Party Rock Antehm
"Every day I'm shufflin..."
It's game week, bitches! At the time of this posting kickoff will be a mere 6 days away and speculation will have reached a fevered pitch, no doubt. But with the first opponent will we really see all that MSU has to offer for the coming season?
In a word, no. Mississippi State enters the season with a ranking of 20 for the first time in a decade or more, and their first opponent is the Memphis Tigers team which weighs in at a ranking of 120. That's one hundred and twenty. I think there are 121 Div-1 football teams total, soooooo yeah.
KEYS TO THE GAME -
OFFENSE -
The MSU Bulldogs wrapped a stellar 2010 season by hanging 52 points on the storied Michigan Wolverines. You can see a great highlight reel here, good work, TXMudDawg! The 2011-12 offense figures to be much the same, if not incrementally better. Chris Relf really showed progress in the later half of the season with his passing game, and is expected to be one of the premier QB's of the SEC this year. Then there's the stable of backs, namely Vick Ballard, LaDarius Perkins, and freshly rehabbed running machine, Robert Elliot. THEN there's the slew of receivers. Chad Bumphis, Arceto Clark, Michael Carr, Brandon Heavens, Jameon Lewis, etc. etc. etc. The only question on the offensive side of the ball is at the line, where some shuffling and retooling will take place. Injuries not withstanding there won't be much drop-off there.
The key to the offense for the Memphis game? Well that's easy... just play your game and avoid injuries. The Bulldogs are likely to jump out to a 2-3 touchdown lead in the first quarter, which would be a beneficial situation for the 2nd and 3rd stringers across the board. Chris Relf will probably be on the sidelines for the entirety of the second half, leaving the offense in the hands of drop-back passer Tyler Russel and possibly pigskin-slingin cowboy Dylan Farve.
DEFENSE -
On the defensive side of the ball MSU looks to be relatively consistent with where they were last year. While the Dog's O dropped 52 on Michigan, the D shut down media darling Denard Robinson and the Wolverine offense, allowing only two touchdowns on the game.
The biggest losses are Chris White, KJ Wright and Pernell McPhee, all of whom have taken the next step by joining the ranks of the NFL, so of course I'd like to take this opportunity to offer up my congratulations on outstanding careers as Bulldogs, and wish you all the best in the future.
Luckily with the likes of Chris Hughes, Cam Lawrence, and stand-out transfer Brandon Maye the losses won't sting quite as much. Also, considering the level of competition with Memphis, the backups will figure prominently in finishing out the game on the defensive side of the ball as well.
BOTTOM LINE -
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER -
Don't take it personally, Memphis, because we've definitely been on the outside looking in before, and not terribly long ago at that, but this will be a rout. That being the case Dan Mullen will have the luxury of seeing much of his depth in action which should allow him to fine-tune his team for the week 2 match up with Auburn. Mullen is also not very likely to tip his hand with a lot of creative plays and misdirection. Look for good old fashion, straight forward, smash mouth football with a lot of running between the tackles and around the ends.
FINAL SCORE -
WILD AND WOOLLY PREDICTION -
MSU 52 - MEMPHIS 0
REALISTIC PREDICTION -
MSU 47 - MEMPHIS 10
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Let it begin...
Beginning in two weeks the links and music will return to the House of Hooch, so pull out your cowbell, dust off your tailgating gear and throw your favorite tunes on your iPod (or other listening device) because the party starts Sept. 1st. Until then, here are my predictions for the coming season...
Kick off is two short weeks away, with the MSU Bulldogs opening the 2011 season on the road in Memphis, and it's going to be the longest "two short weeks" ever. The season cannot get here fast enough. I have poured over websites and blogs galore, just to curb my appetite for college football. I've speculated until I'm blue in the face... I've even had dreams about tailgating for a game.
