Expectation for a SEC team, what do you think?

[Tbonewannabe]

What is the record expected for a SEC team that returns

Future NFL RB
Veteran Offensive line with 1 NFL Oline
2 future NFL LB
2 future NFL DLine
Future NFL safety

Is this at minimum 8 win team?





This is Mullen's 5 win team btw.
SEC leading rusher Dixon
Veteran Oline with future 1st round LT Sherrod
Eagles starting LB Jamar Chaney, Seahawks starting LB KJ Wright, not including Conerly award winner Chris White
NFL starters Kyle Love and Pernell McPhee
NFL drafted safety Charles Mitchell - he is the only Sophomore on the list, the rest is junior or seniors

QB was a big issue since Relf was an awful passer but Tyson Lee was actually the Juco leading passer.
WR was a weakness so we played several freshmen and Jucos.

Not included in the list
Cox and Boyd at DT
Banks and Broomfield at corner
Cameron Lawrence at LB

[Commercecomet24]

Geez when you look at that talent we should've definitely won more than 5.

[Todd4State]

That team should have won at least two more than they did- Houston and LSU.

The difference is Dan got almost a complete pass for LSU whereas if Joe had done the same thing- "He ain't gonna work in the SEC".

[Commercecomet24]

That team should have won at least two more than they did- Houston and LSU.

The difference is Dan got almost a complete pass for LSU whereas if Joe had done the same thing- "He ain't gonna work in the SEC".

Yeah remember the LSU game, goal line end of game- why didn't we give it to boobie 4 straight times from the 1 instead of a jump pass from a midget qb and then him keeping on the option on 4th down. Not very good play calling but dan was a young coach

[Todd4State]

Yeah remember the LSU game, goal line end of game- why didn't we give it to boobie 4 straight times from the 1 instead of a jump pass from a midget qb and then him keeping on the option on 4th down. Not very good play calling but dan was a young coach

The goal line sequence in the Outback Bowl reminded me so much of that LSU game. Similar concept except that Joe's plays had a pass option built in. Honestly maybe even worse than LSU since Joe called something similar three times in a row. I remember LSU where AD was the dive/fake guy and he jumped over the pile and had he been given the ball he would have been in by a good two feet. Just frustrating. Equally as frustrating is seeing Kylin run wide with no one in front of him and Nick being tackled by two guys with the ball. Sometimes one option is better than three or four on the goal line depending on who the QB is I guess.

[Commercecomet24]

The goal line sequence in the Outback Bowl reminded me so much of that LSU game. Similar concept except that Joe's plays had a pass option built in. Honestly maybe even worse than LSU since Joe called something similar three times in a row. I remember LSU where AD was the dive/fake guy and he jumped over the pile and had he been given the ball he would have been in by a good two feet. Just frustrating. Equally as frustrating is seeing Kylin run wide with no one in front of him and Nick being tackled by two guys with the ball. Sometimes one option is better than three or four on the goal line depending on who the QB is I guess.

Yep I had flashbacks to that LSU game as well.

[Goldendawg]

Yeah remember the LSU game, goal line end of game- why didn't we give it to boobie 4 straight times from the 1 instead of a jump pass from a midget qb and then him keeping on the option on 4th down. Not very good play calling but dan was a young coach

Nick not the only QB not making a pitch at the goal line. Tyson Lee also holds that title that cost a big game.

[Goldendawg]

The goal line sequence in the Outback Bowl reminded me so much of that LSU game. Similar concept except that Joe's plays had a pass option built in. Honestly maybe even worse than LSU since Joe called something similar three times in a row. I remember LSU where AD was the dive/fake guy and he jumped over the pile and had he been given the ball he would have been in by a good two feet. Just frustrating. Equally as frustrating is seeing Kylin run wide with no one in front of him and Nick being tackled by two guys with the ball. Sometimes one option is better than three or four on the goal line depending on who the QB is I guess.

Serious question. Why to do many college teams running the spread no longer put the QB under center for a possible sneak on short yardage (especially inside the one one or two for the TD). Heck, TX QB ran 4 sneaks in a row and finally scored last night. It seems very dumb to snap it back 5 or 6 yards to score from the 1 or 2.

[msstate7]

We played Houston and #25 GT in the out of conference. Both were 10-win teams. GT had a pretty good wr named demaryius thomas. Houston had a pretty good QB named Case Keenum who is still in the nfl.

