My thoughts from the game...

[HancockCountyDog]

1) It was hot. Maybe not Labor day hot, but still pretty damn hot. Why we started that game before 6:00 is beyond me.

2) I think our defense is on the cusp of being special. Look, I know it was Alcorn, but we just seem to be more 2010 MSU than 2012 MSU.

3) Our OL is ridiculously bad. The first team OL was ok, but certainly not great, and the second team OL, actually was getting beat by Alcorn front seven. The only reason it wasn't more obvious, is because our RB's are so talented, that they made up for it. It reminded me of 5th grade football where the OL doesn't really block anyone, but the best player is some kid that is probably 13 years old and he just runs around everyone.

4) Its hard for me to judge how much better Dak is than Russell is for this offense based on this game. Now I have been on #TeamDak from the beginning, but I want to be fair to Russell as well, and declaring that our offense is clearly better based on a game against Alcorn isn't really a fair test. That said, I think the AU game will be a solid test. I didn't catch the AU game as I was driving back home, but holding ASU to 9 points is pretty solid.

5) The playcalling was extremely different. Speed sweeps, read options, play action off read options, it was like a totally different offense. Im not sure why we didn't see much of this against OSU, and Im not going to think about it too long, otherwise my head may explode.

6) I liked the jump balls to Wilson. Like I said, way different play calling.

7) I would feel really great about our team, if our OL looked better. They actually look like they have regressed. I was expecting long run after long run, but if it wasn't a speed sweep, we struggled to gain big yards.

8) Alcorn is terrible. I mean we all knew this going in, but good God they are bad. Im glad we play them, and I really hope our team's confidence was boosted, but man they are just terrible.

[FISHDAWG]

well stated ... especially points 4 & 5 ...... I'm hoping point 5 is preparation for AU

[maroonmania]

Your #3 is dead on and is the reason I believe 7-5 is our absolute ceiling this year even with what looks to be a much improved defense. Its also #3 that makes me believe our best chance to win would be with Prescott. The worse your OL is the more of a liability an immobile QB is. I believe Tyler's passing would be a big bonus if we could run the ball consistently to keep teams honest but from what I've seen the first 2 weeks we will not be able to have any ground game to speak of against the better SEC defenses. I'm turning very sour on Hevesy from recruiting to development to personality etc, etc.

[dparker]

I had the same concerns about the O-line. Even the 1st string was getting beat on the first series. It reminds me a lot of last year and it doesn't bode well for down the stretch.

[bocfarm]

Mullen's play calling is night and day when playing inferior opponents vs big games....always has been

[Bothrops]

Mullen's play calling is night and day when playing inferior opponents vs big games....always has been

This is very true. He knows our O-line is getting beat most of the time. Our OL cannot run block, couldn't do it last year either. If we lose at Auburn, this is probably why.

[Barking 13]

Where's all those "Hevesy lovers" now????? "oh I want a coach that's a dick", etc. etc... I've been saying fire the bum for four years now... but he's DM's homeboy

[maroonmania]

I think Mullen himself gets frustrated with the lack of what we can do on offense because of the deficiencies of our OL but apparently not enough to do something with Hevesy. If we had an effective OL I would feel 10 times better about our chances of winning at Auburn this weekend. Right now outside of Jackson and probably Day its a pretty rag tag bunch.

[KB21]

The most frustrating aspect of this is that it seems Gabe Jackson and maybe Dillon Day are the only guys who have actually gotten better since they have been at Mississippi State. Blaine Clausell is the same as he was as a redshirt freshman in 2011. Charles Siddoway isn't better with a year of experience.

Then, when you look at recruiting, apparently guys like Justin Senior and Cole Carter haven't developed to the point that they would be comfortable plugging them in when Siddoway and Clausell graduate, so we are looking to sign potentially 2-3 JUCO offensive tackles to step in and immediately play. However, our JUCO recruiting along the OL in the recent past has been questionable.

