Published September 1, 2011 - 11:32pm
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Mississippi State absolutely hammered the Memphis Tigers tonight 59-14. Is that surprising? Absolutely not. Is Memphis an accurate measuring stick? No, but there are a couple different things we can take away from this game as a State fan and an SEC fan.
1. State did exactly what they were supposed to do. Everyone thought the Bulldogs should give it to Memphis pretty good, and they did just that. So, this is a good start for State. Dan Mullen kept hinting this team could be special in preseason camp, and I can certainly see where he was getting at with the depth that is finally assembled to make a legitimate run in the daunting SEC West. Both the defense and offense took care of business, and the defense did not have their best defensive lineman in Fletcher Cox. It was an impressive showing on both sides of the ball.
2. State’s rushing game will be second to none in any conference. Sure, Memphis is an absolutely terrible team, but State’s offensive line looked really good, as did the running backs. Vick Ballard could be a top-three running back in this league, and he had 10 carries for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Ballard broke off two touchdown runs of 46 and 66 each. Quarterback Chris Relf had 13 carries for 51 yards as well. The ground game totaled over 300 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Will they do this week-in and week-out in the SEC? Most likely they will not; however, this offense should lead the SEC in rushing this season.
3. Chris Relf looks to have picked up where he left off in the passing game for the Bulldogs. He finished 2010 strong, throwing for 793 yards and six touchdowns in his final three games, and tonight Relf continued his progression in the passing game. He finished 13 of 21 for 202 yards and two touchdowns, including a 44-yard pass to Chad Bumphis at the 11-minute mark of the first quarter.
I know Memphis is not a good benchmark for anything in the SEC; however, it certainly was nice seeing the Bulldogs do exactly what they were supposed to do, and that was go into Memphis and take care of business.
This Mississippi State team could really surprise some people this year in the West, especially if Relf can keep progressing in the passing game like he has been doing. I am particularly looking at next weekend, when the Bulldogs travel to Auburn and then the following week, when they host LSU.
Miss State vs Auburn could be interesting next week. I’m excited to see how Dan Mullen can help his team take the next step in 2011.
I think State will go in Auburn and come away with a win, however this game will be more than a scrimmage game.. the week after, it’s reality time as State comes down to earth at the hands of the LSU Tigers
Rushing game second to none? Let’s not forget about ‘Bama and SC.
Oh, I’m not forgetting about anyone. I think this State team will lead the SEC in rushing this year, just my opinion of course. There is a ton of depth, and with Mullen’s spread offense, they will run 60% of the time anyway. Now, both Lattimore and Richardson are better than Ballard and Relf combined. State finished second in rushing a year ago to only Auburn. They return virtually everyone, but I definitely see your point.
I don’t get how everyone thinks Richardson and Lattimore are so much better than Ballard. Last year he more touchdowns than both of them and iI’m pretty sure more yards per carry.
One thing everyone should also take from this game, Memphis State’s three running backs gashed for 176 yards on 36 carries. Auburn’s offensive line will be better than Memphis States’ and Auburn’s running backs (Dyer, McCalleb and Mason) will be much better than Memphis States’. I wouldn’t write the W in the win column just yet if I were an MSU fan.
What you should know about this MSU team is that last year they won more than a few games where the other team had put up good numbers yardage against them but couldn’t win because they couldn’t get through the red zone. That’s why it’s called a bend not break defense, so sometimes those numbers don’t mean anything.
I think that we have only seen TWO teams play, so people need to chill out with this getting pissed that “they’re forgetting my team” crap! Let’s get a look at ALL the SEC teams and then we can get a better idea of “Who the team to beat” actually is! WDE!!
I wouldn’t worry too much about MSU’s defense just yet. There were a lot of young players being moved in and out. P.J. Jones, who recovered that early fumble, was playing for Tupelo High with my nephew last year….Plus, we didn’t see any complicated schemes, Chris Wilson kept things pretty basic…No piont in giving Auburn anything special to look at on film.
I agree Todd we didn’t see everything the Bulldogs had. Plus a few players were suspended. I don’t think Auburn will be a push over by no means but it’s gonna take more than an onside kick to beat us. I think the game will be close but MSU comes out with the win.