Can Mullen win a big game this year?

[drt7891]

With all the questions this team has (o-line, QB, RB, secondary, defensive coordinator), can This team win the big game?

Looking at LSU, Bama, and OM particularly.

I also realize Mullen has won big games before, but I'm talking about winning the big game against teams he doesn't have much success against, historically... That go on to win 9+ games.

Stolen from BSR.

 

[aTotal360]

No, but all of our beat writers will categorize Arky, SC, and UK as "big" games to make us feel better.

 

[MeridianDog]

They have us in last place in west. Any game we win will be big.


And we will beat someone. I don't care who.

 

[Xenomorph]

Honestly, I think we better worry about the little ones.

 

[drt7891]

I'm with you here. Too many questions at this point to worry about knocking off Bama. We need to be sure we win the games we should win.

 

[Hump4Hoops]

I'm not sweating the big or little ones this year.

It's a rebuilding year, but I still don't see us losing to Kentucky, USC, or an OOC game. I'm chalking Bama, LSU, and for now, ole miss, as losses.

That leaves us between 6 and 9 wins depending on Arkansas, Auburn, and A&M. I don't see us losing all 3. I'll be content with an 8 or 9 win season, and disappointed with 7. I'm already looking forward to 2017.

 

[ShrubDog]

The big win this year may be BYU.

 

[MSUDC11]

We don't have the talent in the trenches to beat Bama this year.

We never match up terribly against LSU, but it's early in the year and our new QB's first road game. I see us struggling offensively in that one.

The Egg Bowl is probably our best chance. Will need to play extremely well, especially in the secondary.

 

[ronpolk]

With all the questions this team has (o-line, QB, RB, secondary, defensive coordinator), can This team win the big game?

Looking at LSU, Bama, and OM particularly.

I also realize Mullen has won big games before, but I'm talking about winning the big game against teams he doesn't have much success against, historically... That go on to win 9+ games.

Stolen from BSR.

I don't see us beating any of the 3 you named above. We may beat A&M and/or Auburn but that's as good as it will get.

This is not a shot at you because you said you stole this question, but I love how the narrative has changed for Mullen. Previously, it was he couldn't beat LSU, Auburn, Bama or Arkansas. Then he couldn't beat a top 25 team. And now he can't beat a team that finishes with 9+ wins.

 

[drt7891]

I disagree, I think LSU is our best chance of those 3 teams.

However, OM will either play lights out (I see this narrative that they are "under attack" fueling them), or they will be lackluster team. With Chad Kelly, they will still produce a lot of offense.

Bama will likely destroy us in the trenches again.

LSU, I think, will be our best matchup.

 

[drt7891]

Yea, you are right, it has changed. I do think there is some validity to it, though. We are going on 9 years without a win vs Bama and OM (Freeze era) has given us fits. We match up terribly with them.

 

[johnson86-1]

With all the questions this team has (o-line, QB, RB, secondary, defensive coordinator), can This team win the big game?

Looking at LSU, Bama, and OM particularly.

I also realize Mullen has won big games before, but I'm talking about winning the big game against teams he doesn't have much success against, historically... That go on to win 9+ games.

Stolen from BSR.

No. Usually when a team pulls a big upset, it's because their playmakers step up and the favored teams makes some mistakes that can be taken advantage of. I still don't see us as having the playmakers to beat a good team this year while also having a lackluster OL. We may beat UM, but if we do it will not be seen as a big win. UM will likely struggle this year and by the time we get to them, their record, with an additional loss from us, will not make the win look good.

This is a year where Mullen really needs to prove that he's a win the ones your supposed to kind of guy. We'll have a lot of games that can go either way. If we win the ones we should, I think that will put us at 6 wins. Then just have to pull one or two toss ups against Auburn, Arky, and UM (I think A&M, unless they implode, will again prove to have too much talent for us, even if they look like dog **** for much of the year).

