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Yeah, it's interesting how this gets lost to everyone that attempts to analyze our team. We absolutely can't run the ball, but between adequate blocking & Dak knowing where to go with the football, pass protection hasn't been a huge problemQuote:
Originally Posted by msstate7
If we win it will be because Dak has a good game throwing the football 40 plus times and our best blocking back is Shump. So screw the williams and lee shit this game because we aren't going to run the damn football between the tackles. Holloway can be a huge threat once we wear those big lbs down in both the passing game and some quick hitters.Quote:
Originally Posted by CadaverDawg
Chad Kelly beat them. We can
Kelly didn't beat them. They beat themselves in that game.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackout
Chad did make plays thoughQuote:
Originally Posted by Liverpooldawg
It's our house and we protect it with a win. And I get to tell some of those elephant worshiping bastards on the way out, "Y'all all ways play us a good game"
You gonna be at the basketball game Friday night?Quote:
Originally Posted by shannondawg
Dak will cement his legacy. He will be remembered for this win. Game winning TD with less than a minute left in one of the best victories we will ever see.
Hey, One can dream.
Dan is going to shock the world, take the extra prep days to install a few triple option plays, perhaps from Diamond formation, perhaps Flexbone or both, and mix those in with 4 and 5 WR sets, spreading Bama across the field. Might even let Fitz run a few.
Truth be told, I haven't yet got a feel for this one. I waffle between feeling like we're the biggest challenge, matchup-wise that Bama will have faced all year, with Dak, Bear, Freds, Hutch, Johnson, Dear carving up their secondary, to worrying Bama's D-line will maul our O-line, taking Dak out of the game.
Guess I'll have to let you know later. Gun to my head now, I'd say 50%. But I reserve the right to change my mind before kickoff.
I feel like if Jenkins is back to play LT our OLine has a shot at holding the front 7. If we have to play Malone there again due to injury he will get destroyed and Dak will get sacked from behind all night. If we can get Dear involved early along with Ross and Wilson I think Dak will give bama's secondary all they can handle. Need to come out guns blazing like the LSU game last year and make them play from behind so Coker will have more pressure to make bad decisions.
State ML..... Bet it and enjoy ....
Do we have to play better on defense in this game than we did against LSU?
If so, why?
I'm seeing lots of "MSU will have to play the game of their lives to win." or "MSU must hold Henry & Drake under 150 yards" or "MSU's defensive line will have to play the best game evah to win."
Why?
I just don't see Bama as an offensive juggernaut. Our defense is just as good if not better than LSU's & better in most every statistical category.
LSU gave up 21 to Auburn, 22 to Eastern Michigan, 24 to South Carolina, 28 to Florida who couldn't score against Vandy this weekend, & 20 to Western Kentucky.
I think if our defense plays their normal game, we'll give up 21-24 points. That puts this game squarely on the offense.
I just don't see this Bama team in the same light as the media is apparently seeing them right now. They are good, but we are pretty good as well.
My two cents worth: I am looking at our team and how they have looked over the past few games and feel that we are a considerably better team than LSU and would beat them 9 to 10 times out of 10 games if we were to play right now. And we would beat them fairly handily at that. I have re-watched the Bama/LSU game and saw that LSU was not that far off, Travian Dural dropped a big gainer that hit him right in the numbers, Malachi Dupre also had two drops on what would have been big gainers maybe scores, also very catchable passes. All of these drops happened while the teams were either tied or LSU was within one score. Brandon Harris is nowhere near the caliber QB that Dak is and I strongly feel that our receivers are superior to LSU's. LSU's O-line is quite polished at run blocking and opening holes for Fournette but they are not near as practiced or polished at pass protection and Harris still found some occasions to hit his receivers and they dropped the ball far too often. I think we can and will outscore Bama because of the experience and polish of Dak, our wide receivers and an O-line that can and will give Dak just enough opportunity to be successful against Bama's lb's and secondary. Bama with Henry/Drake and that new wr will move the ball and will score but they will be time consuming drives and we will be able to put together 4 to 6 scoring drives of our own. I am looking for a score of something like MSU 23 to 29 and Bama will score 17 to 21. Each year our team has taken a step or two forward in building the program and this is the step forward for this year.
Go big or go home...
This will be like the AU game in 2014. We have been building toward this all year. I'm all in. Dawgs 35-17.
17ing-A. State 24-23.
I've said Bama Kryptonite is the spread and an elite QB. We got that. Plus playing at home will be good. I expect to win. Our WRs are better than their DBs. Bear needs to step up and kick ass. If TN can play them close then of course we can win . Henry will get his yards but we have to hit Coker early and often. We win by ten points
Shannondawg is pumped, says u should c the weight room. Blew him away, different.Quote:
Originally Posted by Coach34
Josh Dobbs gave Bama's defense fits.
Guess what? Dak is better than Dobbs.
We win.
Go watch last year's Bama hype video if you want to punch a wall. Good stuff.
Dakota is FAR better than Dobbs & MSU's defense is absolutely better than Tennessee's.Quote:
Originally Posted by TrapGame
This is one of those games where the initial reaction from the media will be that Bama is going to win big because they just dominated LSU & everyone watched that. However, when you sit down & actually start dissecting the game, along with Bama's entire body of work this season, you begin to go, "Hmmmmm"
Yes sir!Quote:
Originally Posted by ShotgunDawg
Bama will not be as pumped up for us as they were for LSU.
I am going to try to, with the early game Sat, its gonna be tough on this old codger to get in late, and then go again on Sat.
