Mississippi State Football

Mississippi State (7-3, 3-3) dropped a third straight game to a top-tier SEC team this past weekend. LSU defeated the Bulldogs 37-17. The Bulldog faithful and team have to be looking in the mirror, saying, What is going on? 

A season that started with such promise for head coach Dan Mullen's team has now brought on frustration. People on the outside have criticized the Bulldogs' first seven opponents as weak and even called the Bulldogs paper champions. 

Alabama and Texas A&M both drubbed the Bulldogs on consecutive weekends and although State played much better against LSU, a 20 point loss is still a loss. 

So as the Bulldogs return home this week to battle Arkansas in their final home game, we look at what is left for Dan Mullen's squad in 2012.

There is still a lot left for this team to play for. 

Send the seniors out with a bang.

This weekend will be the last time guys named Jonathan Banks, Darius Slay, Chad Bumphis and many more will run onto Scott Field to play a football game. After they leave this weekend, they will only return as fans and alumni. These seniors have helped the Bulldogs win 28 ball games during their time, a stretch not seen since the 1997-2000 stretch. 

The Arkansas Razorbacks come to town with a 4-6 record and this is a year they want to forget. The Bulldogs can get their fourth SEC win this season and send their seniors out with a bang this weekend against John L. Smith and the Hogs. 

Show Mississippi which team owns this state.

The Bulldogs will travel to Oxford, Miss next Saturday to battle the Rebels for the Golden Egg. Dan Mullen's squad will be shooting for their fourth straight victory in this series. The last time Dan Mullen was in Oxford he proclaimed, "We will never lose to this team again."

The Bulldogs can send this senior class out as true champions of this state, because a win means they never lost to their in-state rival. 

The Bulldogs can also keep their arch nemesis from becoming bowl eligible as the Rebels need one more victory to garner postseason play. A loss to LSU this weekend and next weekend for the Rebels, and it is a 5-7 season and third straight losing season. 

Dan Mullen will have his team motivated to lock the Vaught up for the remainder of the year and take the Egg Bowl Trophy back to his office again. 

Play on New Year's Day again.

Before Dan Mullen arrived in Starkville, the Bulldogs had gone to one bowl game in the previous nine seasons. Since Mullen has been in Starkville the Bulldogs have back to back bowl wins over Michigan and Wake Forest, and are already bowl eligible this year. 

By winning their last two games, the Bulldogs will more than likely lock up their second New Year's Day bowl game in the last three seasons. Recent bowl projections have the Bulldogs slated to take on Northwestern in the Gator Bowl on January 1st. 

Shoot for ten and let's do it again.

Yes, it is heartbreaking for fans and this team not to be where they thought they were. This team was expected to compete with the best teams in the SEC. One would have liked to have seen the Bulldogs put up a better fight against the Crimson Tide, Aggies and Tigers, but they are just not at that level yet. 

The Bulldogs have come a long way since Dan Mullen was hired in 2009, but still have a long ways to go. It is a process that takes winning year in and year out, getting to bowl games and improving recruiting—all of which the Bulldogs are doing. 

If the Bulldogs win out, beat that team up north for the fourth straight year and garner a ten win season with a New Year's Day bowl victory, I can promise you it will make everything much better. 

It all starts this weekend at home against Arkansas. 

The No. 15 Mississippi State Bulldogs unveiled all-white commemorative uniforms for its SEC showdown with No. 16 Texas A&M, but after losing handily to the Aggies, the Bulldogs should forever keep the alternate unis in the proverbial vault.

Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab notes that the uniforms were used to commemorate the meeting between these two schools in the 2000 Independence Bowl, which was a 43-41 overtime victory for the Bulldogs.

The game was dubbed the “Snow Bowl” due to the miserable weather during the contest. While Mississippi State walked away from that game with fond memories, this year’s matchup with Texas A&M produced several moments that the Bulldogs and their fans would rather forget.

The Aggies shut out the Bulldogs during the first half, leaving the crowd in Starkville, Miss. dead silent. Johnny Manziel lead the offense to 38 unanswered points, and the freshman quarterback completed 30-of-36 passes for 311 yards while adding 129 yards and two touchdowns on 21 rushing attempts.

