Anyone think Dan may run up the score?

[MedDawg]

For years State coaches have played the first non-conference game close to the vest so to not show our first SEC opponent anything. Allow us to sneak up on and surprise them.

I think we're past surprising LSU after beating them last year. Plus, we're not playing USM again so it won't matter if we embarrass them even worse.

Any chance Dan runs the score up on USM? I mean 60+ points or even 70 points. Throwing long passes up 40-50 points.

Maybe put a little scare (or at least some doubt) in LSU heads.

 

[SwampDawg]

I hate to see anybody run up the score, but I would rather see that than Dan take his foot off the accelerator (to quote him after the LSU game last year.) We are not proven enough to slack off on anybody.

 

[ronpolk]

Openers under Dan have been... 49-0; 21-3 (L); 56-9; 59-14; 49-7 and 45-7.

I don't know if you would call that running up the score but we've pretty well beat the hell out of our opening opponent because they usually suck. I'd say it's a safe bet that we will score in between 45-60 and ism will have between 0-14.

 

[patdog]

I think he's going to let Fitzgerald and/or Staley run the real offense in the 2nd half and try to score. They need real work, not to just hand the ball off all night. Hopefully, that will translate into running up the score. But I don't think he's going to leave Dak in there to run up the score.

 

[archdog]

I think he's going to let Fitzgerald and/or Staley run the real offense in the 2nd half and try to score. They need real work, not to just hand the ball off all night. Hopefully, that will translate into running up the score. But I don't think he's going to leave Dak in there to run up the score.

I want to see Dak get up by at least 17, then sit the bench.
Fitz and Staley need to run the full offense, pass, trick, run, etc. These guys need actual work with the full offense. Never take your foot off their throats. It's past time for our team to learn a winner's mentality. Once your are up, never relent. If we are up 55 in the forth quarter and a guy drops a pass, I want our players to be all over his ***. If a guy is lazy with a tackle up 55 on 3rd and 3, I want our players to be all over his ***. No easy touchdowns given up on d. I want our d to be top 2 in the nation in every statistical category. I want our offense to average 600 ypg and 50 pts. It's time to get in that mentality.

 

[archdog]

Oh yeah, screw USM and their entire fanbase. If they can't stop our third string qb they do not deserve to keep the score low.

 

[ronpolk]

I think Dak will play most if not all of the 3 quarters. I know he's a senior but he needs reps like everyone else. He's got one game to be in mid season form and that's what we will need him to be for us to beat LSU.

 

[hotdawg88]

Fitz will be in the game in the 1st half to get meaningful reps. Only way Staley gets in is if it is a blowout in second half.

 

[Tin Cup Cowboy]

Yes, and that player will look spectacular. At which point some of our fans will begin to question if that person should be starter after the first game Dak has which isn't up to "our" standard.

Isn't that how we do it at State with senior QBs?

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Did we not win 49-0 last year?

 

[johnson86-1]

I don't think Mullen changes anything except that we have to get the first string more reps than usual because we have LSU in week 2. If the offense is clicking from the get go, I would expect to see 2nd string QB running with the starters later than usual to help get them prepped. If the offense is not clicking, I expect to see Dak longer than you'd expect, but it probably won't change the score much b/c if they're not clicking they're probably not scoring big.

 

[archdog]

We did, but we took our foot of the gas by calling really limited play calls. I want to see mayhem on Defense and a constant attacking offense where we don't run the ball on 3rd and 8. If you are up big, who cares about killing the clock in a tune up game. Get your money's worth. We need everyone at mid season form by next Saturday.

 

[BertleTheTurtle]

Yes, and that player will look spectacular. At which point some of our fans will begin to question if that person should be starter after the first game Dak has which isn't up to "our" standard.

Isn't that how we do it at State with senior QBs?

Spot on. For as long as I can remember, our back-up QB has always been the answer to all of our offensive woes when our starter begins to struggle. There is a signficant drop off between Dak and the next guy. If you tell yourself differently, you are a hopeless soul. Here's to Dak breaking the MSU senior QB mold!

 

[aTotal360]

We are going to beat them by 5 TDs without trying. Running up the score is inevitable.

 

[johnson86-1]

Fitz will be in the game in the 1st half to get meaningful reps. Only way Staley gets in is if it is a blowout in second half.

So is Staley fully recovered? I thought he was still hobbled a couple of weeks ago in practice?

 

[the dog is on the loose]

I'm still reserved on our offensive line play. Not the starters but the backups. I know I'm going to get hammered by some for saying this but I'm just being realistic. Yes we will be good in receivers and I believe RBs somewhat but if our second string OL does'nt play outstanding then our first string can't play the entire games this year. Oh and you better believe that Usm will bring their A game which won't matter enough to beat us but I don't expect a blowout as some on here are thinking. We will have a good team but I don't think as good as last year. We lost a ton of starters. I know we have some experienced players coming back that were backups last year but what about the ones with no or little experience? That's what concerns me. Now go ahead and blast off. P.S., I hope I'm wrong on my assessment.

 

[aTotal360]

Luckily, a good, mobile QB will hide a lot of your OL's warts. I think our OL will be our weakest unit as well, but I don't think it will matter against USM. Remember when we had TR. Our line looked helpless at times. Then Dak gets in and it looks serviceable.

 

[patdog]

I think Dak plays all but 1 series in the 1st half, then the 1st series of the 3rd quarter. Fitzgerald and possibly either Staley or Williams will take the remaining series.