Houston loss 24-31
#25 GT loss 31-42

In conference, our away games were...
8 win auburn loss 24-49
Terrible vandy team win 15-3
7 win Kentucky win 32-24
8 win ark loss 42-21

Home:
#7 LSU loss 26-30
#1 Florida loss 19-29
#2 Bama loss 3-31
#25 OM win 41-27

Despite this schedule, we improved our win total from the previous year.

[Dawgcap]

Nick not the only QB not making a pitch at the goal line. Tyson Lee also holds that title that cost a big game.

I?m not totally sold on Moorhead yet like I wasn?t with Mullen then but I like the potential going forward. It?s imperative we sign and develop a couple possession receivers and a deep threat. That to me is the key to Moorhead?s future

[Goldendawg]

Wasn't the Houston game where our long completed pass was called back for our QB being across the LOS, when he clearly wasn't? We seem to be on the short end of many bad calls. Dick Pace must have a lot of relatives who have followed him in this "profession".

[Tbonewannabe]

We played Houston and #25 GT in the out of conference. Both were 10-win teams. GT had a pretty good wr named demaryius thomas. Houston had a pretty good QB named Case Keenum who is still in the nfl.

Houston loss 24-31
#25 GT loss 31-42

In conference, our away games were...
8 win auburn loss 24-49
Terrible vandy team win 15-3
7 win Kentucky win 32-24
8 win ark loss 42-21

Home:
#7 LSU loss 26-30
#1 Florida loss 19-29
#2 Bama loss 3-31
#25 OM win 41-27

Despite this schedule, we improved our win total from the previous year.

Should we compare this team to 2011? Probably closer in talent level.

[msstate7]

Should we compare this team to 2011? Probably closer in talent level.

2018 and 2011 are similar in talent?

[bluelightstar]

We played Houston and #25 GT in the out of conference. Both were 10-win teams. GT had a pretty good wr named demaryius thomas. Houston had a pretty good QB named Case Keenum who is still in the nfl.

Houston loss 24-31
#25 GT loss 31-42

In conference, our away games were...
8 win auburn loss 24-49
Terrible vandy team win 15-3
7 win Kentucky win 32-24
8 win ark loss 42-21

Home:
#7 LSU loss 26-30
#1 Florida loss 19-29
#2 Bama loss 3-31
#25 OM win 41-27

Despite this schedule, we improved our win total from the previous year.

The 2009 team also looked better than it did the previous year. Mullen also came in as an offensive-minded coach to "spread the fun" and COMPLETELY OVERHAUL the offensive system, yet we didn't look like monkeys trying to 17 a football. In fact, our issue was probably Torbush that year or we'd have won more. Not to mention the 2009 team didn't have the depth of the 2018 team. Just about every SEC team has some top-end players.

[Todd4State]

Serious question. Why to do many college teams running the spread no longer put the QB under center for a possible sneak on short yardage (especially inside the one one or two for the TD). Heck, TX QB ran 4 sneaks in a row and finally scored last night. It seems very dumb to snap it back 5 or 6 yards to score from the 1 or 2.


I've always heard some of the spread coaches say "we spend so much time in the gun that going under center isn't natural so we just run it from the gun". Basically I think they are going for simplicity by running what they are used to running an therefore they save valuable practice time which is limited these days. It's not that much different than getting in the I and handing the ball off to a running back from seven yards out if you think about it too. So, I see where they are coming from. But for me personally I prefer getting under center and sneaking it in or handing it off from under center. But I'm old school a little bit I think.


We played Houston and #25 GT in the out of conference. Both were 10-win teams. GT had a pretty good wr named demaryius thomas. Houston had a pretty good QB named Case Keenum who is still in the nfl.

Houston loss 24-31
#25 GT loss 31-42

In conference, our away games were...
8 win auburn loss 24-49
Terrible vandy team win 15-3
7 win Kentucky win 32-24
8 win ark loss 42-21

Home:
#7 LSU loss 26-30
#1 Florida loss 19-29
#2 Bama loss 3-31
#25 OM win 41-27

Despite this schedule, we improved our win total from the previous year.

From 4 to 5. Essentially the difference was the Egg Bowl win.

[Cooterpoot]

LSU made a damn great play to win that game. It was a great call but better defensive play. I see no good comparisons to this year. That team lost to La Tech the year before. Mullen did a great damn job.

