TCB, Baby!!

 TCB, BABY!!



Elvis had a favorite catchphrase -- "taking care of business" -- which was incorporated into a logo that appeared on posters, jewelry, etc. It also seems to be the perfect expression to describe Miss. State's walloping of Louisiana - Monroe in the season opener at Davis Wade Stadium last night. An SEC team played a weak Sun Belt team, and totally demolished them, which was exactly what should've happened if State is the kind of team we fans hope they will be this season. It was the most one-sided beating I've seen State administer to any of the host of designated cupcake FCS and directional schools I've spent decades watching the Bulldogs play at home. And to be candid I have to say that ULM may well have been the weakest team I've ever seen step on the turf of Scott Field. MSU did what they needed to do and should have done ... they took care of business. [Cue not Elvis, but Randy Bachman and BTO Takin' Care of Business .]

All of those questions that were posed in the preseason edition of this blog? While there were a few answered, most of which were positive, plenty of big questions remain ... and will for 2 or 3 weeks. Last night the 'Dogs played the worst team on their schedule ... a team that finished last season ranked as one of the worst teams in the FBS division of college football. So even a lopsided win proved little. Look at what happened around the league: SEC teams playing their own designated cupcake opponents scored 66, 63, 59, 57, 56, 51, 50, 48, 45, and a paltry 31 and 28. Gone are the days of upsets that are the football equivalent of a 15 seed beating a 2 seed in the NCAA Big Dance. In these Portal/NIL days of Rent-a-Player it seems that any decent player from a lightly regarded program has hit the road, passed Go, and collected his (well over $200) check for signing with a Power 4 school to pad his bank account and chase his dream. 

So what did we State fans learn last night? 

Answers

  1. Kamario (who henceforth we'll refer to as K1) is quite likely indeed all that. We knew he could run fast, leaving dropped athletic supporters and prostrate defenders in his wake, and that he could throw it a very long way. Against ULM he also showed he can be an accurate passer on midrange and shorter throws ... and reiterated that he seems to have unlimited range. He showed he has learned (at least through one game) to get down or out of bounds to avoid unnecessary contact and risk of injury. His leadership qualities also began to be displayed. In a half plus one series in the 3rd quarter K1 ran for 59 yds. and a TD and threw for 359 yds. and 4 TD's. He was not sacked, nor did he turn the ball over.
  2. Bulldog receivers are plentiful and skilled. I recall no drops, and there was abundant speed across the board. Seven different State receivers caught at least 2 passes; 4 different ones caught a TD pass.
  3. It looks like we have some running backs who are SEC quality. For the game 5 State RB's had 3 or more carries, 3 scored TD's, and 4 of them averaged 6 or more yds./carry. Freshman J.J. Hill especially looked like trouble for future opponents.. 
    J.J. Hill off to the races!

  4. The previous replies lead me to the conclusion that the offensive line is at least somewhat improved. (Of course, it would be hard for them not to be.)
  5. Kelly Jones's ability and reputation limit an opposing offense to throwing to one side of a field. He didn't have to defend a single pass. 
  6. Team depth has to have been enhanced by reserves playing about half the game. In addition, I noticed only 1 player, a reserve, who appeared to have sustained a serious enough injury to possibly cost him one or more future games.
  7. And although I don't recall having posed the question, it is apparent among the legion of staff that were added in the off- season, we hired a talented choreographer and dance instructor. Our players eagerly and confidently displayed their ... errr ... talent early and often. I was vastly relieved, less their lack of confidence in their skills of artistic expression dissuade them from seeking opportunities to display their talents in the future. 😒  
    The Hand Jive is back?

But Still Plenty of Questions
  1. As capable as K1 demonstrated that he is, I thought he had a few close calls on passes that could've gone the other way against Power 4 caliber athletes. I hope the near-misses were educational experiences for him and his coaches.
  2. The offensive scheme, which produced 62 points and a school record 762 yds. of offense, included a number of lonnng throws to the sidelines that gave me chills as I thought of SEC cornerbacks smacking their lips at the opportunities those throws could provide them. Will those throws be attempted against the "big boys"? On the other hand, despite playing pretty near everyone who dressed out, State had exactly zero turnovers.
  3. Does the defensive front remain a concern. Although the Warhawks were unable to run effectively against MSU, the lack of pass rush was concerning. ULM had 28 pass attempts, so they dropped back at least that many times, and the 'Dogs recorded only 2 sacks, both in the 2nd half against ULM reserves.
  4. Who leads the 'Dogs' rushing attack? Although I like that Fluff is a big bruiser who runs hard, his lack of "burst" still concerns me, especially because I am not yet "all in" on our OL. Fortunately it looks like we have a number of credible options if his lack of quickness through the hole limits us. 
    Kolin Wilson, Fr. RB, 4 carries, 54 yds., 1 TD

  5. The main question, of course is whether we can take a damn thing from thrashing a wretched team. Should we assume that since nearly everything we tried worked against ULM, all or most of it will work against any of our remaining opponents not named TN Tech? I'm not nearly there yet.

So Whadda We Think??

While the Bulldogs were very impressive in most phases of the game, the opposition was such that it generated very little generalizable insight. The good [knock wood!!] news is that it won't take us long to find out if our success last night was primarily of our own making. Minnesota was a middle of the pack team last season in the Big 10, which most pundits declare is currently superior to the SEC and other leagues. And, of course, it's a road game and Kamario's first start on the road. I think most of us Southerners believe that SEC teams have better athletes than all but the elite Big 10 teams, but if true, I'm not sure that in the past few years that has been translated to wins on the field. Personally I think this will be a toss-up, and neither result, even a decisive one, would surprise me. I certainly hope that DOS will win, and after having watched the game last night, I am more optimistic that we can ... maybe even will. Then it will be out of the frying pan and into the fire with an SEC road game to So. Carolina, then back home against Mizzou. I think that after that we'll know what we have.🙏

Let's hope that this damnable heat will have forged us into steel that the Golden Gophers can't compete with and that we'll 'Sip a Minne-Soda come Saturday afternoon! [Don't blame me; blame Perry Como 

                            Hail, State!!!

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