For fans of both Mississippi State and Mississippi, last Saturday began with both fan bases tepidly turned their television sets to watch their respective schools against the best the SEC had to offer. The Rebels traveled to Florida and the Bulldogs to LSU. Before the evening came to a close, one group of fans walked away with a renewed enthusiasm, the other in a state of euphoria.
Mississippi State
Sylvester Croom obviously saw the writing on the wall, albeit after five games into the season. The inept play of Wesley Carroll finally proved to be the last straw with the loss to Auburn, paving the way for junior college transfer quarterback Tyson Lee. To say that Lee looked poised in the pocket leading the Bulldog attack would be a vast understatement. While the numbers weren’t stellar, the scaled down version of offense worked to perfection, to the tune of 24-points on the home turf of Tiger Stadium.
While the Bulldogs came up short, losing 34-24, much was gained from the loss. Most importantly, Croom found his signal caller for the remainder of the season. The Dogs will enjoy an open date this week before Vanderbilt rolls in. No need to worry. Vandy is ripe for the picking. The ‘Dores have skimmed their way to 4-0 and have Auburn this weekend. With a schedule full of angry SEC teams, they are no longer the unknown. I’m afraid the clock has about struck midnight on our friends from Nashville. For Mississippi State, any chance of a winning season must begin with a victory against the Commodores. With Lee at the helm, I like their chances.
Mississippi
If you said you saw it coming, you are either a world renowned psychic or so deep in the kool-aid, you needed a life preserver to stay afloat. Last Saturday, the Ole Miss Rebels headed to Florida Field for a date with the No. 4 Florida Gators. Blowout right? One would think so, as the Rebels hadn’t beaten a top five team since defeating Notre Dame , 20-13, in 1977. Apparently the “Right Reverend” Houston Nutt and his loyal flock of believers didn’t get the memo. Was history on their side? Anyone that has followed Rebel Football the last four years under the regime of…..well, you know who, the Rebs found a way to beat Vandy a few times. I stress a few. That was the extent of any victory inside the SEC. At this point, the chances of Ole Miss winning inside “The Swamp” were about as good as John McCain and Barak Obama foregoing their respective presidential campaigns to embark on a cross-country motorcycle trip. It ain’t happening. And then, the unthinkable. With the Gators faced with a fourth-and-one late in the fourth quarter, Florida’s Tim Tebow was stopped as the Rebels held on for a 31-30 victory. While media and fans dissect their own hypothesis to the Gator demise, simply look to the Rebs loss to Vanderbilt a few weeks ago. The glaring characteristic is turnovers. Only this time, the Rebels were not the team committing them. They were causing them.
Both State and Ole Miss play in stadiums that each should be proud of. MSU is in the process of erecting a videoboard which looks like will rival any in the nation. Mississippi already has one in place. Each school pays its football coach more money than I can count. With the Dogs giving LSU all they wanted and Ole Miss obtaining the “signature win” they have been longing for, it seems it all just might pay off.
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