEC. Its not who has the most talent- its who was better in 2016. That was Fitz

The BCS was designed to get the "best 2 teams in the NC game"... they got it right. Unless you are suggesting it should have been OSU vs Bama?

[confucius say]

People (justwin and tusk specifically), i, nor random (I think) am saying fitz was the best if he actually lined up at rb as opposed to qb. I'm saying, as a runner of the football, he was the best in the conference. Go look at a combination of the stats (yards, ypc (and fitz had sacks count against him), td, etc...).

[confucius say]

The BCS was designed to get the "best 2 teams in the NC game"... they got it right. Unless you are suggesting it should have been OSU vs Bama?

I'm fine with your premise, but wins and losses matter. Otherwise Bama 2010 sure as hell should have been in the natty. How saban lost 3 games with that roster is mind boggling. Worst coaching job of his career.

[TUSK]

I'm fine with your premise, but wins and losses matter. Otherwise Bama 2010 sure as hell should have been in the natty. How saban lost 3 games with that roster is mind boggling. Worst coaching job of his career.

Injuries. That may have been his most talented team. We hit 3 teams/qbs that played their best games, ever. It happens.

[TUSK]

People (justwin and tusk specifically), i, nor random (I think) am saying fitz was the best if he actually lined up at rb as opposed to qb. I'm saying, as a runner of the football, he was the best in the conference. Go look at a combination of the stats (yards, ypc (and fitz had sacks count against him), td, etc...).

10/4. I took you literally. My bad.

He has Matt Jones potential IMO. And that's high praise.

[TUSK]

I'm fine with your premise, but wins and losses matter. Otherwise Bama 2010 sure as hell should have been in the natty. How saban lost 3 games with that roster is mind boggling. Worst coaching job of his career.

Excellent point. I wish the 4 team playoff had been around in 08... we'd had a shot at 8 consecutive.

[TUSK]

I'm fine with your premise, but wins and losses matter. Otherwise Bama 2010 sure as hell should have been in the natty. How saban lost 3 games with that roster is mind boggling. Worst coaching job of his career.

Re: wins and losses matter

Do you believe OSU was more deserving than Bammer based on "wins & losses"?

[Joe Schmedlap]

How did this thread get diverted to the Gumps? I swear, that darned Saban is using the Jedi mind trick on our own posters.

[Bothrops]

Not surprised at all, but it leaves them with Etling and like 4 Freshmen. I do like our chances against them next year in Starkville, FWIW.

If we had De'Runnya Wilson and Fred Ross for this game, I'd say it may get interesting. We will be one dimensional with Fitz and A-train trying to do too much. Horrible match up for us, as usual.

[MetEdDawg]

We hung tight with them last year on the road. We will be improved, they lose a lot. And it's in Starkville.

And the Fitzgerald we had then is a lot different than the Fitzgerald we have now. Plus I think our defense is going to limit the big plays against them with Grantham. And no Fournette.

[redstickdawg]

I think that Guice is better then Fournette, better vision, explosion and a more aggressive runner. This is a tough one, Etling is nothing special but we didn't do well against them last year until the end of the game with a better OC LSU may actually use their talent well.

[msbulldog]

How did this thread get diverted to the Gumps? I swear, that darned Saban is using the Jedi mind trick on our own posters.

Because we got a gump in our midst.

[confucius say]

Re: wins and losses matter

Do you believe OSU was more deserving than Bammer based on "wins & losses"?

No I do not. I get that when you lose matters. But I'm fine with Bama over ok st in 2011 season's title game