Expectations from LEACH/TEAM

[Kylesandi338]

What in the world was the expectations for this team from all the negative "back seat" driver ANALYSIS?? A portion of this fanbase is toxic and chose to be negative. Life must be miserable for a bunch of yall. What were you expecting from a football coach/team that was rebuilding from the ground floor from a terrible previous hire "sleepy JOE" and a total 100% transformation on offense? You complained because we always ran the ball and wanted to be a gun slinging team. Now that we have transformed the offense, you want to go back to running the ball 80% of the time. I am just guessing, but I am pretty sure that anything MSU does will not be acceptable for a bunch of you negative analysis that believe you are professionals because you played 2 years of Jr. high school ball. . We have the youngest team in the division, We have improved every game, We have a QB that will shatter every QB record at MSU, we are winning games that we aren't suppose to win. We will not win the West this year, but we are trending in the right direction to be a legit contender in the SEC every few years. Our recruiting ranking are about to jump up and good WR are going to come here. I doubt seriously we ever win the WEST with BAMA/Saban. But we can compete with the rest of the division which is all we can hope for. So for the NEVER ending NEGATIVE fanbase, grow up and support the team. If not kick rocks and chose to be miserable. If you have a ligit complaint, point it out, But the problem is not this team, it is your outlook on life. This team is young and will have growing pains, but give them a chance. And btw we will lose to BAMA next week. Everyone knows this, so no need to bash this team on here next week like the sky is falling. After BAMA we will have a chance to run the table. Lets finish this season strong and build for a team that could be very special next year!!

[Maroonthirteen]

So for the NEVER ending NEGATIVE fanbase, grow up and support the team. If not kick rocks and chose to be miserable. ......... And btw we will lose to BAMA next week. !


You can be miserable, kick rocks and pound sand on October 16.

[TrapGame]

A lot of folks round here have forgotten all the angst and derision when we had too many WRs that couldn't catch a cold. We could run the ball but couldn't pass for shit. Mullen caught hell from the same people that think we throw it too much now. Now, I admit we could have a better ground game right now but we had fans in meltdown over not being able to hit a receiver for a several years under Mullen. Dak was the only QB that really made Mullen's offense click but he had mostly average WRs. Billy Gonzalez was basically getting a check just for telling a bunch of guys "Hey, you need to catch the ball!" every week.

[BayouDawg]

While I do have hope for the system to work I also must be fair. There has been plenty of reason for doubt as well. We all want the same thing at the end of the day.

[ShotgunDawg]

While I do have hope for the system to work I also must be fair. There has been plenty of reason for doubt as well. We all want the same thing at the end of the day.

I'm not really seeing much reason for doubt right now.

I'm a little concerned about recruiting but I'm getting a sense that we may finish strong

[CaptainObvious]

Oh looky. Another admonishment to all the negative posters on a message board.

I love Mississippi State University!
I hate losing to inferior teams!

Good win by the Dawgs on Saturday. This team has talent. Need to finish 4-3 or better. If not, negativity will be well earned.

[BayouDawg]

Oh looky. Another admonishment to all the negative posters on a message board.

I love Mississippi State University!
I hate losing to inferior teams!

Good win by the Dawgs on Saturday. This team has talent. Need to finish 4-3 or better. If not, negativity will be well earned.

I agree

[PGHBulldogBG]

Oh looky. Another admonishment to all the negative posters on a message board.

I love Mississippi State University!
I hate losing to inferior teams!

Good win by the Dawgs on Saturday. This team has talent. Need to finish 4-3 or better. If not, negativity will be well earned.

While wins and losses are what matters, I more so just want to see us beat Vandy, TSU and at least 1 of Ole Miss/UK at home. Most importantly, I want to see us show improvement against teams like Bama Ark and Auburn. We basically negated the Memphis game with a win @aTm and negated the LSU game with the NC state win. We are right where I thought we would be, just happened to win the two I thought we would lose and then win two I thought we would win. I think this is going to be a theme with Leach and our fan base got to used to winning games we are supposed to win and lose games we are supposed to lose. That isn?t going to happen anymore with Leach. Every game is going to be a roller coaster which makes it a bit hard to judge, but so far Leach and team have done well and need to just continue to keep showing improvement. If we don?t turn the ball over and play good defense we can win every game outside of Bama. We could also lose to anyone not named TSU.