But I feel like I will.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coach34
Don't listen to him, MS7... he better be "knittin' me a sweater, right now!"Quote:
Originally Posted by msstate7
Dawgs win.Quote:
Originally Posted by State82
I honestly think its a coin flip. Could go either way. I don't necessarily think we are going to win, but I don't think we are going to lose either. Like most tight SEC games, it will come down to one or two plays. If those plays are something like having to stop them on 4th and goal on the 1 yard line, I don't really feel good about it. But if its needing Dak to convert a 3rd and 6 to put us in position for a game winning field goal, I do feel pretty good about it. Overall we match up about as well with them as any team in their schedule does (our strengths line up with their weaknesses), we have the best QB, and we are at home. No reason for all the doom and gloom.
As much as I want us to win, if I was forced to bet my salary on the game, I'd take Bama.. For the last few years, it's pretty obvious by the end of the 1st quarter which MSU showed up to play, and you pretty much know if we'll win or lose (or win a close/ugly game vs a vastly inferior opponent).
However, unlike last year when we peaked as a team vs Auburn, I don't think we've hit our peak yet. I hope that happens this weekend.
I think it will come down to what we can do with Drake. I think we can stop Henry fairly well, but Drake on the little quick juts outside and a couple missed tackles could cost us the game. Similar to the 3rd and longs last year with Sims. If we can keep those opportunities down and get at least a score ahead, you can wrap it in Maroon and White
I think the best we can hope for is a close game and that's about it. God, I'd love, LOVE to beat them and silence all of these local Bama fans that have never even been to Tuscaloosa.....but I just don't see it.Quote:
Originally Posted by State82
Their QB is terrible . Make this game Dak v Coker and we win . Load 82 people in the box and stop the train. The pass , pass, pass!!
Just two words.
I believe.....
I keep wanting to say no because I have been conditioned to do so. But the bigger picture including place, time, and schedule as well as intangibles, I'm seeing a win.
Keys to victory:
1) pressure on Coker
2) GO DOG GO. Whatever Bama gives Dak he must take it. If they give him 12 yards of green lush fields he needs to take it not throw an incomplete pass.
3) Cannot let them win field position game. ST very key
Their punter is a major asset for them. He kept us with bad field position last year which was instrumental in their win.
I told everyone after the KY game that we are beating Bama this year. I truly believe it. Now I will say it depends on if we win the turnover battle. I don't care if it is 1-0 or 3-2. But no one can really stop us on offense, and we are at home. I want the ball first to start the game so we can score first.
We will win 31-21.
Our offense has to sustain drives and keep their D spread out and all over the field. Keep our defense off of the field and rested. No turnovers on our behalf. LIMIT Henry and Drake (really no stopping them completely)...Protect Dak and limit pressure (couple of sacks will happen). Accomplish those things my friends, and we will be partying in the junction come 6pm.
Dawgs win 34-28
Tennessee - Dobbs vs Bama
Comp Att Yds Pct Y/A Sack YdsL TD Int QBRat
13 22 171 59.1 7.8 5 38 1 0 139.4
"Giving Bama fits" is a relative term. Yes, it was the best performance by a QB vs the Bama D by anyone this season, but these numbers aren't that special. Bama played flat and Tennessee played good D vs them, getting 5 sacks and an INT on Coker, and yet Bama still won.
Big difference for UT that day was RB Jalen Hurd. Perhaps Aeris could provide that for us Saturday, but if Dan insists on giving Shump many carries, we are probably in deep, deep, doo-doo. If Shump's running costs us one drive, that could be enough in this game.
This is where I get nervous about Dan's play-calling/player selection. We can't afford to waste any drives vs Bama.
But the place kicker has been questionable.Quote:
Originally Posted by NCDawg
Can we respond with a TD after Henry's 63 yard TD on their first drive.
I agree with this.Quote:
Originally Posted by blacklistedbully
This is the key to the game IMO. If Dan wastes one single drive by trying to run Shump between the tackles, or plunging Dak up the gut on 3rd & 6...it could be enough to lose. Possessions are precious in games like this, and we can't afford to take a series off mentally. That leads to better field position for Bama and a tired MSU defense. Field position is going to be huge. We can't go 3 & out on our own 20, & we can't bend all game defensively to where our offense starts with our heels against our endzone every series.
Ultimately, it comes down to Dan and whether he tenses up in the moment. If he lets it rip AND Dak will take a few chances down field, we can win. But if we play the game as if we think we can run on them and/or waste possessions, we lose. I'd rather us lose 40-10 while letting it rip and doing everything we can to win, than to lose 27-24 while wasting possessions & playing conservative with regrets after the game.
We've got to keep them from getting 2nd & 5 and 3rd and short. There's actually a little hope here. Bama is last in the sec in TFL allowed and we're 4th in TFLs.
I think we're judging bama on their last game maybe a little too much. They haven't been that dominant most of the year.
Think the game comes down to how MSU plays in the redzone on offense. Sure, we could run the ball better last year, but this year we throw it better & Dak is a better player. As evidenced by last year's game, Dan's initial game plan sucked, but he absolutely found a way to move the ball as the game went on. MSU just failed to capitalize in the redzone. If MSU scores TDs in the redzone this weekend, MSU will win the game.
This graphic may make you want to throw up, but it should also bring some confidence. For Most of Mullen's tenure at MSU, we identify with MSU's offense against Bama being stalemated for no gain. However, that's not what happened last year. Mullen found something.
http://i.imgur.com/i2Xt6XS.jpg