 

[kired]

I don't know --- I kind of like our offensive playmakers. We know what we got in Ross. Need Gray to take that next step. Dear has tons of potential. Myles just needs to stay healthy. And Holloway can break a big play anytime he touches the ball.

We've got some good looking young guys on defense - Bryant, Green, McLaurin, Peters. I worry about DL and CB. But we've got some guys that can be game changers.

I feel like overall this team is more talented than our 2012, 2013, and 2015 teams to start the season. Our OL doesn't have top notch talent, but they have a lot more experience than we started with last year. We've got to figure out what to do at RB. We've got so many guys there it's time to pick one not named Shumpert to be the featured back and go with him. Screw trying to get playing time for all of them.

 

[KingBarkus]

I think the season hinges on 3 home games. A&M, Auburn, and Ark. Win all three and we have a good year. Lose all three, and each fan base of these teams believes their team will win, and we have a tough year. Btw, I think we lose all 3 the OP mentioned.

 

[fishwater99]

With all the questions this team has (o-line, QB, RB, secondary, defensive coordinator), can This team win the big game?

Looking at LSU, Bama, and OM particularly.

I also realize Mullen has won big games before, but I'm talking about winning the big game against teams he doesn't have much success against, historically... That go on to win 9+ games.

Stolen from BSR.

Not this year. His only really good wins came in 2014 beating 3 teams that finished 8-5 LSU, Auburn and A&M.

 

[johnson86-1]

I don't know --- I kind of like our offensive playmakers. We know what we got in Ross. Need Gray to take that next step. Dear has tons of potential. Myles just needs to stay healthy. And Holloway can break a big play anytime he touches the ball.

We've got some good looking young guys on defense - Bryant, Green, McLaurin, Peters. I worry about DL and CB. But we've got some guys that can be game changers.

I feel like overall this team is more talented than our 2012, 2013, and 2015 teams to start the season. Our OL doesn't have top notch talent, but they have a lot more experience than we started with last year. We've got to figure out what to do at RB. We've got so many guys there it's time to pick one not named Shumpert to be the featured back and go with him. Screw trying to get playing time for all of them.

I like a lot of our offensive playmakers and some of our defensive ones, I'm just not sure any of them are the type of playmakers that can swing a game by themsleves. Dear I think is the closes; I'm just not sure how often we can get him the ball. Ross I don't think can do it b/c we don't have the QB and OL he needs. Holloway can break one or two big plays a game, but with our line, unless our D is just dominant, we really need a RB that can pound and move the chains unaided, basically a Boobie at his peak, a I don't think we have that. We do have a lot of playmakers, so we could piece together a big game, but that's asking a lot of a new QB to be able to distribute the ball like that. Maybe with really, really, good and creative playcalling which I don't feel like we've seen from Mullen lately. LSU 2014 game is the best, recent game I can remember.

On D, with the question marks we have at CB, I think we really need a disruptive, dominant DL, preferably DE to step up in order for the D to swing a big game against one of the elite teams. I like most of our D; I'm just not sure we are going to be disruptive enough to protect our CBs.

 

[drt7891]

The biggest questions in my mind are can we produce points on offense and can we get a stop when we need it on defense. i know that's deep and profound, but if we can't do either of those things despite pressure, we will struggle to win games.... And we certainly won't be beating Bama, OM, or LSU if we can't do both those things very well.

 

[Go Budaw]

There is a legitimate chance that this will be 2012 all over again. We could easily go 9-3 without beating a Top 25 team. And by that, I mean a team that finishes in the Top 25. Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Texas A&M will be lucky to win 7 or 8 games at most, and I expect at least 2 or 3 of those teams to not be bowl eligible. We also have 4 of those 5 at home. Who knows how many games BYU will win, but I don't think they would be more than a 6 win team in the SEC at best. OM, Bama, and LSU will all be Top 15, all on the road and I expect us to be double digit underdogs in all 3 games. The rest are cupcakes that we should handle easily.