[Johnson85]

I'm not really seeing much reason for doubt right now.

I'm a little concerned about recruiting but I'm getting a sense that we may finish strong

A&M was a good matchup for us. I don't think putting together one game against a team we match up with allays all the concerns. We shit the bed against Memphis and lost a game against LSU that was basically the same as the A&M game, but we just 17ed ourselves whereas we didn't against A&M. Need to show that A&M was a young team progressing and not just a particularly good game, with the LSU game being more par for the course. Going to have several more opportunities to show what we have. If we get to 7 wins in the regular season, that would be a really good sign to me. If we get to six and are competitive in every game other than Bama, that at least keeps the door open that one more year of experience and reps will refine our execution enough that we can pass people out of the 3-8. As of now, I think we're good enough that it at least has to make teams nervous to stick in it.
Really depends on us executing early. If we march down the field a few times and get touchdowns and field goals, even if that's not sustainable over the course of the game, it will be hard for a DC to keep playing 3-8 with the expectation that we will make mistakes or stall out on future drives.

[Lord McBuckethead]

You can fully support the team and be critical at the same time. For instance, I pull for MSU every week. I also am terribly frustrated when we come out weeks 1-3 and cannot produce points against a drop 8 scheme. I am also frustrated when a team can rush 3 and get home. I am also frustrated when the check down is option 1 versus being options 2 or 3. Most of that goes back to us not being able to pick up and block 3 rushers.

The past 4 years, it seems as if we are starting at square 1 each and every year. Nothing has yet to build. Due to Covid and us being dang young out there at every position that matters, OL, RB, WR, and QB we just haven't seen the rebuild take off yet. We are starting to see that now, but we still have a long way to go to compete across our SEC schedule.

So, yes I want this team to succeed in every way we can, and I can say that the only thing that matters about our team is how many points can we score and how many points do we give up. Cause at the end of the day, if you aren't competing on the scoreboard then it doesn't matter. Even then, being competitive is an important first step. We are getting there, but patience is not typical for message board crowds.

[Lord McBuckethead]

A&M was a good matchup for us. I don't think putting together one game against a team we match up with allays all the concerns. We shit the bed against Memphis and lost a game against LSU that was basically the same as the A&M game, but we just 17ed ourselves whereas we didn't against A&M. Need to show that A&M was a young team progressing and not just a particularly good game, with the LSU game being more par for the course. Going to have several more opportunities to show what we have. If we get to 7 wins in the regular season, that would be a really good sign to me. If we get to six and are competitive in every game other than Bama, that at least keeps the door open that one more year of experience and reps will refine our execution enough that we can pass people out of the 3-8. As of now, I think we're good enough that it at least has to make teams nervous to stick in it.
Really depends on us executing early. If we march down the field a few times and get touchdowns and field goals, even if that's not sustainable over the course of the game, it will be hard for a DC to keep playing 3-8 with the expectation that we will make mistakes or stall out on future drives.


Arkansas' style of play is going to destroy us. Kentucky is capable. We have a tough row to hoe.

[sleepy dawg]

You sure we have the youngest in the division? What exactly are you basing that on? You might be right, but I really doubt it. The majority of our starters are juniors. I'd love to see the data though.
Also, improved every game? Nah. Memphis was pretty sorry, even without the ending because Memphis is sorry and they should've even be in that contest with us, and NC State was our 2nd best performance as a team and really on par with the A&M game, just in different way. We're definitely up and down.

I support this team, I'm just not sure how good we are. We certainly haven't looked good leading up to this past weekend. This past weekend was a major step in the right direction, it seems, but I've thought that before. I hope it continues, but I'm not sure. I have my doubts.

People saying we make too many mistakes, or we're not pushing the ball down field enough, among other things aren't necessarily wrong, or even negative just because you take it that way. Same goes for people saying we're good, or we're real close. Even if I don't agree that Leach is going to turn us into a good program, doesn't mean you're wrong. You might be right, I just doubt it, and that's okay. It's okay that we don't know what's going to happen. It's okay that we don't agree on the state of the program or the performance on the field.

Finally, I'm not miserable at all. I might get angry or upset during a game, sure, but I also get super pumped, excited, and happy during games. I love our team, and I get emotional. I have opinions that are sometimes seen as negative, or sometimes seen as positive, but they're just my opinions. They're how I see what's unfolding.