[msstate7]

Nfl draft picks from state...
2010 - 2 (none top 2 rounds)
2011 - 4 (1 top 2 rounds)
2012 - 3 (1 top 2 rounds)
2013 - 3 (2 top 2 rounds)
2014 - 1 (0 top 2 rounds)
2015 - 5 (2 top 2 rounds)
2016 - 3 (1 top 2 rounds)
2017 - 1 (0)
2018 - 4 (0)

2019 is gonna be something like 7 picks (4-5 top 2 rounds)

[Dawgcap]

We have to complete passes consistently next year or we are in trouble. The SEC has become a run to set up the pass or pass to set up the run. You can’t be one dimensional and we were because we didn’t catch the ball consistently. We will be pretty good on D next year but we have got to possess the ball and make plays. The D will need help from the O next year

[msstate7]

We have to complete passes consistently next year or we are in trouble. The SEC has become a run to set up the pass or pass to set up the run. You can’t be one dimensional and we were because we didn’t catch the ball consistently. We will be pretty good on D next year but we have got to possess the ball and make plays. The D will need help from the O next year

Kentucky was 1 dimensional and won 10 games

[DancingRabbit]

Serious question. Why to do many college teams running the spread no longer put the QB under center for a possible sneak on short yardage (especially inside the one one or two for the TD). Heck, TX QB ran 4 sneaks in a row and finally scored last night. It seems very dumb to snap it back 5 or 6 yards to score from the 1 or 2.

I agree. Mix in some under center plays just to make defenses plan for it. And develop your QB. Especially when it's like a foot.

But there are good arguments for a running QB in the shotgun/pistol having better vision for where a hole is, and you still can have a pass option.

Seems like it wouldn't be that big a step to have both options in your arsenal.

[Dawgcap]

Kentucky was 1 dimensional and won 10 games

Got me there! I will claim them being an outlier! Ha

[Tbonewannabe]

2018 and 2011 are similar in talent?

For simplicity, I won't list freshmen.

Chad Bumphis who ended up as one of our best WR in school history
Charles Mitchell drafted
Nikoe Whitley - sophomore pre injury
Cameron Lawrence - started some games for the Cowboys before injury ended his career, mostly special teams
Jon Banks - Thorpe Award winner and started several years in NFL
Darius Slay - Probably the top corner in the NFL today
Chris Relf - Senior - developed into a good QB- was Fitz before Fitz
Corey Broomfield - 3 year starter at this point
Ladarius Perkins - sophomore year so wasn't relied upon due to
Vick Ballard - NFL starting RB until injury
Marcus Green - Sr who started several years at TE
Baker Swedenburg - just because I wanted to include him in case he read the thread
Deontae Skinner - Sophomore - started and played several years in the NFL
Gabe Jackson - Sophomore - one of the top guards in the NFL
Dewayne Cherrington - actually played a year or so in the NFL
Fletcher Cox - one of the top DL in the NFL
Josh Boyd - started for a few years in the NFL

That is a pretty good bit of talent.

[Cooterpoot]

KY was lucky as hell and their schedule helped them a lot.

[Commercecomet24]

KY was lucky as hell and their schedule helped them a lot.

Agreed and I don't believe it's sustainable. They had one of "those" years.

[BrunswickDawg]

Nfl draft picks from state...
2010 - 2 (none top 2 rounds)
2011 - 4 (1 top 2 rounds)
2012 - 3 (1 top 2 rounds)
2013 - 3 (2 top 2 rounds)
2014 - 1 (0 top 2 rounds)
2015 - 5 (2 top 2 rounds)
2016 - 3 (1 top 2 rounds)
2017 - 1 (0)
2018 - 4 (0)

2019 is gonna be something like 7 picks (4-5 top 2 rounds)

And I’m pretty certain that all 4 of those 2011 picks and the 3 2012 picks were at worst in the 2 deep on the ‘09 team.
What difference does it make in what year they were drafted if they were major contributors on the team we are discussing?

[Cooterpoot]

KY got us and FL early. Got help bs MO. Played in the east. Got an overrated team in their bowl. They’re trash next year.

[Commercecomet24]

KY got us and FL early. Got help bs MO. Played in the east. Got an overrated team in their bowl. They’re trash next year.

Life without Bennie.

[Dawgcap]

Kentucky was 1 dimensional and won 10 games

Kentucky had a received with 67 catches. They were a run team who passed

[Tbonewannabe]

Life without Bennie.

And Allen. That is 2 big shoes to fill like we have with Simmons, Sweat, and Abram.