But nothing will compare to the butterflies in my stomach when I wake up on gameday in two weeks... It is a strange feeling, at once calming and exciting. So keeping in mind that I have been drinking deeply from the Maroon and White Kool-aid well, here are my predictions for MSU this season:
Memphis - Starting the season ranked in the top 25 carries heightened expectations, and not the least among them is a convincing victory over Memphis. The Bulldogs should (and will) jump out to an early lead and never look back. Final score: MSU 47 - Memphis 10
Auburn - A tough test in any given season, the week 2 trip to the Plains will be a complete 180 from the cakewalk in Memphis. Cam Newton is gone, but Auburn is still fully loaded at most positions and never an opponent to be taken lightly. However the Bulldogs will dash their hopes at a repeat performance on the national stage in their second game of the season. Final score: MSU 35 - Auburn 24
LSU - The Bulldogs won't have long to bask in the glory of their victory, though, as they must turn around and face the LSU Tigers a mere 5 days later in their home opener of the season. A Thursday night showdown in Starkville will be televised by ESPN, where the Bulldogs will face an LSU team that will likely be sitting at 1-1 after facing off with Oregon in week one, and Northwestern State in week 2. I'll let you guess which one is the W. This will likely be a pivotal game for the Bulldogs' season, as making it through this game unscathed will no doubt catapult MSU into the top 10. Unfortunately the quick turnaround and emotional win over Auburn combined with LSU's athleticism at nearly every position will be the Dawgs' undoing. Final score: MSU 27 - LSU 31
Georgia - Mark Richt and the Eastern Bulldogs will likely be sitting at .500 after opening the season with Boise State and South Carolina, although it's entirely possible they could pull out a win over Boise State. Either way they look to be riding a 2 game win streak coming into this game and will be eager to repay MSU for last season's loss. Dan Mullen will have the Bulldogs ready for business this time around, and though it may get ugly between the Hedges the (Western) Dawgs will come away victorious. Final score: MSU 28 - Georgia 21
UAB - UAB returns their fair share of starters from a team that threatened to sneak up and steal a W from MSU a year ago. It would be easy for the Bulldogs to overlook this game, but these are the situations where coaches earn their keep. Look for Dan Mullen to have the boys in maroon firing on all cylinders by this point. Final score: MSU 42 - UAB 17
South Carolina - The favorite to win an admittedly downtrodden SEC East, SC comes to Starkville likely sporting a perfect record, although early season matchups against Georgia and/or Auburn could put a notch in the L column. Regardless they will still be a national contender and a force to be reckoned with. Garcia at QB and Lattimore running the ball provide a potent offense and the Dawg's D will have their hands full. MSU is lucky enough to host this one at home, and the cowbells will be ringing in celebration of victory at the end of the day. Final score: MSU 27 - SC 24
Kentucky - Riding a high from win over SEC East foe South Carolina, the Bulldogs travel to Lexington to face the Wildcats. This will be a lull in the action by comparison but the Dawgs will handle the Cats handily. Final score: MSU 45 - Kentucky 21
Tennessee-Martin - The homecoming game patsy will show up ready to play, but the Bulldogs can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Look for the Bulldogs to run up an early lead and play a lot of 2nd and 3rd stringers when it's all said and done. Final score: MSU 42 - TM 13
Alabama - If you've been keeping track you'll know MSU will be sitting at 7-1 coming into what will no doubt be a game that will have repercussions throughout the SEC. The Bulldogs get a couple of lucky breaks in hosting the Crimson Tide at home and facing them after what promises to be a knock-down-drag-out versus LSU the week before. Still, when it's all said and done Bama will out-hustle and out-muscle the Dawgs and hand them their second loss of the season. Final score: MSU 17 - Bama 28
Arkansas - All is not lost, however. The Bulldogs will travel to Little Rock for the penultimate game of the regular season to face the Razorbacks in War Memorial Stadium. Neither team will have forgotten last years double-overtime game that saw the Razorbacks narrowly avoid defeat by a fluke fumble that rolled out the back of the endzone. The Dawgs face a slightly down Arkansas team and pull away late with a win. Final score: MSU 28 - Arkansas 24
Ole Miss - Call it bravado, call it cocky, call it attitude, call it swagger... whatever you call it, call it a W. Ole Miss will be utterly defeated by this point in the season, likely out of the running for any bowl game at all and playing only with the hope of spoiling MSU's season. Dan Mullen will hoist the Egg Bowl Trophy once again, though, and the entire OM campus will be put on suicide watch. Final score: MSU 45 - Ole Miss 23
So there you have it. Call me out if you want, but that's the way I see things shaking down when the dust settles. If your opinion is different I'd love to hear from you, so leave me a comment or email me at houseofhooch@gmail.com and let me know. But honestly, why would you bother when you know I'm right?
Kick off is two short weeks away, with the MSU Bulldogs opening the 2011 season on the road in Memphis, and it's going to be the longest "two short weeks" ever. The season cannot get here fast enough. I have poured over websites and blogs galore, just to curb my appetite for college football. I've speculated until I'm blue in the face... I've even had dreams about tailgating for a game.
