Bouncin' Back...

Well if you read the blog last week you'll know I called for MSU to beat Bama, but as it turns out my stipulation regarding turnovers was dead on. Unfortunately we were on the losing end of that particular statistic, and the rest, as they say, is history...

As a matter of fact, that's exactly the way the Bulldogs should look at it. It's history. We've got to move on because there's still games left to be played, and both of the remaining games have implications on where the Dawgs land in the college football bowl landscape.

At this time of year the swirl of rumors and speculations has reached category 1 hurricane levels. There is much supposition of which team will go where, who will get snubbed by this bowl, etc. I've personally seen predictions for MSU's bowl appearance ranging from Independence and Motor City all the way to Peach and Cotton. Of course our coaches and players can't focus on all this 'hooey' if they want to keep winning football games, so the theme for this week is Bouncing Back... and so it gives me great pleasure to segue this spiel towards a great band and close personal friends of mine, Young Agent Jones.

Oh Yeah - Young Agent Jones

Oh, yeah...

You lose a lot of drive
Thinking everything is fine
But the road will rise up to meet you
And you'll remember you love to drive.
Sure there's a lot of love lost between you
And who you used to be
But you can't think long about it
Since you both think differently.
If you're living inside a bubble
At least you're squeaky clean.
Bubble pop, clock stop, bottom drop
Here's a powerful dose of reality.

Oh, yeah...Welcome back
Oh, yeah...This is living
Oh, yeah...It's coming back
Oh, yeah...

I can think I can speak
I can move I can breathe
Can't believe I didn't lose my mind.
Finally a mission a chance to make decisions
Cheesy lyrics out of my mouth.
I'm worth more to myself than anybody else.
Gotta drill this stuff into my head.
Bouncing back from being useless
To absolutely ruthless.
Coming out as hard as I can!

Oh, yeah...

I could go on for days
About this life-changing moment
That woke my head up.
So I am driven
I know I'm a normal ordinary guy
But I've gotta do something
I've gotta do something...

So watch out you suckers
Watch out, I'm coming.
Watch out you suckers
'Cause now I remember!


It's time for the Bulldogs to "Bounce back from being useless to absolutely ruthless" and come out as hard as they can against Arkansas. It will take nothing short of MSU's best effort to walk away with a 'W' this week.

KEYS TO THE GAME -
OFFENSE - The Bulldogs took their lumps in Alabama, and I don't believe "flat" to be an accurate and expressive enough word to describe the MSU offense in that particular outing. You can trot out all the excuses you want, but in the end MSU did not execute anywhere near their level of skill, and the result was a big Bama lead early that was insurmountable.
The Bulldogs catch a break regarding what they'll be facing this week, though. If Alabama's defense is Asiago, then Arkansas' D is Swiss. That's right, I just made a cheese analogy. Be that as it may, Mississippi State will still need to see significant improvement in the passing game or Arkansas' swiss-cheese-deez is still going to load the box and try to stuff the run. Relf must make Arkansas respect the passing threat, which is a tall task givin what we've seen this season.

DEFENSE - The MSU defense should be able to hold serve in the run game, as they've proven throughout the season. The problem is Arkansas isn't going to line up and try to jam it down your throat (obligatory "That's what she said!"). Ryan Mallet will dissect the Bulldog secondary like a master surgeon unless he is pressured early and often. The MSU DB's will have to play lights out to keep the Dawgs in this one, and even so you can expect the Hogs to break at least 2 big (60 yd+) plays which could result in TD's, if not more. Manny Diaz will have to be creative to find ways to bring pressure on Mallet and still have adequate coverage on the Hog receivers.

BOTTOM LINE -
BIG PLAYS - As I said, even if the Bulldogs play their best game, you're not going to stop a passer like Mallet 100% of the time. Limiting big plays is key to hanging in there and being in a position to win late in the game. Likewise, MSU will need some position players to step up and make significant contributions on the offensive side of the ball. So if you're asking what MSU needs to win this game... in a word? Heart.

WILD AND WOOLLY PREDICTION -
MSU 41 ARK 38

REALISTIC PREDICTION -
MSU 27 ARK 24

Yes, I'm doing it again. I guess it's Dan Mullen's fault for "bringing the swagger back" to MSU. I feel confident that the Bulldogs can line up and be competitive with any opponent they face, and that is a crucial and often overlooked element to any successful program. And before you get in tither, even if we lose to Ark this weekend you can be damn sure I'll be calling for a win in the Egg Bowl next week, too. Hell I've got to be right at least once... right?