[vv83]

What in the world was the expectations for this team from all the negative "back seat" driver ANALYSIS?? A portion of this fanbase is toxic and chose to be negative. Life must be miserable for a bunch of yall. What were you expecting from a football coach/team that was rebuilding from the ground floor from a terrible previous hire "sleepy JOE" and a total 100% transformation on offense? You complained because we always ran the ball and wanted to be a gun slinging team. Now that we have transformed the offense, you want to go back to running the ball 80% of the time. I am just guessing, but I am pretty sure that anything MSU does will not be acceptable for a bunch of you negative analysis that believe you are professionals because you played 2 years of Jr. high school ball. . We have the youngest team in the division, We have improved every game, We have a QB that will shatter every QB record at MSU, we are winning games that we aren't suppose to win. We will not win the West this year, but we are trending in the right direction to be a legit contender in the SEC every few years. Our recruiting ranking are about to jump up and good WR are going to come here. I doubt seriously we ever win the WEST with BAMA/Saban. But we can compete with the rest of the division which is all we can hope for. So for the NEVER ending NEGATIVE fanbase, grow up and support the team. If not kick rocks and chose to be miserable. If you have a ligit complaint, point it out, But the problem is not this team, it is your outlook on life. This team is young and will have growing pains, but give them a chance. And btw we will lose to BAMA next week. Everyone knows this, so no need to bash this team on here next week like the sky is falling. After BAMA we will have a chance to run the table. Lets finish this season strong and build for a team that could be very special next year!!
This is such a weird take to me. Everyone here wants what is best for the team. If you see negative its because some of us see room for improvement and dont accept the current product? not this spitfire fairytale youve dreamt up in your head.

[memsu06]

A lot of folks round here have forgotten all the angst and derision when we had too many WRs that couldn't catch a cold. We could run the ball but couldn't pass for shit. Mullen caught hell from the same people that think we throw it too much now. Now, I admit we could have a better ground game right now but we had fans in meltdown over not being able to hit a receiver for a several years under Mullen. Dak was the only QB that really made Mullen's offense click but he had mostly average WRs. Billy Gonzalez was basically getting a check just for telling a bunch of guys "Hey, you need to catch the ball!" every week.

I'm seeing a huge improvement of us catching passes now. Will has a 75% completion rate and some of our opponents have a 50-60% completion percent.

That's huge when you think about it.

I guess those one handed tennis ball drills are paying off for us.

Then imagine when we have several wide receivers like Polk.

We're going to be a very dangerous team in a couple of years.

[ShotgunDawg]

Arkansas' style of play is going to destroy us. Kentucky is capable. We have a tough row to hoe.

Why would Arkansas & KY's style destroy us? To me, they're good matchups for us

[Johnson85]

Why would Arkansas & KY's style destroy us? To me, they're good matchups for us

I haven't watched arkansas much, but they run for over 200 yds per game and throw for under 200 yards per game. Without knowing anything else, that seems to play into our strengths. I guess if they are really good at play action then maybe that is dangerous for us?

Kentucky seems similar. A little more pass heavy, with passing for just over 200 and rushing for just under 200 yds per game.

My biggest concern about Arkansas is being @ arkansas. I expect us to beat UK at home and lose to Ark on the road. If the home and away were flipped, I would expect to lose to UK and think Ark was going to be a toss up.

But I am expecting the spread on those games to be close, and would not be shocked at 2-0 or 0-2 or winning on the road and losing at home.

[TrapGame]

I'm seeing a huge improvement of us catching passes now. Will has a 75% completion rate and some of our opponents have a 50-60% completion percent.

That's huge when you think about it.

I guess those one handed tennis ball drills are paying off for us.

Then imagine when we have several wide receivers like Polk.

We're going to be a very dangerous team in a couple of years.

That's what the guys on SEC Now were talking about Saturday night. We have decent receivers but when Leach gets in a Crabtree and a Welker, look out.

[sleepy dawg]

I'm seeing a huge improvement of us catching passes now. Will has a 75% completion rate and some of our opponents have a 50-60% completion percent.

That's huge when you think about it.

I guess those one handed tennis ball drills are paying off for us.

Then imagine when we have several wide receivers like Polk.

We're going to be a very dangerous team in a couple of years.