But nothing will compare to the butterflies in my stomach when I wake up on gameday in two weeks... It is a strange feeling, at once calming and exciting. So keeping in mind that I have been drinking deeply from the Maroon and White Kool-aid well, here are my predictions for MSU this season:
Memphis - Starting the season ranked in the top 25 carries heightened expectations, and not the least among them is a convincing victory over Memphis. The Bulldogs should (and will) jump out to an early lead and never look back. Final score: MSU 47 - Memphis 10
Auburn - A tough test in any given season, the week 2 trip to the Plains will be a complete 180 from the cakewalk in Memphis. Cam Newton is gone, but Auburn is still fully loaded at most positions and never an opponent to be taken lightly. However the Bulldogs will dash their hopes at a repeat performance on the national stage in their second game of the season. Final score: MSU 35 - Auburn 24
LSU - The Bulldogs won't have long to bask in the glory of their victory, though, as they must turn around and face the LSU Tigers a mere 5 days later in their home opener of the season. A Thursday night showdown in Starkville will be televised by ESPN, where the Bulldogs will face an LSU team that will likely be sitting at 1-1 after facing off with Oregon in week one, and Northwestern State in week 2. I'll let you guess which one is the W. This will likely be a pivotal game for the Bulldogs' season, as making it through this game unscathed will no doubt catapult MSU into the top 10. Unfortunately the quick turnaround and emotional win over Auburn combined with LSU's athleticism at nearly every position will be the Dawgs' undoing. Final score: MSU 27 - LSU 31
Georgia - Mark Richt and the Eastern Bulldogs will likely be sitting at .500 after opening the season with Boise State and South Carolina, although it's entirely possible they could pull out a win over Boise State. Either way they look to be riding a 2 game win streak coming into this game and will be eager to repay MSU for last season's loss. Dan Mullen will have the Bulldogs ready for business this time around, and though it may get ugly between the Hedges the (Western) Dawgs will come away victorious. Final score: MSU 28 - Georgia 21
UAB - UAB returns their fair share of starters from a team that threatened to sneak up and steal a W from MSU a year ago. It would be easy for the Bulldogs to overlook this game, but these are the situations where coaches earn their keep. Look for Dan Mullen to have the boys in maroon firing on all cylinders by this point. Final score: MSU 42 - UAB 17
South Carolina - The favorite to win an admittedly downtrodden SEC East, SC comes to Starkville likely sporting a perfect record, although early season matchups against Georgia and/or Auburn could put a notch in the L column. Regardless they will still be a national contender and a force to be reckoned with. Garcia at QB and Lattimore running the ball provide a potent offense and the Dawg's D will have their hands full. MSU is lucky enough to host this one at home, and the cowbells will be ringing in celebration of victory at the end of the day. Final score: MSU 27 - SC 24
Kentucky - Riding a high from win over SEC East foe South Carolina, the Bulldogs travel to Lexington to face the Wildcats. This will be a lull in the action by comparison but the Dawgs will handle the Cats handily. Final score: MSU 45 - Kentucky 21
Tennessee-Martin - The homecoming game patsy will show up ready to play, but the Bulldogs can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Look for the Bulldogs to run up an early lead and play a lot of 2nd and 3rd stringers when it's all said and done. Final score: MSU 42 - TM 13
Alabama - If you've been keeping track you'll know MSU will be sitting at 7-1 coming into what will no doubt be a game that will have repercussions throughout the SEC. The Bulldogs get a couple of lucky breaks in hosting the Crimson Tide at home and facing them after what promises to be a knock-down-drag-out versus LSU the week before. Still, when it's all said and done Bama will out-hustle and out-muscle the Dawgs and hand them their second loss of the season. Final score: MSU 17 - Bama 28
Arkansas - All is not lost, however. The Bulldogs will travel to Little Rock for the penultimate game of the regular season to face the Razorbacks in War Memorial Stadium. Neither team will have forgotten last years double-overtime game that saw the Razorbacks narrowly avoid defeat by a fluke fumble that rolled out the back of the endzone. The Dawgs face a slightly down Arkansas team and pull away late with a win. Final score: MSU 28 - Arkansas 24
Ole Miss - Call it bravado, call it cocky, call it attitude, call it swagger... whatever you call it, call it a W. Ole Miss will be utterly defeated by this point in the season, likely out of the running for any bowl game at all and playing only with the hope of spoiling MSU's season. Dan Mullen will hoist the Egg Bowl Trophy once again, though, and the entire OM campus will be put on suicide watch. Final score: MSU 45 - Ole Miss 23
So there you have it. Call me out if you want, but that's the way I see things shaking down when the dust settles. If your opinion is different I'd love to hear from you, so leave me a comment or email me at houseofhooch@gmail.com and let me know. But honestly, why would you bother when you know I'm right?
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