The visiting Bulldogs fought the home Bulldogs tooth and nail, forcing an overtime period to break a 20-20 tie at the end of regulation. With the help of a Tech interception and a 17 yard touchdown pass by quarterback Chris Relf, MSU was able to escape with a 26-20 victory.

Although the game was much closer than most State fans expected, the ending result was a welcomed one and allowed MSU to even up their record at 2-2. The team must now regroup for an SEC showdown on the road at Georgia this weekend.

Before looking ahead to Georgia, though, here’s some thoughts on this past weekend’s overtime scare:

The Offensive Line Was A Factor – The well documented injuries up front were obviously a factor for the MSU offense. Injured left tackle James Carmon missed another start and was once again replaced by redshirt freshman Blaine Clausell. Dillon Day, also a redshirt freshman, made his first official start at center. He replaced Quinton Saulsberry, who started the season at the position, but was moved to right guard after Tobias Smith suffered a season ending injury against LSU.

In short, things have been shuffled around quite a bit and it showed. MSU’s first drive of the game was rolling along rather nicely, but stalled out after a bad snap resulted in a long yardage situation. Several scoring attempts near the goal line were doomed by the sudden presence of LA Tech defenders in the backfield. Perhaps the best sign of troubles on the offensive line was when head coach Dan Mullen called for a fake punt on fourth and inches, instead of lining up and running the ball.

The MSU rushing attack wasn’t nearly as dominant as expected. Vick Ballard managed to find 68 yards on the ground, including an 11 yard touchdown effort, but Chris Relf was held to just 20 yards of rushing on nine attempts. Sophomore LaDarius Perkins added another 47 yards. As a team, the home standing Bulldogs totaled 176 yards of rushing behind their new-look offensive front.

The Secondary Stepped Up In The End - Although they gave up 252 yards through the air, the MSU secondary came up big when it counted. With Tech threatening to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, junior Johnthan Banks intercepted a pass in the end zone to thwart their chances of winning the game in regulation.

In overtime, it was State’s Nickoe Whitley who would grab the spotlight. Whitley picked off LA Tech quarterback Nick Isham’s pass on second down, which would prove to be a fatal blow to the visiting team. The interception was the second of the season for Whitley, a sophomore.

DePaq Remains Steady – A bright spot for MSU continues to be field goal kicker Derek DePasquale, simply known as “DePaq” to his teammates. The senior from Texas nailed kicks of 36 and 24 yards, making him 7 of 8 on the year.

The Freshman QB Didn’t Play Like A Freshman – Nick Isham, while stumbling at the end, looked very impressive in a tough SEC environment. The 17 year old LA Tech quarterback completed 29 of 40 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown. Even after taking some solid hits, Isham never seemed to lose his poise under center.

The California native will have another chance to play in the SEC later this season, as his team visits Oxford in November for a contest with Ole Miss. It will be interesting to see how Isham progresses after getting a few more games under his belt.

Closing Thoughts

Despite whether or not anyone will admit it, all indications point to MSU overlooking a very solid Louisiana Tech team. The folks in Las Vegas had State as 18-20 point favorite and most fans would have agreed with that number. LA Tech, though, lost to Southern Miss by just two points to start the season and built a 34-7 lead over Houston in week three, before allowing the Cougars to come back and snag a one point victory in that affair.

When you take a hungry team with some talent and sandwich them in between two big SEC matchups, you have a recipe for a trap game. This was a trap that almost derailed Mississippi State’s season.

Several young MSU players were looking to make their debut on Saturday night, including redshirt freshman quarterback Dylan Favre and running back Nick Griffin. The plan, I assume, was to jump out to a big lead and then allow some of the backups into the game to garner some meaningful playing time. While nice in theory, State is simply not at the point where any opponent can be taken lightly.

Maybe this close overtime win will serve as motivation for Mullen’s squad, who travels to Athens this weekend to take on yet another set of Bulldogs. We’ll take a closer look at that matchup in the coming days.

Although it marks the second week in a row the Bulldogs will face a team from Louisiana, this challenge doesn’t look nearly as daunting as the one they faced last Thursday.