I feel like 2 years from now will be a decline. We might have a senior qb, but the vast majority of our starters right now are juniors. In 2 years, we are losing a tremendous amount of experience. Everywhere except QB and RB will be a lot of new starters.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I feel like 2 years from now will be a decline. We might have a senior qb, but the vast majority of our starters right now are juniors. In 2 years, we are losing a tremendous amount of experience. Everywhere except QB and RB will be a lot of new starters.

Hard to say that anymore with the transfer portal. You use it right you can fill in holes. Also in 2 years you'll still have Walley, Tulu, RaRa, Knox, Moore, & whoever else we add from recruiting plus the portal.

[Johnson85]

I feel like 2 years from now will be a decline. We might have a senior qb, but the vast majority of our starters right now are juniors. In 2 years, we are losing a tremendous amount of experience. Everywhere except QB and RB will be a lot of new starters.

Just about any time you are looking 2 years out you are going to see a lot of starters that will be gone. The question is how many talents we have that are really hard to replace. Cross is one, although I'm very encouraged by how they have gotten the OL to play across the board. Forbes? I'm sure I'm missing some guys on defense, but I don't know who we have that is the type of talent that we are just going to downgrade when they leave.

Now, the NIL and transfer portal may result in us downgrading significantly at several positions. But if we just recruit at our normal level the past decade, it doesn't seem like we have a lot of spots that are just going to be obvious dropoffs when people leave.

[ShotgunDawg]

Are you guys capable of starting threads on the site?

I can reply but not start threads

[OLJWales]

I think we should start a thread about which SEC Fan bases that don't bitch. For logical reasons, UGA & Bamer wouldn't be good qualifiers. (At this time of course, let Saban or Kirby blow a few and see what happens.)

[Turfdawg67]

What in the world was the expectations for this team from all the negative "back seat" driver ANALYSIS?? A portion of this fanbase is toxic and chose to be negative. Life must be miserable for a bunch of yall. What were you expecting from a football coach/team that was rebuilding from the ground floor from a terrible previous hire "sleepy JOE" and a total 100% transformation on offense? You complained because we always ran the ball and wanted to be a gun slinging team. Now that we have transformed the offense, you want to go back to running the ball 80% of the time. I am just guessing, but I am pretty sure that anything MSU does will not be acceptable for a bunch of you negative analysis that believe you are professionals because you played 2 years of Jr. high school ball. . We have the youngest team in the division, We have improved every game, We have a QB that will shatter every QB record at MSU, we are winning games that we aren't suppose to win. We will not win the West this year, but we are trending in the right direction to be a legit contender in the SEC every few years. Our recruiting ranking are about to jump up and good WR are going to come here. I doubt seriously we ever win the WEST with BAMA/Saban. But we can compete with the rest of the division which is all we can hope for. So for the NEVER ending NEGATIVE fanbase, grow up and support the team. If not kick rocks and chose to be miserable. If you have a ligit complaint, point it out, But the problem is not this team, it is your outlook on life. This team is young and will have growing pains, but give them a chance. And btw we will lose to BAMA next week. Everyone knows this, so no need to bash this team on here next week like the sky is falling. After BAMA we will have a chance to run the table. Lets finish this season strong and build for a team that could be very special next year!!

It's like real life... the miserable ones are the most outspoken, followed (far behind) by the sunshine pumpers, then comes the rest of us. The rest of us are, hopefully, the majority.

[StoneDawg]

Life must be miserable for a bunch of yall.

[Dawgology]

What in the world was the expectations for this team from all the negative "back seat" driver ANALYSIS?? A portion of this fanbase is toxic and chose to be negative. Life must be miserable for a bunch of yall. What were you expecting from a football coach/team that was rebuilding from the ground floor from a terrible previous hire "sleepy JOE" and a total 100% transformation on offense? You complained because we always ran the ball and wanted to be a gun slinging team. Now that we have transformed the offense, you want to go back to running the ball 80% of the time. I am just guessing, but I am pretty sure that anything MSU does will not be acceptable for a bunch of you negative analysis that believe you are professionals because you played 2 years of Jr. high school ball. . We have the youngest team in the division, We have improved every game, We have a QB that will shatter every QB record at MSU, we are winning games that we aren't suppose to win. We will not win the West this year, but we are trending in the right direction to be a legit contender in the SEC every few years. Our recruiting ranking are about to jump up and good WR are going to come here. I doubt seriously we ever win the WEST with BAMA/Saban. But we can compete with the rest of the division which is all we can hope for. So for the NEVER ending NEGATIVE fanbase, grow up and support the team. If not kick rocks and chose to be miserable. If you have a ligit complaint, point it out, But the problem is not this team, it is your outlook on life. This team is young and will have growing pains, but give them a chance. And btw we will lose to BAMA next week. Everyone knows this, so no need to bash this team on here next week like the sky is falling. After BAMA we will have a chance to run the table. Lets finish this season strong and build for a team that could be very special next year!!