The game mercifully ended with a final score of 38-13.

The uniforms are obviously not the reason for this loss, but there still isn’t any reason to bring them back out in the future.

While this new look is not nearly as ugly as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ sad attempt to shake things up with their uniforms in a recent contest, it is also not a visually stunning work of art that will be memorable or iconic. 

It is the type of uniform that makes college football fans flipping through Saturday’s games say, “Hey, Mississippi State is wearing different uniforms.” 

There is nothing about the uniforms that should cause a significant amount of enthusiasm, and there was certainly nothing about the Bulldogs’ performance while wearing them to create excitement. This leaves no reason for Mississippi State to bring back the jersey its players were wearing when being blown out for the second consecutive game.

Schwab notes that the team will wear similar uniforms on November 24^th against Ole Miss. The numbers on the jerseys will be gold instead of silver, and the team’s helmets will not match the white uniforms. Hopefully, these small adjustments can help lead to big changes in the way the team performs in that contest. 

Mississippi State has now lost two straight games against SEC competition and weren't competitive in either one of them. The Bulldogs received a beat down from the Alabama Crimson Tide last week, which gave the program a dose of reality. Today, were demolished by the Texas A&M Aggies by a score of 38-13.

The program didn't open up the season as a ranked team in the AP Poll, but quickly gained some attention as the Bulldogs went ahead and won seven straight to begin the year. The team was even ranked No. 15 in the latest BCS rankings and appeared to have taken that next step to become an elite SEC club.

Not so fast.

Johnny Manziel continued his tremendous season of simply abusing defenses, as the freshman quarterback threw for 311 yards against what is supposed to be one of the top secondaries in all of college football. He also went ahead and rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns for good measure, adding another game to his career of more than 400 total yards.

Meanwhile, Mississippi State was held to less than 100 rushing yards for the second week in a row and quarterback Tyler Russell couldn't seem to find his rhythm throughout the game. The team struggled mightily throughout the contest, especially on the defensive side of the ball where the team allowed 693 total yards, which is inexcusable and not going to get the job done in any conference.

The simple fact is that this team had not beaten anybody to earn a Top 20 ranking in the BCS. None of those seven victories were against ranked teams or competitive ball clubs. Unless you count Troy, South Alabama or Kentucky as elite programs, the Bulldogs were one of the biggest frauds in the entire BCS poll.

But the disappointment the last two weeks shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody.

Since the 2009 season, Mississippi State is 2-14 against ranked teams. Head coach Dan Mullen has done a fabulous job of securing three straight bowl games for a program, including this year, that struggled to reach the postseason in the past. This team, however, isn't ready for the big stage just yet.

The game against Alabama wasn't even close from the jump and Texas A&M, the newbies of the SEC, went into Davis Wade Stadium and forgot to wipe their feet. The defense couldn't figure things out all afternoon and the offense couldn't do much better against a Texas A&M defense that hasn't been that consistent this season.

The Bulldogs are recruiting well as of late and have a bright future in this conference if it can continue down this path. However, this is a program that will likely fall out of the BCS rankings sooner than later, especially with LSU on the menu next weekend.

It is always nice to see teams on the rise make a run, but the last two weeks have shown that Mississippi State isn't quite there yet.

Unveiled earlier this year along with new uniforms for the 2012 Egg Bowl, the Mississippi State Bulldogs finally broke out their "Snow Bowl" look for Saturday's contest against the Texas A&M Aggies.

Meant to commemorate the two schools' epic clash in the 2000 Independence Bowl, the uniforms were designed by Adidas with an all-white theme in mind. 

For those who follow jersey trends, you'll notice that a mostly white base is becoming a trend in uniform design. The most notable example of that from this season was Maryland sporting its "White Ops" jerseys against West Virginia. 

With the Terrapins' look and the Independence Bowl history to live up to, how do these uniforms grade out? Here's a complete breakdown of Mississippi State's "Snow Bowl" look.

Helmet: 10/10

While some may consider the oversize Bully logo on the helmet to be gaudy and amateurish, I love it. These uniforms were designed with a one-time deal in mind, and they remind me of a similar look Nike designed for Boise State last season.

