Nov. 25
Ole Miss 20 ... Mississippi State 17
Marshay Green returned a punt 47 yards for a touchdown, Joshua
Shene kicked two field goals and Greg Hardy caught a 23-yard touchdown
pass as the Ole Miss offense generated all the points it would need,
while the defense held on as MSU got a eight-yard touchdown catch from
Jason Husband with 2:20 to play and survived a missed 51-yard field goal
attempt from Adam Carlson as time expired. The Bulldogs got a 41-yard
Carlson field goal and a two-yard Anthony Dixon touchdown run in the
second quarter.
Player of the game ... Ole Miss LB Patrick Willis made 13 tackles, one
sack, 1.5 tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: Mississippi State - Passing: Omarr Conner,
16-31, 162 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 25-125, 1 TD Receiving: Eric Butler,
4-49
Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer, 9-19, 131 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: BenJarvis Green-Ellis, 17-37 Receiving:
Mico McSwain, 3-29
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Omarr
Conner didn't play poorly against Ole Miss in place of Mike Henig, but
the offense didn't have the same all-around pop. To look for the silver
lightning in yet another Egg Bowl loss, Anthony Dixon appears to be a
back the offense can revolve around next year with a strong, 125-yard
performance The team wasn't awful over the last month of the
season, but a loss to Ole Miss puts Sylvester Croom squarely on the hot
seat going into next year.
|
2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
4-8
2006 Record: 3-9
Preview
2006 predicted
wins
|
|
8/31 |
South Carolina L 15-0 |
| 9/9 |
Auburn L 34-0 |
| 9/16 |
Tulane
L 32-29 |
| 9/23 |
at UAB
W 16-10 OT |
|
9/30 |
at LSU L 48-17 |
| 10/7 |
West Virginia L 42-14 |
| 10/14 |
Jacksonville St
W 35-3 |
| 10/21 |
at Georgia L 27-24 |
| 10/28 |
Kentucky
L 34-31 |
| 11/4 |
at Alabama W 24-16 |
| 11/18 |
Arkansas L 28-14 |
| 11/25 |
at Ole Miss L 20-17 |
|
|
2005
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
2-9
2005 Record: 3-8
Preview
2005 predicted
wins
|
| 9/3 |
Murray
State
W 38-6 |
| 9/10 |
at Auburn L 28-0 |
| 9/17 |
at Tulane W 21-14 |
|
9/24 |
Georgia L 23-10 |
| 10/1 |
LSU L 27-7 |
| 10/8 |
at Florida L 35-9 |
| 10/22 |
Houston
L 28-16 |
| 10/29 |
at Kentucky L 13-7 |
| 11/5 |
Alabama L 17-0 |
| 11/19 |
at Arkansas L 44-10 |
| 11/26 |
Ole Miss W 35-14 |
|
Nov. 18
Arkansas 28 ... Mississippi State 14
Arkansas was held to 128 rushing yards, but got an 87-yard
interception return for a score from Chris Houston and answered a 65-yard
Anthony Dixon scoring run with a 92-yard Darren McFadden kickoff return for a
touchdown to end a wild first quarter. The Bulldogs tied it a 14 on a 22-yard
Tony Burks touchdown catch, but starting quarterback Michael Henig was knocked
out with a collarbone injury and the offense was never the same. Damien Williams
caught a 29-yard touchdown pass with 41 seconds left in the first half for an
Arkansas lead, and Marcus Monk put it away with a 35-yard grab late in the third.
Player
of the game ...