 

[Seinfeld]

I really don't understand why some of y'all keep bringing this up. It's not that you're incorrect, but context is pretty critical here. Go back and look at some of the QBs that we've had over the years, and then explain to me why you would blame a fan for thinking/hoping/praying that the backup QB would possibly be better. Plump, Taite, Henig, Carroll, Lee... Hell, Derrick Taite held several of our all time passing records up until Tyler Russell came to town just a few years ago.

The situation now, though, is entirely different. We don't just have a capable QB at the helm. We have a kid that was a front runner for the Heisman trophy much of last year, and it's entirely possible that he has even more weapons around him this year. The only way that anyone will be calling for Dak to sit will be if we're up by about 35 in any given game or else he somehow gets hurt(god forbid).

 

[haildawgs87]

I don't think we can run up the score in a loss?

 

[Col. Forbin]

S'cute.

 

[BiscuitEater]

I think Dak will play most if not all of the 3 quarters. I know he's a senior but he needs reps like everyone else. He's got one game to be in mid season form and that's what we will need him to be for us to beat LSU.

Last year .. Dak threw for a (then) career-high 284 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Bear, and gave way to Damien (5 of 8, 65 yards, 1 TD) mid-way through the 3rd Quarter with other backups. But, State got up early and gave Dan the opportunity to sub freely.

Several differences THIS year ..

* LSU is the 2nd game this year .. it was the 4th game last year .. Dan may want the 1st team to get more reps .. generic game plan .. concentrate on execution .. balanced with need to get some FR RS players (Cory Thomas, Hoyett, Gerri Green, Brandon Bryant, RBs - Lee & Aeris) and JC players (Calvin & Coleman) some actual CFB game experience
* By all accounts, USM will be better this year .. 22 TR/JC players added .. more talent and experience available
* MSU may not have Bear .. gives other WR more reps .. again to prepare for LSU
* State has to get Fitz in the game .. he is the #1 backup QB ... hope he gets his first experience Sat instead of against LSU

 

[BertleTheTurtle]

Relf may not have broken records like Tyler Russell did, but Relf did win big games. Yet still, when Relf struggled, everyone called for Russell. Hell, people were annointing Russell over Relf even after Relf had better games. Why? Because everyone thought he was the second coming. What context are you looking for? If our starter plays bad in a critical game/situation, our fans have often called for the backup because the typical fan can't understand that an 18-22 year old kid will sometimes have a bad game or two. In today's "what have you done for me lately" society, our fans want results immediately and anything other that immediate successful results is a failure and it's time for the next man up. That's all the context there is to it. My original statement wasn't to say that we can't all hope our backup QB won't be great when it's his time, it was to say that during the season when our slated starter performs bad our fan base has often looked to and called for our backup without any real justification.

 

[Shamoan]

games like this are good opportunities for out players to put up good post season individual award numbers....aa numbers, all sec numbers, etc, however, the longer you play them, the more likely (by a slight amount) they are to get injured. i say let em play in areas we have depth. would be nice to see cj get a few extra tfl's and sacks to pad the numbers before sec play starts.

 

[KeyserSoze1999]

Keep in mind, Road game...

A team's Traveling roster is smaller than what they have at home. Last year we were bowling USM out and put in scout team guys like Bennie Braswell III at RB and Kelan Chairs at LB---those guys will be staying in Starkville most likely. That means more reps for guys like A-Train Williams at RB and Dezmond Harris at LB, it will be more talented players in the 4th quarter this year as opposed to last year.

 

[BiscuitEater]

Really don't know ..

A team's Traveling roster is smaller than what they have at home. Last year we were bowling USM out and put in scout team guys like Bennie Braswell III at RB and Kelan Chairs at LB---those guys will be staying in Starkville most likely. That means more reps for guys like A-Train Williams at RB and Dezmond Harris at LB, it will be more talented players in the 4th quarter this year as opposed to last year.

Thought Dan said they would be able to take more to the game in 'burg than would be able to suit up at home against LSU. Thought he was going to reward bunch if new players by taking them on the trip even if they don't get in the game.

Did I misunderstand?

Honestly don't know the travel squad numbers vs SEC numbers

 

[Seinfeld]

Ok, but again... as fondly as we all look back on Relf, you're comparing an incumbent QB that was a one-dimensional 2* recruit to a kid that was a favorite to win the Heisman halfway through last season.

I'm not arguing that State fans haven't had a tendency to glorify the backup in years past. What I'm arguing is that they're going to do it again this year with Dak at the helm. If there are folks out there that seriously want to put in a redshirt freshman at QB after one mediocre game from Dak this year, they need to have their heads checked.

 

[Col. Forbin]

I don't believe there is a limit as to how many players can dress out for non conference games. Just depends on how many we want to bus down there.

 

[Sandman.sixpack]

I think Fitzgerald will play all or most of second half. I think it's 28-7 at halftime and 56-7 final.

 

[MaroonNation]

I do not want to see Williams out there. I have seen enough of him handing the ball off in vanilla mode. I want to see NickieFitz or Staley to see if they look as good against some strange as they look against our subs.

 

[patdog]

I think the only way Williams plays is if Staley's injury continues to linger.

 

[Tin Cup Cowboy]

NEVER doubt stupid people, you will be disappointed every time.

 

[Drebin]

I still say we would've won the west in 2000 if Fant had started ahead of Madkin. No slight to Madkin, who I am fond of, but I just think Fant was better. He really got a raw deal - he was a good one.