[msstate7]

Kentucky had a received with 67 catches. They were a run team who passed

14th in the sec and 117th in passing offense

[Dawgcap]

They ran to set up the pass. Q.v. completed 67%. If we catch the ball we are a better offense. You can’t blame the coaches for wide open drops

[msstate7]

They ran to set up the pass. Q.v. completed 67%. If we catch the ball we are a better offense. You can’t blame the coaches for wide open drops

Qbr has his pass efficiency at 78th in the country. Yds/pass was 82nd... lots of horizontal passing

[Cooterpoot]

They ran to set up the pass. Q.v. completed 67%. If we catch the ball we are a better offense. You can?t blame the coaches for wide open drops

Or the failure of the QB to make the correct read, not miss them by 15 yards when they?re open, assuming he even sees them.

[Tbonewannabe]

Or the failure of the QB to make the correct read, not miss them by 15 yards when they?re open, assuming he even sees them.

At the end of the day, it was on Moorhead to either adjust his playcalling or replace the QB if Nick couldn't run the offense. I think Nick not getting actual reps until August really screwed us because Moorhead didn't know how bad he was in live reps. Or at least I hope that was the reason. He probably couldn't have benched him right off the bat but after UK, no one would have made too much about it if Key or Mayden took some snaps.

[Dawgcap]

Or the failure of the QB to make the correct read, not miss them by 15 yards when they?re open, assuming he even sees them.

I agree. My point is Moorhead has an offensive plan that didn’t work with this Years personnel. Stoops had everything come together and utilized it. He had the back to dominate and passed when needed. Will Moorhead’s offense work? I think so but it’s not gonna be the the old school way of pounding the football consistently. But he better have receivers making possession plays or he may not coach in Starkville after next year. I happen to believe he will get it done. I may be wrong but it’s football so who knows! Just as an aside I’ve been married 25+ years and I haven’t been right much! Love the passion of our fans I’m just praying for magic in a bottle!!!

[Todd4State]

Agreed and I don't believe it's sustainable. They had one of "those" years.

It's past time for us to have one of "those" years.

[Dawgcap]

It's past time for us to have one of "those" years.

Baseball and basketball still on the horizon! But damn a great year in football is still my dream!

[Liverpooldawg]

Kentucky was 1 dimensional and won 10 games

And they play in the east.

[msstate7]

And they play in the east.

They beat us by 21, so drop the superiority crap

[Todd4State]

And they play in the east.

Exactly. It would be nice if 4-5 of our West opponents were down for a change.

[msstate7]

Exactly. It would be nice if 4-5 of our West opponents were down for a change.

3 were this year. Kentucky played 6 ranked teams this year and went 4-2. We played 6 ranked teams and went 2-4

[Todd4State]

3 were this year. Kentucky played 6 ranked teams this year and went 4-2. We played 6 ranked teams and went 2-4

If we're going to win 10 it would help if there see more than that though. Honestly that's sort of what happened in 1999. Except we didn't have to play any SEC East bluebloods which also helps us too.

[Liverpooldawg]

They beat us by 21, so drop the superiority crap

Yes, but they also only had to play us and A&M out of the west. They caught 2 of the 5 good west teams. We caught 2 of the three in the east. They won 10, we won 8.

[Liverpooldawg]

3 were this year. Kentucky played 6 ranked teams this year and went 4-2. We played 6 ranked teams and went 2-4

They played 2 teams that will finish in the top 10, assuming Georgia does. We will likely have played 4.

[msstate7]

They played 2 teams that will finish in the top 10, assuming Georgia does. We will likely have played 4.

Kentucky is one of the 4.

[Liverpooldawg]

Kentucky is one of the 4.

So? That means they missed at least a couple of west teams that will end up ranked, maybe even three. It's not out of the question that Auburn ends up ranked. They played one west team ranked in the final poll, and that one will be lower down. Both of our east opponents will be in the top 10. Let me ask you this, do you think they beat LSU in Baton Rouge or Alabama in Tuscaloosa? They lost to A&M remember.

[msstate7]

So? That means they missed at least a couple of west teams that will end up ranked, maybe even three. It's not out of the question that Auburn ends up ranked. They played one west team ranked in the final poll, and that one will be lower down. Both of our east opponents will be in the top 10. Let me ask you this, do you think they beat LSU in Baton Rouge or Alabama in Tuscaloosa? They lost to A&M remember.

No.

I just think you look ridiculous trying to claim superiority to a team that beat us by 3 TDs. They're top 10. We're hoping to stay ranked. We in the west though, so we superior, right?

[Liverpooldawg]

No.

I just think you look ridiculous trying to claim superiority to a team that beat us by 3 TDs. They're top 10. We're hoping to stay ranked. We in the west though, so we superior, right?
I'm not claiming we were superior to them, we weren't. Jeez. I'm just saying that if they play in the West they likely don't have 10 wins. They likely have 8, same as us.