Louisiana Tech, also 1-2 on the year, is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Houston. Tech held a commanding lead early in that game, before allowing sixth year senior quarterback Case Keenum to lead the Cougars back to a 35-34 victory.

Despite an 0-2 start in SEC play, Dan Mullen’s players still seem to be a confident bunch. This weekend’s matchup provides a perfect opportunity for State to get their season back on track. For that to happen, here’s what the Bulldogs need to do in this one:

1) Don’t Forget The Horse You Rode In On – Mississippi State running back Vick Ballard started the season with a bang, reeling off 166 yards against Memphis and gaining 135 on the plains of Auburn. In the LSU game, the Bulldog’s rushing attack was shutdown almost completely. This wasn’t entirely surprising, considering the Bayou Bengals probably have the best defense in the nation right now. What was surprising, however, was the fact that Ballard only carried the ball ten times in that affair.

Only ten carries for a guy that entered the game as the league’s leading rusher? Against Memphis, Ballard was also limited to ten carries. That’s because he averaged 16.6 yards per touch and scored three touchdowns before being pulled out.

When Ballard takes the field this weekend, he’d better tote the ball early and often. Let him run over the LA Tech defense for two quarters. At that point, there’s a good chance he can retire for the day and rest up for a looming SEC date with Georgia. Until the game is in hand, though, let your workhorse work.

2) Continue To Improve On Defense – After a rocky start to the SEC slate against Auburn, the Bulldog defense looked much improved last Thursday night. LSU ended up with 361 total yards of offense, but was held to just three field goals through the first three quarters of the game. The biggest chunk of the Tiger’s offensive production came in the final 15 minutes, when the MSU defense was clearly exhausted from spending nearly 38 minutes of the contest on the field.

For this team to rebound and have a good year, the defense must continue their progression. Cameron Lawrence has improved every game so far at his linebacker spot, but that unit as a whole needs to be more productive. On the line, Fletcher Cox and Josh Boyd have to step up and play with the dominance they are undoubtedly capable of. The secondary, with their skill and explosiveness, should be a threat to score defensive touchdowns in every game. Although they were never able to provide the spark I was looking for in the LSU game, this group will get their share of the spotlight in coming weeks.

3) Get The Offensive Line Settled In – It’s been well documented that the offensive line has been rocked by injury already this season. Starting right guard Tobias Smith is out for the season with a knee injury that he suffered early in the LSU game. He is scheduled for surgery this week. James Carmon, the starting left tackle who hasn’t played since going down at Auburn, is expected to see the field again against Louisiana Tech. Center Quinton Saulsberry, also injured in the Auburn game, returned against LSU, but was moved to right guard after Smith was injured. This sent redshirt freshman Dillon Day into the starting center role.

For MSU’s highly touted rushing attack to be at it’s best, offensive line coach John Hevesy must get things sorted out on the line and return a sense of stability up front.

4) Make A Freshman QB Feel Like A Freshman QB – When the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech roll into Starkville, they’ll be led by a 17 year old freshman quarterback….Yes, you heard me correctly. Just 17.

Nick Isham, a true freshman, hails from California and was lured to Ruston by former Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, who now commands the same post for LA Tech. Isham has been decent so far this season, completing 62 of 104 passes for 693 yards and three touchdowns. He’s also tossed three interceptions.

When a 17 year old quarterback goes on the road against an SEC caliber defense, he should struggle all night long. This isn’t at all a knock on Isham, who is by all accounts a very talented player. However, the MSU defense should be able to put enough pressure on a young quarterback to force him into bad decisions. State’s talent and speed on that side of the ball, combined with a hostile SEC environment, should lead to a rough night for the Tech offense. Every cowbell yielding fan in attendance should expect no less.

Closing Thoughts – This week’s matchup should provide a chance for Mullen to get his guys headed in the right direction again. Though 0-2 in the SEC is disappointing, MSU still has a very good team and a chance to turn things around in 2011. With a trip to Georgia on the horizon, the coaching staff understands the importance of heading into Athens with a 2-2 record and a boost of confidence.

Look for a rejuvenated and focused Mississippi State team to take the field and win this one in dominating fashion.