Arkansas RB Darren McFadden ran for 84 yards on 26 carries, completed his only
pass for 16 yards and returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Arkansas- Passing: Casey Dick, 8-17, 112 yds,
2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Darren McFadden, 26-84 Receiving: Marcus Monk, 4-80, 1
TD
Mississippi State - Passing: Michael Henig, 9-25, 123 yds,
1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 17-89, 1 TD Receiving: Jamayel Smith, 5-71
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Just when it
looked like MSU was bout to turn a corner, QB Michael Henig got hurt for the
second time this year getting knocked out of the Arkansas loss with a broken
collarbone. While Henig struggled against the Hogs, and Omarr Conner completed
six of nine passes, he was a shot in the arm for an offense that desperately
needed one. The defense was tremendous against the Arkansas run defense coming
from all angles to make plays in the backfield while LB Quinton Culberson had
another All-SEC caliber performance.
Nov. 4
Mississippi State 24 ... Alabama 16
Mississippi State stunned Alabama as Quinton Culberson took an
interception 51 yards for a touchdown and the defense held Alabama to
two field goals in the second half and kept the Tide offense out of the
end zone. For the second straight year, Alabama didn't get an offensive
touchdown against MSU with Jeffery Dukes scoring on a 24-yard
interception return in the second quarter. MSU's offense was held to 274
yards and didn't score in the second half, but it got two Michael Henig
touchdown passes in the first half throwing 25 yards to Tony Bucks and
13 yards to Jamayel Smith.
Player of the game ... Mississippi State LB Quinton Culberson led the
team with ten tackles with a tackle for loss and an interception
Stat Leaders: Mississippi State - Passing: Michael Henig,
9-23, 143 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 25-121 Receiving: Jamayel Smith,
2-54, 1 TD
Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 19-39, 187 yds, 2
INT
Rushing: Ken Darby, 13-54 Receiving: D.J. Hall, 10-125
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
Bulldogs had started to play better once Michael Henig got into the
lineup, but to beat Alabama and limit the mistakes to just one big
interception that went for a touchdown shows how far the team has come
in the last few weeks. It might not have been the most efficient day
from Henig, but along with the running of Anthony Dixon, the offense has
something to build on. If the D plays like it did against the Tide,
beating Arkansas and Ole Miss might not be that
far-fetched. For starving fans looking for a sign of life in the
Sylvester Croom era, this was certainly it.
Oct. 28
Kentucky 34 ... Mississippi State 31
Kentucky got three touchdown passes from Andre Woodson with
two to Keenan Burton including a 33-yard play in the fourth quarter, and
then the D held on as Tony Burks caught his second touchdown pass of the
game and Anthony Dixon ran for a one-yard score to pull within three,
but UK was able to run out the clock. Burks caught a 75-yard touchdown
pass in the first half as Michael Henig bombed away for 384 yards and
three touchdowns, but MSU had no running game gaining just 24 yards.
Player of the game ... Kentucky QB Andre Woodson
completed 19 of 28 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns with an
interception
Stat Leaders: Mississippi State - Passing:
Michael Henig, 22-41, 384 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Brandon Thornton, 9-17, Receiving:
Tony Burks, 7-192, 1 TD
Kentucky - Passing: Andre Woodson, 19-28,
284 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Alfonso Smith, 17-92, 1 TD. Receiving:
Dicky Lyons, 8-117, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Mississippi State might
have lost to Kentucky, but the improvement of Michael Henig and the
passing game has given the team a spark of life. No longer is this the
pathetic offense of the last few seasons; there's something to get
excited about. On the down side, the running game has become
non-existent with all the attention on the passing attack. That's not
the end of the world; MSU needs a vertical passing game. This is still a
young team that can use games like this, even losses, to build for next
year. Now the team knows it has some pop.
Oct. 21
Georgia 27 ... Mississippi State 24
Georgia turned it over five
times, but the defense came up with a turnover of its own to save the
game. MSU marched down to the Georgia 23 in the final minute before
Johnson came up with a sack and forced fumble to prevent a second
straight disastrous loss. Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes
for Georgia, including a 21-yard loft to Tripp Chandler on fourth down
in the second quarter, and Brannan Southerland ran for a one-yard score,
but MSU kept the pressure on thanks to three Anthony Dixon touchdown
runs including a three-yarder early in the fourth. Quinton Culberson
made ten tackles for MSU.