[Liverpooldawg]

The other thing is this: when you don't play as many top teams, it easier to get up to play the ones you do play. That was how USM used to play the good teams tough back in the day. They were chunking babies out of the stands when we went up to Kentucky. We don't do that for them.

[smootness]

What is the record expected for a SEC team that returns

Future NFL RB
Veteran Offensive line with 1 NFL Oline
2 future NFL LB
2 future NFL DLine
Future NFL safety

Is this at minimum 8 win team?

Are we really pretending the quality of a football team can be reduced to its top 7 players?

[Tbonewannabe]

The other thing is this: when you don't play as many top teams, it easier to get up to play the ones you do play. That was how USM used to play the good teams tough back in the day. They were chunking babies out of the stands when we went up to Kentucky. We don't do that for them.

I have went up there the last 4 times and this year was completely different. We had a UK friend with us whose parents has had season tickets for her entire life. She grew up going to games. She said she had never seen it like that. It was similar to our Bama game last year.

[Tbonewannabe]

Are we really pretending the quality of a football team can be reduced to its top 7 players?


No but to say Mullen had nothing to work with his first year is a bullshit. He had one of the top RBs in the SEC along with a veteran Oline with a All SEC LT. That doesn't even include a third of a NFL defense.

Moorhead had a disappointing first year but it isn't the worst coaching job possible. Mullen's offense is a lot more basic and I think Moorhead overestimated how well Fitz would perform. You would think a 5th year senior would be able to read a defense better than he did. I do blame Moorhead for not getting any QB ready to go.

[smootness]

No but to say Mullen had nothing to work with his first year is a bullshit. He had one of the top RBs in the SEC along with a veteran Oline with a All SEC LT. That doesn't even include a third of a NFL defense.

Moorhead had a disappointing first year but it isn't the worst coaching job possible. Mullen's offense is a lot more basic and I think Moorhead overestimated how well Fitz would perform. You would think a 5th year senior would be able to read a defense better than he did. I do blame Moorhead for not getting any QB ready to go.

Who said he had nothing to work with?

He had Tyson Lee and a sophomore Chris Relf at QB...
He did have a good group of RB.
He had freshmen Chad Bumphis and O'Neal Wilder and sophomore Marcus Green as his top pass-catchers...
He had Sherrod, yes, but no other OL of note. Addison Lawrence was probably 2nd best...

He had a DL with very little depth, with much of it provided by two true freshmen...
He did have a good group of LB, though again lacking depth.
And he had a pretty terrible group of DB's all things considered, in both talent and experience...

So he had good RB and a good, though thin, group of LB. He had an ok DL that lacked depth, a subpar group of OL, terrible WR, terrible DB, and a joke of a QB situation.

[smootness]

No but to say Mullen had nothing to work with his first year is a bullshit. He had one of the top RBs in the SEC along with a veteran Oline with a All SEC LT. That doesn't even include a third of a NFL defense.

Moorhead had a disappointing first year but it isn't the worst coaching job possible. Mullen's offense is a lot more basic and I think Moorhead overestimated how well Fitz would perform. You would think a 5th year senior would be able to read a defense better than he did. I do blame Moorhead for not getting any QB ready to go.

Mullen's offense is only more basic when he chooses to make it more basic. He is able to adapt better than Moorhead showed this year.

The offense we ran in 2015 with Dak was nothing close to basic.

[msstate7]

Dak credited picking up the cowboys' offense so quick bc it was so similar to Mullen's. Mullen's offense isn't simple

[MarketingBully]

Dak credited picking up the cowboys' offense so quick bc it was so similar to Mullen's. Mullen's offense isn't simple

Dak is being kind there. Dak is a once in a generation player that Mullen wasted having in 2014 and 2015. That 2014 team should have beaten Alabama and Ole Miss and won an SEC Championship and been in the CFP but Mullen pissed his pants and couldn’t coach his way out of a paper bag against an inferior Alabama team with freaking Blake Simms as their QB! Then he gets beaten by an Ole Miss team with a one armed Bo Wallace at QB who the week before was beaten by Arkansas 30-0! That 2014 team imo will always be our biggest wasted opportunity with the best QB we will ever have. It was the intangibles with Dak. He could have taken this 2018 team and gone 11-1 with it with our only loss to Alabama. Dak was a once in 10 year player not because of his physical gifts but because of his leadership skills, his ability to want to get better, and his understanding of reading defenses.