We should be at a point where we can redshirt young, talented players like Cole Carter, Justin Senior, Jake Thomas....etc....and have them "season" for a couple of years and then have them ready to plug in and just keep the ball moving. For whatever reason though, we are not doing a good enough job of developing the talent we have.

[TheDawgBiscuit]

Where's all those "Hevesy lovers" now????? "oh I want a coach that's a dick", etc. etc... I've been saying fire the bum for four years now... but he's DM's homeboy

Orgeron should be available soon... And no I am not joking either.

Nevermind. I thought he was an OL coach. looked it up to keep from looking stupid. Too late. :)

[HancockCountyDog]

We should be at a point where we can redshirt young, talented players like Cole Carter, Justin Senior, Jake Thomas....etc....and have them "season" for a couple of years and then have them ready to plug in and just keep the ball moving. For whatever reason though, we are not doing a good enough job of developing the talent we have.

Here is the problem, those guys aren't talented. Im sure they are nice guys, but we didn't beat anyone out of those guys, and yes Im including Thomas in that group.

Name the last OL that we grabbed that other schools really wanted? Hell Damien RObinson was looking for a lifeboat when he came to us. We were Gabe and Dillon's only real offers coming out of HS. Clausell? Same thing.

The problem with recruiting OL that no one else wants, is that you better hit with hard workers like Day and Jackson, otherwise, you are screwed. That 2nd team OL against Alcorn state was embarrassingly bad. I was one of the people that sat in the stadium watching the 3rd and 4th quarters, and those were scholarship OL getting abused by Alcorn.

[Todd4State]

Here is the problem, those guys aren't talented. Im sure they are nice guys, but we didn't beat anyone out of those guys, and yes Im including Thomas in that group.

Name the last OL that we grabbed that other schools really wanted? Hell Damien RObinson was looking for a lifeboat when he came to us. We were Gabe and Dillon's only real offers coming out of HS. Clausell? Same thing.

The problem with recruiting OL that no one else wants, is that you better hit with hard workers like Day and Jackson, otherwise, you are screwed. That 2nd team OL against Alcorn state was embarrassingly bad. I was one of the people that sat in the stadium watching the 3rd and 4th quarters, and those were scholarship OL getting abused by Alcorn.


Bingo. Clausell is like the guy in high school that is 7 feet tall so they put him on the basketball team regardless even if he has no skill and doesn't really want to be there. He looks like a NFL tackle in terms of size, and probably will get at worst a free agent shot after he graduates. But he doesn't have the talent.

Give me guys like Dillon Day and make them our o-line.

[maroonmania]

Here is the problem, those guys aren't talented. Im sure they are nice guys, but we didn't beat anyone out of those guys, and yes Im including Thomas in that group.

Name the last OL that we grabbed that other schools really wanted? Hell Damien RObinson was looking for a lifeboat when he came to us. We were Gabe and Dillon's only real offers coming out of HS. Clausell? Same thing.

The problem with recruiting OL that no one else wants, is that you better hit with hard workers like Day and Jackson, otherwise, you are screwed. That 2nd team OL against Alcorn state was embarrassingly bad. I was one of the people that sat in the stadium watching the 3rd and 4th quarters, and those were scholarship OL getting abused by Alcorn.

You are dead on, in our OL recruiting we just take too many big bodies that are projects. And you are correct that we don't truly have an OL that was really sought after out of HS including DRobinson and JThomas. Heck, by the end of their SR year, Flowers was more sought after than Thomas but I doubt either had a big time offer out of State. Same can be said of essentially all of our OL. We really got fortunate with Jackson and Day as they weren't highly rated either but are solid SEC linemen so obviously every now and then a not so highly rated guy does work out. And I know stars aren't the end all be all and I know OL take more development than most other positions but there is a reason the star OL that OM signed in this past signing class (Tunsil and Golson) are able to come in as true freshmen and contribute more than guys we have that have been in the program for 2 or 3 years, its called talent.