Player of the game ...
Georgia QB Matthew
Stafford completed 20 of 32 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns with
three interceptions.
Stat Leaders: Georgia - Passing: Matthew Stafford, 20-32,
267 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Kregg Lumpkin, 15-80, 1 TD Receiving: Kenneth
Harris, 4-106
Mississippi State - Passing: Michael Henig, 14-31,
234 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Brandon Thornton, 15-50 Receiving: Tony Burks, 4-106
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
MSU's offense was able to keep the momentum
going, at least a little bit, from the blowout over Jacksonville State
to move the ball well on a tough Georgia defense. Even though Michael
Henig wasn't consistent throwing the ball, he was solid under pressure
and got the team within range of the win. The D was great at forcing
turnovers and needs to keep up the pressure and production to get back
on track next week against Kentucky. The offensive line has to do a
better job of keeping defenders out of the backfield.
Oct. 14
Mississippi State 35 ... Jacksonville State 3
Derek Pegues returned an
interception for a touchdown in the first minute of the game and
returned a punt 81 yards for a score as Mississippi State had few
problems with JSU. Brandon Thornton added two second half touchdown runs
from one and seven yards out and Eric Butler caught a 17-yard touchdown
pass from Michael Henig in his first start since suffering a broken
collarbone. JSU only managed 201 yards of total offense and got a
28-yard Gavin Hallford field goal.
Player of the game
...
Mississippi State DB Derek Pegues made two tackle, returned in
interception for a score, and returned two punts for 83 yards and a
touchdown
Stat Leaders: Jacksonville State- Passing: Matt
Hardin, 12-26, 149 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Clay Green, 21-48 Receiving: Kenny Walker, 3-51
Mississippi State: Michael Henig, 11-25, 183 yds, 1
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Thornton, 16-88, 2 TDs Receiving: Aubrey
Bell, 3-62
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Yeah, MSU
beat Jacksonville State with ease, but alarm bells have to go off with
only 308 yards of total offense and a rough day from QB Michael Henig
completing just 11 of 25 passes. He pushed the ball deeper than MSU
quarterback have to far, but his accuracy wasn't quite there. Maybe it
was just rust from being out for several weeks, but he has to be much
better against Georgia next week. Brandon Thornton ran as well as he has
all year long.
Oct. 7
West Virginia 42 ... Mississippi State
14
West Virginia ran over Mississippi
State for 314 yards and five rushing touchdowns before capping things
off with a 50-yard punt return for a score from Vaughn Rivers.
Mississippi State was able to go on one nice drive culminating in a
one-yard Anthony Dixon scoring run, but that was about it for the
offense. Pat White and Own Schmitt each ran for two scores, with a
46-yard dash from White breaking the game open in the fourth quarter.
and Steve Slaton tore off an 11-yard scoring dash.
Player of the
game ...
West Virginia RB
Steve Slaton ran 26 times for 185 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: West Virginia - Passing: Pat
White, 6-9, 92 yds
Rushing: Steve Slaton, 26-185, 1 TD Receiving:
Darius Reynaud, 2-41
Mississippi State - Passing: Omarr Conner,
10-19, 135 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Arnil Stallworth, 9-40 Receiving: Tony Burks,
4-118
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
MSU had no prayer of slowing down the West
Virginia running game, and it couldn't muster up any consistent offense
to keep up the pace; that's going to be a problem for the rest of the
year unless someone starts carrying the running game. Michael Henig
didn't play well when he got his chance proving that Omarr Conner is
still the best option at quarterback if the team wants to try to be
competitive. For the future, which is what MSU has to look to now, the
passing game has to take even more shots deep just to see what it can
do. Fortunately, Jacksonville State is up next to give the attack to try
out some new wrinkles before dealing with Georgia.
