Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen has been ripped more
than Lane Kiffin recently from rival fan bases and media personnel. Warranted?
Probably not. In fact, most of it was beyond his control, in regards to
scheduling. In any event, the former offensive coordinator at the University of
Florida has turned around a dumpster fire of a program in a short order.
Mississippi State is ranked. Not some self appointed
"Mississippi's greatest college town" poll, one that recognizes the
talent of its football team.
Following a woodshed beating by Ole Miss in 2008, the team
was left for dead.
Literally.
Exit Sylvester Croom. Enter Dan Mullen. He inherited the
disaster and hit the ground running. In order to resurrect the program, roots
had to be strong in recruiting the state of Mississippi.
While then Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt was busy
squabbling with then Director of Athletics Pete Boone over the number of hamburgers his kids could have_that's
not a joke_ Mullen was creating in-roads in Mississippi.
It worked. Compound the marketing genius of Athletic
Director Scott Stricklin, and you have a recipe for success. Major success. How
is it major?
Before Mullen took the helm at MSU, the Bulldog football
program had just 16 winning seasons since 1966 and one SEC championship in
1941.
After moderate success under the direction of Jackie
Sherrill, MSU is looking to shatter the record books with Mullen.
The fanbase?
They're eating right out of his hand and he knows it. When
MSU blasted Ole Miss in his first year, he took to the microphone inside Scott
Field and told his base, "We will never lose to them again."
He hasn't.
The billboard "Our State" campaign and the acronym
"TSUN" are brilliant. It does two things.
1) It has people talking
2) It really bothers your in-state rival.
It is a phenomenon now, frankly. I have been told, Miss.
State fans have now incorporated it into their vernacular.
Your family gets a new hot water heater? "This is OUR
hot water heater!" You finally get
that rain for your garden, "This is OUR rain!"
Now you know why MSU fans drink the words like wine from a
chalice that come from Mullen, as he has notable wins over Georgia and Florida. Unless you have been living under a rock, he has beaten
Ole Miss and beaten them badly since taking over, none worse than last season
in Starkville, destroying the Rebels 31-3.
It wasn't even that close.
Miss. State fans hate Ole Miss. I'm actually painting Ole
Miss with a broad brush. If anything has any connection with Ole Miss, MSU fans
despise it. Eli Manning? They hate him, he played there. Joey Lauren Adams,
actress from Dazed and Confused? They hate her, she lives in Oxford. You got a red shirt for your birthday? Burn
it, Ole Miss colors.
To say you will be able to cut the tension with a knife at
the Egg Bowl this season, would be an understatement. MSU fans would love
nothing more than to take the winning streak to four games, for the first time since 1925.
Freeze better stay indoors if this happens.
Mississippi State vs. Tennessee
To say the game against Tennessee this week is critical for
head coach Dan Mullen and his Bulldogs is a bit of a stretch. To say the same
for UT head coach Derek Dooley is not.
In the least.
In fact, many college football pundits have openly said this
game is the barometer for which to judge the status of employment for Dooley,
ie: lose to MSU and you are fired.
The reasoning? "No Tennessee team should ever lose to Miss.
State." The problem with that rationale from the Tennessee brass is this
is not the MSU of the 70's and this surely is not the Tennessee of the 70's.
Tennessee is walking into a hornet's nest.
Could this be Dooley's fate and be "Croomed?"
Wait.....nevermind.
Grab a cowbell and slide into a pair of orange pants. It is
going to be a dogfight in Starkville.
Brad Logan is a
contributor to Mississippi Sports Magazine. He is a native of Bruce, MS and
currently resides in Calhoun County, MS. You can reach him by following him on
Twitter: @BradLoganCA
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