[msstate7]

Dak is being kind there. Dak is a once in a generation player that Mullen wasted having in 2014 and 2015. That 2014 team should have beaten Alabama and Ole Miss and won an SEC Championship and been in the CFP but Mullen pissed his pants and couldn’t coach his way out of a paper bag against an inferior Alabama team with freaking Blake Simms as their QB! Then he gets beaten by an Ole Miss team with a one armed Bo Wallace at QB who the week before was beaten by Arkansas 30-0! That 2014 team imo will always be our biggest wasted opportunity with the best QB we will ever have. It was the intangibles with Dak. He could have taken this 2018 team and gone 11-1 with it with our only loss to Alabama. Dak was a once in 10 year player not because of his physical gifts but because of his leadership skills, his ability to want to get better, and his understanding of reading defenses.

And dan found him and developed him. You think dak is the nfl right now if he signed with LSU?

[Tbonewannabe]

Mullen's offense is only more basic when he chooses to make it more basic. He is able to adapt better than Moorhead showed this year.

The offense we ran in 2015 with Dak was nothing close to basic.

I agree with this except he ran the Dak offense in 2016 with Fitz which lead to 5 regular season wins. Mullen then adapted to Fitz lack of passing in 2017. Mullen reduced the amount of passes from 411 to 353. Oddly enough Moorhead due to running less plays threw less passes down to 323. Fitz actually threw for more yards, more TDs, and less Ints. Some of that could be skewed from blowing out people but 2017 also had OOC blow outs.

This season boils down to 4 games, now 5 with the bowl game, why people are pissed off.

UK - 7 points and Fitz looked like he had never seen a damn football before. Defense gave out in the 4th quarter because the offense put them in bad spots all game. UK was fired up and we looked flat.
UF - 6 points and a dropped TD that took the air out of the stadium that probably decided the game. Mullen knew how to scheme against Fitz and it probably bit us in the ass.
LSU - 3 points and possibly the worst QB game in MSU history, definitely up there with the Henig game.
Bama - 7 points, we scored and the ref can suck a D&*K, This is the game that pushed a lot of people over the edge. We manhandled a Bama defense in 2017 at home and then get dominated at Tuscaloosa. This is pretty much every game in Tuscaloosa for the last decade excluding the one year with Dak.

Amazing enough, all these games were on the road against teams who ended up with 10 or more wins.

Looking at 2017
We beat a good LSU 9-4 team at home. We got the momentum and rolled. We did the same to A&M this year. So this game is a push.
We got the shit kicked out of us by a great UGA team on the road. We did the same at Bama this year. So this game is a push.
Same at AU. Same as UK this year so this game is a push.
Beat a 7-6 UK team at home. AU finished one game better but close enough to a push.
Beat a 7-6 A&M team on the road. Didn't happen this year. We did beat a 5-7 UM team on the road but not the same.
Lost to Bama at home. Lost to a 10 win UF team. Not the same but AU was 1 win better that UK. Not quite a push but close.
Beat a shitty Ark team on the road. Beat a shitty Ark team at home. Push.
Lost to UM at home. Mullen coaching with 1 foot out the door. One of the most disappointing games I have been to in person due to Mullen's not give a shit attitude. Not quite a push for the LSU loss at Death Valley.

So there you go, in the regular season:

We lost to 3 really good teams in 2017 and one mediocre. We looked like absolute shit on the road in our 2 tough road games. The one road game we won was over a A&M team who was in disarray and fired their coach.

We lost to 4 really good teams in 2018 with 3 of those games being on the road. It would be interesting to see what Mullen would have done this year since he had a tendency to get killed on the road anyway except in 2014.

[Tbonewannabe]

Dak credited picking up the cowboys' offense so quick bc it was so similar to Mullen's. Mullen's offense isn't simple

I give credit to Mullen help get Dak ready. Dak also worked his ass off whereas I don't think Fitz had the same work ethic. Dallas offense also is pretty basic for the NFL now. Most Dallas fans think Linehan is a moron who needs to be fired.

[msstate7]

I agree with this except he ran the Dak offense in 2016 with Fitz which lead to 5 regular season wins. Mullen then adapted to Fitz lack of passing in 2017. Mullen reduced the amount of passes from 411 to 353. Oddly enough Moorhead due to running less plays threw less passes down to 323. Fitz actually threw for more yards, more TDs, and less Ints. Some of that could be skewed from blowing out people but 2017 also had OOC blow outs.

This season boils down to 4 games, now 5 with the bowl game, why people are pissed off.