Sept. 30
LSU 48 ... Mississippi State 17
Only a midgame lightning storm could stall the LSU offense
that rolled at will scoring the first 35 points of the game highlighted
by two Charles Scott touchdown runs and a 37-yard touchdown pass to
Early Doucet. Mississippi State was able to get a 32-yard Adam Carlson
field goal at the end of the first half and a 34-yard interception
return for a touchdown from Derek Pegues. LSU kept motoring in the
fourth with short scoring runs by Jacob Hester and Alley Broussard
around a 46-yard touchdown catch from MSU's Tony Burks.
Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell
completed 18 of 20 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus
Russell, 18-20, 330 yds, 3 TD
Rushing:
Jacob Hester, 8-49, 1 TD Receiving:
Craig Davis, 6-101, 1 TD
Mississippi State - Passing: Omarr
Conner, 15-28, 212 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 8-20 Receiving: Lance
Long, 5-37
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The MSU offense wasn't going to suddenly get things
going against LSU, but it would've been nice if there could've been more
than 14 rushing yards. Even though the defense got picked apart by
JaMarcus Russell, the run defense did an excellent job of not letting
the Tigers get rumbling. To stay with the good teams, like West Virginia
next week, MSU has to do all the little things right; nine penalties are
too many and the pass protection has to be far better.
Sept. 23
Mississippi State 16 ... UAB 10 OT
Mississippi State won in overtime on a 21-yard touchdown run
from Omarr Conner after Adron Chambers had halted the UAB possession
with an interception. Mississippi State got into the end zone in the
fourth quarter for a 10-7 lead on an Anthony Dixon one-yard scoring run
after Conner scrambled down to the one on fourth and two from the three.
UAB got a nine-yard touchdown run from Chris Williams to start the
scoring and forced overtime on a 37-yard Parker Mullins field goal, but
the offense sputtered and coughed all game long finishing with just 210
yards of total offense.
Player of the game ... Mississippi State QB Omarr
Conner completed 14 of 23 passes for 115 yards and ran eight times for
45 yards and a game-winning touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Mississippi State - Passing:
Omarr Conner, 14-23, 115 yds
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 19-81, 1 TD. Receiving:
Arnil Stallworth, 4-30
UAB - Passing: Chris Williams, 9-20, 2
INT
Rushing: Dan Burks, 13-45 Receiving:
Sylvester Mencer, 5-58
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Finally, the long, ugly start
of the season is over and the Bulldogs have their first win. Omarr
Conner wasn't always great against UAB, but he was great when he had to
be coming up with a key fourth down run for the first touchdown and
getting into the end zone in overtime to get the win. After the strange
loss to Tulane when the team came out flat, MSU needed something
positive to happen considering the almost certain losses to LSU and West
Virginia are coming up. The defense needs to play like it did against
the Blazers, and there needs to be more pop to the passing game to not
get obliterated over the next few weeks.
Sept. 16
Tulane 32 ... Mississippi State 29
Tulane got out to a 32-7 lead and then hung on for dear life
as Mississippi State scored 22 points in the fourth quarter with a
nine-yard Marcus Washington fumble recovery for a score, a three-yard
run from Arnil Stallworth, and with less than two minutes remaining, a
five-yard dash from Omarr Conner, but the Green Wave was able to run out
the clock. Lester Ricard threw four touchdown passes to four different
receivers and Matt Forte scored on a one-yard touchdown, but the Tulane
offense struggled in the fourth quarter helping to allow the comeback.