Prediction: Mississippi State 41 – Louisiana Tech 13

If you’re a Bulldog fan, take my advice and step away from the ledge right now. As bad as things may seem after three games, there’s no need to jump just yet.

In a five day time frame, MSU lost by inches to the defending national champions and dropped a hard fought defensive battle to an LSU team who could very well win the next national title.

The Auburn loss definitely hurts the most, because that’s one the Bulldogs probably should have won. However, with nine games left in the season, you simply have to put those losses behind you and move on.

There’s still much reason for hope in Starkville and here’s why:

It Doesn’t Get Tougher Than LSU – This is the SEC and State still has plenty of daunting games ahead. Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas…they’re all great teams. As of right now, though, LSU looks to be the cream of the crop. Not only did the Tigers shutdown a strong MSU rushing attack, they dismantled an Oregon team that took Auburn to the brink in last year’s national title game. Defensively, Les Miles’ squad appears to be in a league of it’s own.

The Bulldogs did hang with the Bayou Bengals for three quarters, despite falling behind in the fourth. Moral victories don’t mean much in cowbell country these days, but this performance goes to show that you can’t count MSU out of any of their remaining contests.

Time To Get Healthy – The first two games of the SEC gauntlet proved to be costly on the injury front. With the Thursday night game in the books, State now has a couple of extra days before they hit the field to take on Louisiana Tech. Even during the course of that game, Mullen should be able to rest his players that are banged up.

The offensive line in particular has taken some major hits early on. The unit lost two starters during the Auburn game, with left tackle James Carmon and center Quinton Saulsberry both being sidelined due to leg injuries. Saulsberry was listed as “day to day” and managed to return for the LSU game, while Carmon never dressed out for Thursday’s affair. The injury bug struck again early in that matchup, as starting right guard Tobias Smith left the game with a leg injury. Smith spent the remainder of the night on crutches.
On the defensive side, middle linebacker Brandon Maye missed the second half of the LSU game with a concussion. Maye, a transfer from Clemson, was making his first start for the Bulldogs.

If those players are able to heal up and get back in the saddle for the Georgia game on October 1, things will be looking much brighter for the guys in maroon.

The Bulldogs Are A Good Team – Make no mistake about it, this Mississippi State squad can still make some noise this season. LSU will make a lot of teams look bad on offense, but Chris Relf and company will be able to score points on most defenses they face. The MSU running game, led by Vick Ballard, could very well lead the SEC in rushing yards when the dust settles at season’s end.
Defensively, the Bulldogs will continue to improve. They held their own against LSU, limiting the Tigers to 19 points, ten of which came in the fourth quarter. You have to believe that Thursday’s defensive performance would be good enough to win most games this year.

You won’t see Dan Mullen’s offense held to six points again in 2011. As stated before, the LSU defense is the best of the best. Time will prove that.

The Bottom Line

Where does Mississippi State stand after week three? It’s pretty simple:

The Bulldogs will head to Athens in early October with a 2-2 record. The outcome of that game will likely determine what tier bowl invitation MSU will be receiving this fall.

With a win over Georgia, Dan Mullen’s team could once again be on track for a New Year’s Day bowl and another solid season. There’s no reason to think that State can’t compete with every remaining team on the schedule, but they must convert those close games into wins. That must start in Athens.

A loss to Mark Richt’s team, however, would be a back breaker. An 0-3 start in SEC play could very well lead to a six or seven win season and a December trip to Memphis, Nashville or Birmingham. While there’s far worse things than going 6-6 or 7-5, anything less than eight wins would be a disappointment for this team.

With that said, look for the Bulldogs to bounce back and come on strong. These guys have heart, determination, talent and a coaching staff that will not settle for anything less than 100% “relentless effort”.

So yes, MSU fans, step away from the ledge and give your team a chance to make a new start. The season is still young and much is yet to be determined in this crazy world we call the SEC.

Smith, a junior, was injured during MSU’s first offensive possession against LSU on Thursday night.

This comes as a critical blow to a Bulldog offensive line that has already been injury plagued after three games. Starting left tackle James Carmon and starting center Quinton Saulsberry both left the Auburn game with injuries last week. A banged up Saulsberry returned to face LSU, while Carmon’s status remains unclear.