I think it?s ok to be both negative or positive as a fan. Any fan should be ?allowed? to be upset about a loss and have serious questions when your team loses to an inferior team. On the other hand it?s ok to be happy and hopeful after a good win. What I get tired of is those that are eternal sunshine pumpers or non-stop negative Nancy?s. They both like to lecture. Opposite sides of the same coin.

[Todd4State]

Hard to say that anymore with the transfer portal. You use it right you can fill in holes. Also in 2 years you'll still have Walley, Tulu, RaRa, Knox, Moore, & whoever else we add from recruiting plus the portal.

Not to mention the JUCO system which we use pretty well. Maybe moreso on defense but still.

[Todd4State]

My expectations are as follows:

Beat FCS teams 100% of the time. No Maine's!

Beat G5 teams at a Dan Mullen level. With some context. I can tolerate losing to Memphis the way we did more than say losing to Tulane at home.

Beat P5/SEC teams that are non blue bloods a majority of the time at a Dan Mullen level. Obviously there will be years where Arkansas and Kentucky maybe have a really good team so some context is needed here as well.

Beat Blue Bloods a decent amount of the time and have a chance to beat them at a Jackie level.. In other words don't get blown out.

[CadaverDawg]

You sure we have the youngest in the division? What exactly are you basing that on? You might be right, but I really doubt it. The majority of our starters are juniors. I'd love to see the data though.
Also, improved every game? Nah. Memphis was pretty sorry, even without the ending because Memphis is sorry and they should've even be in that contest with us, and NC State was our 2nd best performance as a team and really on par with the A&M game, just in different way. We're definitely up and down.

I support this team, I'm just not sure how good we are. We certainly haven't looked good leading up to this past weekend. This past weekend was a major step in the right direction, it seems, but I've thought that before. I hope it continues, but I'm not sure. I have my doubts.

People saying we make too many mistakes, or we're not pushing the ball down field enough, among other things aren't necessarily wrong, or even negative just because you take it that way. Same goes for people saying we're good, or we're real close. Even if I don't agree that Leach is going to turn us into a good program, doesn't mean you're wrong. You might be right, I just doubt it, and that's okay. It's okay that we don't know what's going to happen. It's okay that we don't agree on the state of the program or the performance on the field.

Finally, I'm not miserable at all. I might get angry or upset during a game, sure, but I also get super pumped, excited, and happy during games. I love our team, and I get emotional. I have opinions that are sometimes seen as negative, or sometimes seen as positive, but they're just my opinions. They're how I see what's unfolding.

Amen. I feel the same way

[CadaverDawg]

I guess sometimes I'm guilty of wanting State to win at a high level, so once I see that a coach isn't going to be able to do that, it's hard for me to get too optimistic about the future. Doesn't keep me from getting pumped during games, but it also makes me point out how certain things will hold us back from ultimate success if we dont fix them or change them altogether.

I feel like Leach can have some success here, but not the type of success we're all yearning for. Could he surprise us with a 9 win season....maybe. But how many 5-7/6-6's will we have to endure to get one? And is that our goal now? I thought we wanted to propel from the Mullen years if possible. That would be achieving similar or worse success (worse actually).

I guess I have always been that way. When I dated someone when I was younger, as soon as I saw a flaw that couldn't be changed and annoyed me, and I knew I couldn't live with that forever, I went ahead and ended it instead of dragging it out and hoping something changed when I knew it wouldn't.

So anyway, I like all you guys, and hope I'm not overly negative all the time. I'm just wired to want to see State win at the highest level. I thought that's what everyone wanted

[Johnson85]

My expectations are as follows:

Beat FCS teams 100% of the time. No Maine's!