Player of the game ... Tulane QB Lester Ricard
completed 16 of 23 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Mississippi State - Passing:
Omarr Conner, 15-25, 241 yds, 1 INT
Rushing:
Omarr Conner, 13-71, 1 TD Receiving:
Tony Burks, 4-130
Tulane - Passing: Lester Ricard, 16-23,
298 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Matt Forte, 29-170, 1 TD Receiving:
Damarcus Davis, 4-90, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Even with the great late comeback against Tulane, things have gone from
bad to worse after the loss. With the offense doing nothing over the
first few games, it was back to Omarr Conner to run the offense. While
that might be fine for the short term, he was solid against the Green
Wave, it doesn't allow Tray Rutland to take his lumps and gain
experience. This season isn't going anywhere. There's no reason not go
with Rutland and work through the problems. A running back has to
develop considering Conner was the team's top runner by far.
Sept. 9
Auburn 34 ... Mississippi State 0
Auburn used several weapons to overcome the tough Mississippi
State defense that keyed on stopping Kenny Irons. Brad Lester ran for
touchdowns of two and 20 yards and Brandon Cox threw two touchdown
passes including a 20-yard touchdown to Rodgeriqus Smith late in the
third quarter. Mississippi State only managed 161 yards of total
offense, but got big days on defense from LB Quinton Culberson (10
tackles) and DT Deljuan Robinson (7 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, one
sack).
Player of the game ... Auburn WR Courtney Taylor caught
nine passes for 103 yards
Stat Leaders: Mississippi State - Passing:
Tray Rutland, 12-25, 82 yds, 1 INT
Rushing:
Anthony Dixon, 15-69 Receiving:
Omarr Conner, 6-49
Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 18-27, 249
yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Kenny Irons, 21-69 Receiving:
Courtney Taylor, 9-103
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
MSU is going to have to take its lumps for a while against the better
SEC defenses until Tray Rutland figures out what he's doing. There's no
running game to count on and nothing consistent happening with the
overall offense. The defense did what it could against Auburn, but it
couldn't handle all the Tiger weapons and had a hard time with the
overall speed. Of course, the offense didn't do anything to help with no
sustained drives to give the D a rest. The offense has to start clicking
in some way against Tulane and UAB over the next two weeks or the LSU
and West Virginia games will be brutal.
Aug. 31
South Carolina 15 ... Mississippi State 0
South Carolina's defense held MSU to 161 yards of total
offense highlighted by a key fourth down stop early in the fourth
quarter which the offense converted into an immediate score on a
trick-play 54-yard touchdown pass from Syvelle Newton to Cory Boyd. Ryan
Succop hit three field goals for the Gamecocks including a 47-yard
strike in the fourth quarter, but it was the defense that was the star
allowing 79 rushing yards and 82 through the air.
Player of the game ... South Carolina LB Jasper
Brinkley made 11 tackles, one sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and broke up
one pass.
Stat Leaders: South Carolina - Passing:
Blake Mitchell, 12-22, 91 yds
Rushing: Cory Boyd, 12-93. Receiving:
Cory Boyd, 4-67, 1 TD
Miss State - Passing: Tray Rutland, 6-15,
63 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 14-64. Receiving: Lance
Long, 5-41
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
It's only one game against a very good South Carolina defense, but the
MSU offense didn't show any improvement over last year's disaster with
the biggest problems coming on the offensive line. With starting
quarterback Michael Henig breaking his collarbone, it's up to Tray
Rutland to try to get something going next week at Auburn. It might not
be a step back for the attack with Rutland not appearing to be ready for
prime time, but it might mean a big step forward in the team's overall
development. There's nothing wrong with the defense; it took a trick
play for the Gamecocks to get into the end zone.
2006 Mississippi State Preview
-
Mississippi State Preview |
Offense |
Defense |
Depth
Chart |
Further
Analysis
So how much longer is it going to take to be respectable?
No
one questioned that Sylvester Croom had a huge mountain to climb
when he took over the program two seasons ago, and no one questioned
that it would take a few years to get things back on track. However,
with only nine wins over D-I teams in the last four years, you can
understand that Bulldog fans are more than ready to start seeing
some signs of life. Things should start to pick up this year.