I'm especially fond of the way Mississippi State's logo sticks out on the back of the helmet. It's non-traditional and may cause some to shake their canes at the television at the old folks home, but for a younger generation, it's eye-catching in a way that the Bulldogs' uniforms usually aren't.

Jersey: 8.5/10

Aligning perfectly with the helmet and the theme of the day, these jerseys are yet another win for the designers at Adidas.

The all-white uniforms are adorned with grey lettering that matches the helmet and that same grey color continues with the stripe across the shoulders, something new to the Bulldogs' uniforms this season. 

As to keep with the school's color design, those letters and the names of players are printed in Mississippi State's signature maroon color.

As a whole, these undoubtedly work with the theme. I just wish they would have found more ways to integrate the maroon so that the look stood out more.

Pants: 7/10

Obviously, you can't stick with the "Snow Bowl" theme and have pants that are anything except all-white.

The designers worked in some of the gray coloring with the stripe down, but it's something that is barely noticeable for the average viewer.

In short, the pants do their job, but work far better as part of the ensemble than as an individual piece that stands out. 

Overall: 9/10

Oftentimes designers make the mistake of creating uniforms that utilize unseemly flash to create a buzz—especially when the team will wear them just once.

However, Adidas bucked that trend, choosing a sophisticated look that honors one of the more memorable games in Mississippi State's history. 

Other than the pants, perhaps the only disappointing thing about the uniforms having such an almost all-white base is that the game is taking place during the day.

Had this been a primetime contest, fans watching could have truly seen the marvelous work that went into crafting these digs.

Nonetheless, these are uniforms that any Bulldogs fan with disposable income should pick up when/if given the chance. 

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Mississippi State (7-1, 3-1) returns home this week licking their wounds after getting blasted last week by Alabama, and for the Bulldogs, this week gets no easier as Texas A&M ( 6-2, 3-2) comes to town. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on ESPN.

Dan Mullen's team is now ranked 15th in the most recent BCS standings and the Aggies come in right behind State at No. 16. This is a key game for both teams when it comes to bowl positioning, rankings and momentum. 

For the Bulldogs, this will be a different kind of challenge as Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin brings his wide-open offensive style into Starkville. The Bulldogs are very familiar with Sumlin, as they battled his Houston teams the last two years, but Sumlin, now at A&M, has a different group of players led by human highlight reel Johnny Manziel. 

Today we look at a few keys to the game If the Bulldogs expect to win the Snow Bowl reunion on Saturday.

1. Force Manziel into turnovers

What Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has been able to accomplish thus far as a freshman in the SEC is nothing short of amazing. Manziel has accounted for over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air and by his legs and still has four games left to play. To think you can remotely stop Johnny football is crazy; I am not even sure you can slow him down. But what you must do is force him into turning the ball over. 

The Aggies have lost seven fumbles and Manziel has thrown six interceptions this year, so you hope the Bulldogs can scheme defensively to force Manziel into making errant throws into a very good secondary led by Jonathan Banks and Darius Slay. 

The Aggies will get their points, but if the Bulldogs can win the turnover battle, that will go a long way in securing a victory. 

2. Run the ball, run the clock

Mississippi State has shown this year to be able to score points, but you do not want to get into a scoring battle with the Aggies. One way to slow this game down is by running the football, and the Bulldogs' Ladarius Perkins has shown this year he is capable of making plays in the running game. 

Perkins is averaging 5.4 yards per carry, and if State can mix a good dose of the ground game with precision passing from Tyler Russell off play-action, this should help do two things: Eat the clock and slow down A&M's dynamic defensive end Damontre Moore, who leads the SEC with 10.5 sacks.  

3. Get touchdowns, not field goals, in the red zone. 

It is no secret the Aggies can score. The one glaring stat though is that the Aggies are scoring 90 percent of the time when they hit the red zone. The Bulldogs, however, are only scoring 81 percent of the time and have to do a better job of scoring once they penetrate their opponents' red zone. 

This weekend, the Bulldogs need touchdowns, not field goals. It is always great to get points on every drive, but when you are facing a team that can score like Texas A&M, you better score every chance you get because the Aggies will get theirs. 