Beat G5 teams at a Dan Mullen level. With some context. I can tolerate losing to Memphis the way we did more than say losing to Tulane at home.

Beat P5/SEC teams that are non blue bloods a majority of the time at a Dan Mullen level. Obviously there will be years where Arkansas and Kentucky maybe have a really good team so some context is needed here as well.

Beat Blue Bloods a decent amount of the time and have a chance to beat them at a Jackie level.. In other words don't get blown out.

All of this is reasonable, and achievable with a good hire, provided LSU, Auburn, and A&M are considered blue bloods. If by Blue Bloods, you mean the top teams at the time, then that's a tall order. Not impossible, but unlikely.

[Maverick91]

Are you guys capable of starting threads on the site?

I can reply but not start threads

Gun, same on my end. I thought they just didn't like my posts. lol

[Maverick91]

I guess sometimes I'm guilty of wanting State to win at a high level, so once I see that a coach isn't going to be able to do that, it's hard for me to get too optimistic about the future. Doesn't keep me from getting pumped during games, but it also makes me point out how certain things will hold us back from ultimate success if we dont fix them or change them altogether.

I feel like Leach can have some success here, but not the type of success we're all yearning for. Could he surprise us with a 9 win season....maybe. But how many 5-7/6-6's will we have to endure to get one? And is that our goal now? I thought we wanted to propel from the Mullen years if possible. That would be achieving similar or worse success (worse actually).

I guess I have always been that way. When I dated someone when I was younger, as soon as I saw a flaw that couldn't be changed and annoyed me, and I knew I couldn't live with that forever, I went ahead and ended it instead of dragging it out and hoping something changed when I knew it wouldn't.

So anyway, I like all you guys, and hope I'm not overly negative all the time. I'm just wired to want to see State win at the highest level. I thought that's what everyone wanted

Brother, I am the same way. I will never buy into the thought that we cannot get to a high level of sustained winning. As many folks have stated, I do feel like it is our own culture that has gotten in the way. Booster not buying in, athletic department not really caring to change the status que. I would love to see what we can achieve once that takes place.

[sleepy dawg]

I think it?s ok to be both negative or positive as a fan. Any fan should be ?allowed? to be upset about a loss and have serious questions when your team loses to an inferior team. On the other hand it?s ok to be happy and hopeful after a good win. What I get tired of is those that are eternal sunshine pumpers or non-stop negative Nancy?s. They both like to lecture. Opposite sides of the same coin.

I agree. I can handle a negative take, and a positive take. What bothers me the most is people who have a problem with how I feel and aren't okay with either me being upset or positive because that's not how they feel.

[Maverick91]

I agree. I can handle a negative take, and a positive take. What bothers me the most is people who have a problem with how I feel and aren't okay with either me being upset or positive because that's not how they feel.

retweet

[coachkmb14]

SPOT ON!

[tcdog70]

I'm not really seeing much reason for doubt right now.

I'm a little concerned about recruiting but I'm getting a sense that we may finish strong

with the portal, recruiting isn't the same. if you can go grab 4-5 portal guys-then you don't have to recruit so High.. Calhoun-Polk-Charlton-Green--etc.

[tcdog70]

Arkansas' style of play is going to destroy us. Kentucky is capable. We have a tough row to hoe.

dude-the Hogs QB can't pass for shit. If there is one thing our defense can do is stop the run.. so to me--KY and Ark. are running teams --our advantage

[WPS]

dude-the Hogs QB can't pass for shit. If there is one thing our defense can do is stop the run.. so to me--KY and Ark. are running teams --our advantage

Jefferson is 5th in the SEC in QB rating, Arkansas just doesn't hardly pass the ball much at all.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/stats/player/_/group/8/table/passing/sort/QBRating/dir/desc

[ShotgunDawg]

Jefferson is 5th in the SEC in QB rating, Arkansas just doesn't hardly pass the ball much at all.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/stats/player/_/group/8/table/passing/sort/QBRating/dir/desc

I think MSU/Arkansas is going to be a good game. It all depends on Barry Odom to me. He's an elite DC & has the creativity to give Leach problems. At the same time, Arkansas is a good matchup for MSU because we stop the run pretty well.

Last year's game is irrelevant because we were incompetent against the 3-8 at that point. Odom will have to take some chances this year