This most recent injury is the latest of many for Smith, who missed his freshman year with a broken ankle and was limited to three games the following season after another ankle injury. After playing in 12 games last season, he underwent shoulder surgery during the spring.

Hopefully, the magnolia state native can overcome the injury bug one more time and return for his senior campaign in Starkville.

Good: After a terrible start, which saw Mississippi State fall into an early 14-0 hole, the Bulldogs remained calm and responded with 21 unanswered points. There were no visible signs of panic from Dan Mullen and staff. Panic on the sidelines often leads to panic on the field.

Bad: State was penalized 10 times for a total of 75 yards. Several of these penalties occurred during the opening minutes of the contest. The same thing happened against Memphis, but I chalked it up largely to first game jitters. This team must stop shooting itself in the foot and giving away free yards on both sides of the ball.

Good: The offense didn’t disappoint, racking up 531 yards and putting 34 points on the scoreboard. While it didn’t prove to be enough the end, these kinds of numbers will normally win you a lot of games in the SEC.

Bad: The defense allowed 235 yards on the ground, including 150 by Auburn running back Michael Dyer. To win in this league, you must stop the run.

Good: State’s rushing attack once again proved productive. Vick Ballard ran for 135 yards, while quarterback Chris Relf bullied his way to 106. Add on another 78 yards by sophomore LaDarius Perkins and you have a running game that would make any defense cringe. This allowed the Bulldogs to control the clock and win the time of possession battle by 12 minutes.

Bad: While Relf completed 21 of 34 passes for 198 yards, there were also some key dropped passes by the receivers. For this squad’s passing game to match it’s ground attack, guys such as Chad Bumphis, Ricco Sanders, Brandon Heavens and Arceto Clark will have to become more of a factor. There is a lot of talent at the receiver position; this talent needs to translate into offensive production.

Good: Speaking of Chris Relf, he has evolved into a true leader at the quarterback spot. His ability to run the ball was never in doubt, but it’s his poise in the pocket and coolness under pressure that continues to impress. If Relf can stay healthy and continue to make good decisions in the backfield,  this offense will continue to do special things this season.

Bad: The offensive line took a couple of big hits Saturday, with left tackle James Carmon and center Quinton Saulsberry both leaving the game due to injuries. While the extent of those injuries aren’t known at this time, Carmon’s seemed to be the most serious. Mullen did say on Sunday, however, that Carmon’s banged up knee would not require surgery.

Good: Blaine Clausell and Dillon Day, who took over for Carmon and Saulsberry, respectively, both performed well. I was especially impressed with Day, who stepped into action during MSU’s final drive of the game. Although the effort came up a few inches short, the center-quarterback exchange was never a factor.

Bad: Special teams were a problem for the Bulldogs, particularly kickoffs and coverage on kick returns. The best way to guard against a big kick return is to send the ball into the endzone, something this team desperately needs to do more. Field position is a major factor especially in these close SEC games.

Good: While the linebacker position remains a work in progress for co-defensive coordinators Chris Wilson and Geoff Collins, junior Cameron Lawrence was a bright spot for the unit on Saturday. Lawrence made plays all over the field from his outside linebacker spot, including an apparent stop on Auburn’s controversial fourth-and-one play late in the third quarter.

Bad: Despite being in position to tie the game in the final seconds, Mississippi State missed another opportunity to grab a huge SEC win. It isn’t very often that you’re favored in a road game against the defending national champions. This loss will sting for a long time.

Bottom Line

We are about to find out what this Mississippi State team is really made of. On Thursday night, one of the top teams in the nation visits Starkville for a big prime-time showdown on ESPN. If the Bulldogs are able to put this past weekend’s setback behind them and go toe-to-toe with LSU, all will remain hopeful in the land of cowbells. If, however, Mullen allows his team to come out of the gate this Thursday with a post-Auburn hangover, things could turn ugly

I don’t label this is a “must win’ game for MSU, although a loss will undoubtedly knock them out of the western division race. This team must have a strong showing against the Tigers if they are to keep things headed in the right direction.

It will be very interesting to see how the Bulldogs respond in the aftermath of the Auburn loss.