Final Thoughts

This game is crucial for the Bulldogs on so many levels. This is a game where State needs to show they can beat a Top 25 team and a game in which they can regain positive momentum. 

The Bulldog fans are again expected to sell out Davis Wade Stadium and the place should be rocking. 

Dan Mullen is 1-1 against Kevin Sumlin and both games were fantastic, exciting games. I expect the same this time around. 

If the Bulldogs can garner a few turnovers and turn those into scores while continuing to mix their run game with Tyler Russell's precision passing, I expect a high scoring Bulldog win. 

However, if Johnny Football does as he pleases and the Bulldogs fall behind, this could be a long day in Starkville. 

Mississippi State has run the table through the 2012 season and climbed to a No. 11 ranking in the BCS. All will come crashing down this Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to face the No. 1 Crimson Tide, with this being the start of a losing streak for the boys in maroon.

Mississippi State has not faced a big challenge yet this season, but neither has Alabama. Both teams have played Tennessee and won the game with relative ease. The Vols have been the toughest opponent on the schedule for both teams so far this fall. 

The Tide will have to play shutdown defense from the secondary with Tyler Russell coming into form from the pocket this year, but the overall talent of the Alabama defense will be enough to stop the Bulldogs offensive onslaught. 

Tide Defense Deals Crushing Blow

 The Alabama defense is ranked No. 1 in every major defensive category this fall. The Tide are tops in rushing, scoring and total defense.

They are No. 2 in pass defense. Mississippi State will field the No. 50 total offense and the No. 27 scoring offense in the country. That is a far cry from scary numbers to this Alabama defense.

As the season has progressed, the Bulldogs have been able to rely heavily on Tyler Russell and LaDarius Perkins to win ballgames. Perkins has been a setup man for the offense out of the backfield, and Russell has been the premier weapon, tossing 15 touchdowns and only one interception this fall. 

That interception total will rise with the Tide this Saturday. 

Perkins may have some room to earn yards, but if he is able to get more than 100 yards, it will be a surprise. He has four 100 yard games so far this season, and they all came in high-scoring contests for the Bulldogs. None of those big games came against solid defenses.

Alabama is on a tear right now looking for a second straight national title. The Crimson Tide defense will make work of Mississippi State, putting the Bulldogs into a tailspin to finish the year. 

Tide Offense Wakes Up Bulldogs Defense

Mississippi State has played inspired defense this fall, with shutdown corners Johnthan Banks and Corey Broomfield leading the charge. Darius Slay has also made a name for himself this fall, snagging four picks so far this season. All three have played well, but they have yet to be tested.

A.J. McCarron is leading the country in quarterback efficiency and has yet to toss an interception this fall. He is guiding a potent passing attack for the Tide and will look to continue racking up yards this Saturday. 

With passing yards come rushing lanes, and Alabama has done well in that category as well. Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon have held down the ground game and should churn up a lot of yards against the inferior Bulldogs defensive front. 

As the game wears on and Mississippi State begins to wear down, the Alabama offense will pile on the yards against this Bulldogs unit. It is outgunned in the trenches by the Tide, and that will make the difference in the game.

Tough Games Follow Showdown in Tuscaloosa

After the Bulldogs take on Alabama and assumingly lose on the road, they return home to take on the Texas A&M Aggies and then travel to LSU. 

The Alabama offense should be able to produce yards against the Bulldogs, but Mississippi State hasn’t seen anything like the explosive attack that the Aggies will bring to Starkville. Johnny Manziel has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country so far this season, and there is no sign that he is slowing down.

LSU has been second only to Alabama defensively and boasts the No. 5 pass defense in the country. LSU is also No. 9 against the run and No. 3 in total defense. Mississippi State will find it difficult to score on the Bayou Bengals in Baton Rouge. 

This is set up to be a long three-week stretch for the Bulldogs with three Top 25 matchups landing in a row. Alabama will begin a losing streak for the Bulldogs that could see them drop two of the next three, eliminating them from the SEC and BCS title discussion. 

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Mississippi State (7-0, 3-0) is ranked 11th in the latest BCS poll and will make a familiar trip down Hwy 82 this Saturday to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for a  7:30 CT contest with defending National Champion and No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide.

