If this past weekend proved anything, it’s a couple of things. The nation’s top five spots are a revolving door and there is hope for conference cellar-dwellers to beat nationally-ranked teams. This year’s State Dawgs can’t be compared with the Commodores, or their ability to beat Alabama. Compared with prior years, Vandy clearly has a superior team. But, it did prove that anything is possible on any given Saturday. In the contest with the Bulldogs versus the Bulldogs in Athens, GA this weekend, either of the Dawgs could come away victorious.
Getting serious for a moment, Mississippi State had a week off to heal its wounds and take stock of its situation. The Dawgs are 1-4 (0-2 in the SEC), not a position to relish at the start of a new era. Their original starting quarterback, Blake Shapen, is out for the season, and they are facing five nationally-ranked teams in their next seven games. That’s a lot of which to take stock during a bye week.
What Did You Do On Vacation?
The Bulldogs had their first of two bye weeks, following their loss to No. 1 Texas. Head coach Jeff Lebby gave his players some time to reflect. “We got very specific with some things we needed to get cleaned up on both sides of the ball and special teams,” Lebby said in Monday’s press conference. “We’re talking about in-between the white lines. I thought it was important for our guys to get away for a little bit, reset, refocus, regroup and get ready for this back half of the season.”
The week after Texas the team practiced Tuesday, and Wednesday, did weights, and met on Thursday. Then, there was an off day before the group returned to activities on Monday. “Being fresh and being fast next Saturday in Athens is going to be absolutely critical,” Lebby continued. “As we got into the building this morning, our guys had great energy. They’ve had great energy. There’s really good intent, and we need to have a great week to be able to go play the way we need to go play.”
The Bulldogs will need some of that energy, and perhaps some of Vandy’s mojo to take on the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs.
Bright Spots Regardless of Record
There were some positive takeaways from the Longhorn game. The Dawgs made Texas actually earn its win. The final score of 35-13 is not indicative of how the game went. State was only behind 14-6 until the final play of the third quarter. That speaks volumes for what appears to be a much-improved defense. Linebacker Stone Blanton led that effort with 10 tackles (four solo), and one tackle for a loss. The entire defense racked up two sacks and seven tackles for loss. As a reference, there were no sacks or tackles of loss against Florida.
On offense, the running game was on the uptick as Johnnie Daniels led the way with 75 yards. That was half of the team’s total of 150 yards rushing. The Bulldogs didn’t even get close to that rushing mark in the previous three games combined. More is expected of him in Athens on Saturday.
True freshman Michael Van Buren Jr., or MVB, generated fan buzz as the quarterback replacement for Shapen. Although he didn’t burn up the field, he faced down 100-thousand loud Longhorn fans with all the confidence of a seasoned veteran. He came into the Florida game in the fourth quarter with the same kind of panache, but Texas was his first SEC start in a clearly hostile crowd. He will be facing a similar bunch of Georgia fans Saturday.
Game Plan Advantage
Lebby’s offense has always been known for being up-tempo. In his philosophy, it provides more opportunities to score and keeps the opposing defenses on their heels. But against Texas, they slowed things down. This allowed Van Buren to run the offense in his first start without the pressure of the tempo. It also gave the Dawgs the ability to maintain ball control. They ate up half of the first quarter, keeping the Texas offense off the field.
There are a lot of similarities between the Texas game and the upcoming one against Georgia. State may operate with the same game plan.
“For me, it’s what allows us to create an advantage…it’s what gives us the best chance to win the game.” Lebby said. “The ego part, you have to set it aside, know who we want to be, but what gives our football team the best chance to have success is what matters.”
The Other Dawgs
Georgia seems to be a second-half team. As one saw against Alabama, the Dawgs trailed the Tide 30-7 at the half, and came from behind in exciting fashion, only to lose 41-34. Likewise, against Auburn, one could argue a similar team to State’s at 2-4 (0-3 in the SEC), Georgia got off to a sluggish start. Georgia led the Tigers only 7-3 for most of the first half, taking a 14-3 lead with a mere 17 seconds left in the first half.
Bulldog quarterback Carson Beck, seems to come alive in the second half, as does the defense. However, the Georgia Dawgs still went three-and-out on their first two possessions, before increasing their lead late in the third quarter. The final score was 31-13.
It is not out of the question for the State Dawgs to get out in front early and keep the defense cooking to maintain. Stranger things have happened. Just look at last weekend. Hopefully, Lebby and his staff have studied both games extensively.
Vacation’s Over
The Bulldogs versus Bulldogs in Athens could be a better matchup than one might think. Still, Georgia is favored by 34 points. But, one oddsmaker doubted those Dawgs would be able to cover. They might just need time to heal themselves before heading to Texas the following week.
Lebby was also looking on the bright side. “I think for us, it’s still about what we do with our time,” Lebby said Monday. “How we practice, how we meet, how we walk through. To me, that’s what it’s all about. That’s what will give us a chance to go play the best ball that we’ve played, focusing on us and making sure we’re doing everything we can to be the best version of us Saturday at 3:15 in Athens. That is, without a doubt, the goal.” The game can be seen on the SEC Channel.