UK - 7 points and Fitz looked like he had never seen a damn football before. Defense gave out in the 4th quarter because the offense put them in bad spots all game. UK was fired up and we looked flat.
UF - 6 points and a dropped TD that took the air out of the stadium that probably decided the game. Mullen knew how to scheme against Fitz and it probably bit us in the ass.
LSU - 3 points and possibly the worst QB game in MSU history, definitely up there with the Henig game.
Bama - 7 points, we scored and the ref can suck a D&*K, This is the game that pushed a lot of people over the edge. We manhandled a Bama defense in 2017 at home and then get dominated at Tuscaloosa. This is pretty much every game in Tuscaloosa for the last decade excluding the one year with Dak.

Amazing enough, all these games were on the road against teams who ended up with 10 or more wins.

Looking at 2017
We beat a good LSU 9-4 team at home. We got the momentum and rolled. We did the same to A&M this year. So this game is a push.
We got the shit kicked out of us by a great UGA team on the road. We did the same at Bama this year. So this game is a push.
Same at AU. Same as UK this year so this game is a push.
Beat a 7-6 UK team at home. AU finished one game better but close enough to a push.
Beat a 7-6 A&M team on the road. Didn't happen this year. We did beat a 5-7 UM team on the road but not the same.
Lost to Bama at home. Lost to a 10 win UF team. Not the same but AU was 1 win better that UK. Not quite a push but close.
Beat a shitty Ark team on the road. Beat a shitty Ark team at home. Push.
Lost to UM at home. Mullen coaching with 1 foot out the door. One of the most disappointing games I have been to in person due to Mullen's not give a shit attitude. Not quite a push for the LSU loss at Death Valley.

So there you go, in the regular season:

We lost to 3 really good teams in 2017 and one mediocre. We looked like absolute shit on the road in our 2 tough road games. The one road game we won was over a A&M team who was in disarray and fired their coach.

We lost to 4 really good teams in 2018 with 3 of those games being on the road. It would be interesting to see what Mullen would have done this year since he had a tendency to get killed on the road anyway except in 2014.

You compared 2 games last year to Bama this year.

Auburn 2017 was way better than Kentucky this year. Auburn beat both teams that played for the natty

[Tbonewannabe]

You compared 2 games last year to Bama this year.

Auburn 2017 was way better than Kentucky this year. Auburn beat both teams that played for the natty

They both finished with the same record and both were on the road. Auburn also was kicking our ass more than the 14-7 score going into the 4th quarter.

Taking into consideration Mullen's road record in his career. Although Mullen built this team for his style so maybe this year would have been different.

2010 win @ #22 UF 10-7. FG missed at the end to tie.
2014 win @ #8 LSU

So this is all of the top 25 wins that Mullen had on the road in 9 years.

[Tbonewannabe]

You compared 2 games last year to Bama this year.

Auburn 2017 was way better than Kentucky this year. Auburn beat both teams that played for the natty

Rereading it, I didn't but the format was hard to follow.

2017 2018
LSU = A&M
UGA = Bama
AU = UK
UK = AU
A&M = no good comparison for a 7-6 team win on road
Bama = not a good comparison but closest is UF at 10-3
Ark = Ark. both shitty but this year at home.
UM = Not a good comparison since this was a bad loss.

So 2017 we beat A&M on the road but they were falling apart and fired their coach.
In 2017, we also played Bama and UGA which were elite teams. We only played one true elite team this year on the road the same as UGA last year.
We competed with Bama at home similar to a 10 win UF.

Basically we played 4 great teams lost to 3 really good teams (2 on the road). We beat a good LSU team at home and then lost to a bad UM team. We also beat a 7-6 UK and A&M team.

In 2018, we lost to 4 really good teams (3 on the road). We beat a good A&M team at home. We also beat a 8-5 AU team.

So it looks like the difference is that we played one more tougher game on the road (where Mullen won 2 games in 9 years against ranked teams) and we didn't have a bad loss to UM on the road.

[smootness]

I agree with this except he ran the Dak offense in 2016 with Fitz which lead to 5 regular season wins. Mullen then adapted to Fitz lack of passing in 2017. Mullen reduced the amount of passes from 411 to 353. Oddly enough Moorhead due to running less plays threw less passes down to 323. Fitz actually threw for more yards, more TDs, and less Ints. Some of that could be skewed from blowing out people but 2017 also had OOC blow outs.

This season boils down to 4 games, now 5 with the bowl game, why people are pissed off.