The game will be broadcast by ESPN and the Bulldogs are garnering no respect from the media and Vegas as the betting lines have the Bulldogs as 24-point underdogs. 

I am not about to sit here and tell you how Mississippi State will beat Alabama because if the two played 10 times, odds are Bama could very well win all 10. What we are seeing Nick Saban do with the Crimson Tide is as close to a dynasty in college football as it gets. They seem to have no weaknesses and live off other teams' mistakes. 

So does this mean the Bulldogs should just head to Tuscaloosa for some barbecue and head back home? Absolutely not.

The Bulldogs have been in this situation before with the Tide and played Alabama into the fourth quarter last year down only 10-0. Bulldog head coach Dan Mullen and his staff will have this team prepared as they have all season, and if the Bulldogs want to again take this game into the fourth quarter with a punchers chance at the end, then three things must happen. 

1. Attack Alabama's Offense

This is a given and nothing new. Alabama loves to pound the football with their great running backs and superior offensive line. They also have a quarterback in AJ McCarron who has been flawless this year. It all starts with stopping Alabama's running game and the Bulldogs must commit a safety, a combination of players and schemes to stop the Bama rushing attack. 

The big cue for the Bulldogs is when you do this you have to play man to man defense, and there are no two corners better in the SEC than Jonathan Banks and Darius Slay. Both are tied for the league lead with four interceptions apiece and they will be the best set of corners McCarron could face all season. 

Throw in a very versatile Nickoe Whitley and Corey Brumfield, and this secondary could end up giving McCarron fits if the Bulldogs force him to have to make plays throwing the football.

2. Win the Turnover Battle and Field Position

If you are going to even think about keeping a game close with a team like Alabama, you have to win the field position battle first. This means you have to at the best position, generate some first downs and move the chains and if you have to punt, make Alabama go 70 or 80 yards to score every time.

The Bulldogs' Baker Swedenburg has done all that Dan Mullen has asked this year, averaging 40.6 yards per punt. When the Bulldogs stall on offense it is important for Swedenburg to continue to flip the field. 

Another thing the Bulldogs need to do is continue to win the turnover battle.

The Bulldogs lead the country in turnover margin as they have intercepted 12 footballs this year and recovered nine fumbles. Conversely, the Bulldogs have only turned the ball over four times this year. For State to have any chance in this game, they have to create opportunities through forcing a fumble or doing something that has yet to be done this season; that is pick off AJ McCarron. 

3. Remember Green is the Color of Money and Malcom is in the Middle   

Coming into this game Alabama leads the SEC with 13 interceptions, and if there is a secondary comparable to the one the Bulldogs boast, it is Alabama. Bulldog quarterback Tyler Russell will have to be careful throwing against the ball hawks in crimson this week. But if Russell has an advantage in the passing game, it is his two tight ends in Malcolm Johnson and Marcus Green.

The dynamic tight end duo has combined for six touchdowns this year, and the Bulldogs just got Johnson back a few weeks ago after suffering an arm injury in the preseason. Johnson, who is the more athletic of the two, and Green, the veteran sixth year senior brings size, speed and agility to the middle of the field. Both are problems for most linebackers. 

Alabama has arguably the best linebackers in the country but if Russell can get Green and Johnson the ball often, that will help free up wide receiver Chad Bumphis and should help soften that front seven for the Bulldog running game. 

Final Thoughts

What we are witnessing at Alabama is remarkable. The rate at which Nick Saban is recruiting high-level players, developing them, sending them to the pro ranks and winning football games is nothing short of amazing. 

Dan Mullen has taken Mississippi State from SEC also-ran to mid-tier SEC status in a little under four years. 

The Bulldogs have always given Alabama their best shot and I expect the same effort from the Bulldogs this Saturday night. The Bulldogs will be the most physical team the Tide has played thus far in 2012. Will that be enough for the Bulldogs to do the unthinkable? I wouldn't bet on it but if the Bulldogs win the turnover margin, can flip the field, and play to their strengths—do not be surprised to see a tight ballgame heading into the fourth quarter and some very concerned Alabama fans sitting at Bryant Denny stadium.