Let's start with the positives. MSU knows it should be able to go
into every game with a puncher's chance against just about anyone
because of an experienced defense that was fantastic last year
considering the offense provided no support. The kicking game should
be terrific with the healthy return of placekicker Keith Andrews
along with the big leg of punter Blake McAdams. Unlike other
struggling teams in good conferences, the Bulldogs know they're
solid in at least two phases. And then there's the offense.
It can't be any worse.
There's no way
possible a D-I offense can average 276 yards and fewer than 14
points per game two years in a row. It just can't. The offensive
line is sure to be better after struggling through injuries and
inexperience last year, and the receiving corps should be much
stronger with Omarr Conner's full-time switch from quarterback to
receiver and the addition of receiver Tony Burks. Fine, so the
running back situation is a bit dicey with the loss of Jerious
Norwood and quarterback Michael Henig has to prove he can complete a
pass on a regular basis, but there's hope for all the lumps taken
last year to pay off.
So now the question becomes
whether or not there will be any heat on Croom if
things don't start off well. An opening day SEC win over South
Carolina would do wonders to give the experienced, but young team
confidence going into an even tougher home date against Auburn ten
days later. That's two huge home games a program in its third year
under a head coach has to win, or at least battle well, if things
truly are headed in the right direction.
In reality for Croom, MSU has to flirt with a winning season and get
to a bowl game. There's no excuse to shoot for anything less with
its schedule and with all the returning experience, so for the first
time since around 2000, there should be expectations around
Starkville.
The
Schedule: As long as the Bulldogs win the ones they're supposed to,
six wins should be within range with games against Tulane, at UAB,
Jacksonville State and Kentucky. Can MSU win another Egg Bowl and win at
Ole Miss? Can there be an upset at home against South Carolina, Auburn,
and/or West Virginia? Expect at least one win that'll shock the SEC, and
one loss that'll deflate MSU's balloon.
Best
Offensive Player: Junior TE Eric Butler. Tight end might be MSU's
strongest position led by the 250-pound Butler, who would shine if he
had a consistent quarterback to get him the ball. He's great at getting
in the end zone and needs to be used more as a safety valve to keep the
chains moving.
Best
Defensive Player:
Senior LB
Quinton Culberson. The former defensive back turned into a fantastic
linebacker last year using his speed to be a playmaking machine in the
middle. He'll be the leader of an experienced defense that should be
tremendous all season long.
Key player
to a successful season: Sophomore QB Michael Henig. With Omarr
Conner moving to receiver full-time. there's no experience at
quarterback outside of Henig, who struggled mightily when thrown to the
wolves in his freshman year. He'll have to battle with two redshirt
freshmen to keep the gig, but the coaching staff appears to be ready to
sink or swim with him.
The season
will be a success if ...
MSU
wins six games. The defense is too good and there are too many
improvements on offense to expect another losing season. The Bulldogs
won't battle for the SEC West title, but they should be the league's
jump-up team like Vanderbilt was last season, except with a better
record.
Key game:
August 31st vs. South Carolina. The Bulldogs can't expect to beat
Auburn meaning an 0-2 start is likely if they can't beat Steve
Spurrier's squad. A win in the opener gives hope right away for a
winning season and would be one of the program's biggest wins since
2000.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Pass completion percentage: Opponents 61.4% - Mississippi State 48.3%
- First quarter scoring: Opponents 57 - Mississippi State 19
- Punt return average: Opponents 12.1 yards - Mississippi State 6.4
yards
The Last
Time Mississippi State…
…played in a bowl game…2000 (Independence Bowl vs. Texas A&M)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…1999 (South Carolina)
…was shutout…2005 (Alabama)
…scored 50 points…2002 (Jacksonville State)
…went undefeated…1940
…won a conference title…1941 (SEC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…Never
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Jerious Norwood)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…1978 (Mardye McDole)
…had a first-round draft choice…1996 (DB Walt Harris and WR Eric
Moulds)
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