UK - 7 points and Fitz looked like he had never seen a damn football before. Defense gave out in the 4th quarter because the offense put them in bad spots all game. UK was fired up and we looked flat.
UF - 6 points and a dropped TD that took the air out of the stadium that probably decided the game. Mullen knew how to scheme against Fitz and it probably bit us in the ass.
LSU - 3 points and possibly the worst QB game in MSU history, definitely up there with the Henig game.
Bama - 7 points, we scored and the ref can suck a D&*K, This is the game that pushed a lot of people over the edge. We manhandled a Bama defense in 2017 at home and then get dominated at Tuscaloosa. This is pretty much every game in Tuscaloosa for the last decade excluding the one year with Dak.

Amazing enough, all these games were on the road against teams who ended up with 10 or more wins.

Looking at 2017
We beat a good LSU 9-4 team at home. We got the momentum and rolled. We did the same to A&M this year. So this game is a push.
We got the shit kicked out of us by a great UGA team on the road. We did the same at Bama this year. So this game is a push.
Same at AU. Same as UK this year so this game is a push.
Beat a 7-6 UK team at home. AU finished one game better but close enough to a push.
Beat a 7-6 A&M team on the road. Didn't happen this year. We did beat a 5-7 UM team on the road but not the same.
Lost to Bama at home. Lost to a 10 win UF team. Not the same but AU was 1 win better that UK. Not quite a push but close.
Beat a shitty Ark team on the road. Beat a shitty Ark team at home. Push.
Lost to UM at home. Mullen coaching with 1 foot out the door. One of the most disappointing games I have been to in person due to Mullen's not give a shit attitude. Not quite a push for the LSU loss at Death Valley.

So there you go, in the regular season:

We lost to 3 really good teams in 2017 and one mediocre. We looked like absolute shit on the road in our 2 tough road games. The one road game we won was over a A&M team who was in disarray and fired their coach.

We lost to 4 really good teams in 2018 with 3 of those games being on the road. It would be interesting to see what Mullen would have done this year since he had a tendency to get killed on the road anyway except in 2014.

The main thing you miss here is - we returned a ton from last year. So they ended up being very similar years. Great, that sucks considering we returned almost everyone of note (Rankin the only real loss) and should have seen a big step forward.

[Tbonewannabe]

The main thing you miss here is - we returned a ton from last year. So they ended up being very similar years. Great, that sucks considering we returned almost everyone of note (Rankin the only real loss) and should have seen a big step forward.

Changing the offense makes it a roll of the dice. We basically had the same record against a tougher schedule. If you look at it like that then we did improve because another tough road game under Mullen would probably equal a loss anyway.

I get the idea that Fitz was finally looking like he figured it out but the bottom line is that he was a mediocre QB in Moorhead's offense but a good QB in Mullen's. We were preseason around #18 and finished the regular season around #18.

It isn't an apples to apples comparison.

[msstate7]

Changing the offense makes it a roll of the dice. We basically had the same record against a tougher schedule. If you look at it like that then we did improve because another tough road game under Mullen would probably equal a loss anyway.

I get the idea that Fitz was finally looking like he figured it out but the bottom line is that he was a mediocre QB in Moorhead's offense but a good QB in Mullen's. We were preseason around #18 and finished the regular season around #18.

It isn't an apples to apples comparison.

We changed defenses. We were a 3-4 last season

[BrunswickDawg]

We changed defenses. We were a 3-4 last season

I think if we had been 3-4 again this season, our D would not have been as good, and Grantham wouldn't have changed it. Having 2 edge rushers combined with Simmons and Sweat on our DL gave us so much more pressure then the year before.

[BB30]

No.

I just think you look ridiculous trying to claim superiority to a team that beat us by 3 TDs. They're top 10. We're hoping to stay ranked. We in the west though, so we superior, right?

Our fans aren't giving KY enough credit myself included early in the season. As the season went on it was evident they were a pretty solid team capable of beating most of the SEC on the right day. They had a good well coached squad.

I think they also had great chemistry which IMO is overlooked by a lot of our fans from time to time. They had a true vocal leader on both sides of the ball. We had a couple on D but honestly, we didn't IMO have anyone that was a true leader on the offensive side.

Much like our run in 2014 we had great leadership on both sides of the ball with Dak and Mckinney. Along with a few others on the OL and DL. It just didn't seem like we had that on the offensive side of the ball this year. Nobody stepped up and got on some a** when it was needed or went and made a play when it was most needed. I think alot on here are undervaluing true leadership, it makes a difference when your backs are against the wall.