 

[ezsoil]

I believe this team will be a great defensive team and if the offense allows the QB to run they will have a chance to win 10 games.

 

[BossDawg78]

Nerp...

And nobody else at media days thinks so either - picked last in West, yet again.

Mullen is a good coach, but when it comes to the "big" games it's almost as if a loss is a given with Mullen. You can see it in him and the team, it's like they have resigned to the fact they're gonna lose, so why really try. Not sure what it really is, but I don't see him beating UM this year, and certainly not Bama and LSU, again.

.....and I hope like hell I'm very, very wrong about that.

 

[ronpolk]

And nobody else at media days thinks so either - picked last in West, yet again.

Mullen is a good coach, but when it comes to the "big" games it's almost as if a loss is a given with Mullen. You can see it in him and the team, it's like they have resigned to the fact they're gonna lose, so why really try. Not sure what it really is, but I don't see him beating UM this year, and certainly not Bama and LSU, again.

.....and I hope like hell I'm very, very wrong about that.

That's just crap. He's won big games. LSU, auburn and A&M 2 years ago were huge games. Very big games. Arkansas last year was a big win. On the road against a team that had just beaten auburn, OM and LSU.

 

[tired]

I think our o-line will be better than some of y'all think. My main concern is running back. I like the things I've heard about Sirmon & what he brings to the D. Can Mullen get out of his way?

 

[BossDawg78]

That's just crap. He's won big games. LSU, auburn and A&M 2 years ago were huge games. Very big games. Arkansas last year was a big win. On the road against a team that had just beaten auburn, OM and LSU.

Yup, those wins were nice and all, considering Mullen has beat LSU and TAMU just once each. It's kind of embarrassing to even bring up the LSU win since that's all Mullen has done against Miles. Arkansas? That's not really "big". Mullen damn near lost to them last year, although they were a decent team. Freeze and the Egg Bowl, too. I didn't even want to bring that up, but...

ETA: I guess what I'm saying is, yeah, Mullen has won a handful of "big" games, but his odds to do so aren't all that promising.

 

[Palos verdes]

I disagree, I think LSU is our best chance of those 3 teams.

However, OM will either play lights out (I see this narrative that they are "under attack" fueling them), or they will be lackluster team. With Chad Kelly, they will still produce a lot of offense.

Bama will likely destroy us in the trenches again.

LSU, I think, will be our best matchup.

LSU will **** us up pretty bad in Baton Rouge this year. It's not a good situation for young Fitz and Co. We missed our chance to get them two-in-a-row last year. We'll regret that.

 

[the dog is on the loose]

I really don't "feel" it at all this year. If we could win seven games this year that would be a great season in my mind. Those that think we might beat lsu and ole miss must have forgot that those are away games. I don't see that happening. I just think that this team is one big question mark right now. To me DW is not QB material and as much as I like Holloway I can't see how Mullen thinks he is a feature back. To me fitz is the starter hands down.

 

[ronpolk]

Yup, those wins were nice and all, considering Mullen has beat LSU and TAMU just once each. It's kind of embarrassing to even bring up the LSU win since that's all Mullen has done against Miles. Arkansas? That's not really "big". Mullen damn near lost to them last year, although they were a decent team. Freeze and the Egg Bowl, too. I didn't even want to bring that up, but...

ETA: I guess what I'm saying is, yeah, Mullen has won a handful of "big" games, but his odds to do so aren't all that promising.

I don't disagree with your last part. I get he's lost way more big games than he's won but I just don't think it's accurate to say he has not won any.

 

[Palos verdes]

Auburn, A&M and LSU in 2014 were Dan's biggest wins. AU and A&M were both top 10 teams coming into DWS. Those two losses changed the scope of the season for one, if not, both AU and A&M.

 

[Shamoan]

If the big game constitutes someone other than Kentucky, South Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, aTm, Vanderbilt, or a struggling auburn, I suspect the answer is no.