If Merlin were still here

[MSUcoast]

We’d have a down year no matter what so let’s pump the brakes a little

 

[thatsbaseball]

Who said we wouldn't ?

 

[GloryDawg]

We have minimum 8 win season. Not that we are super good but we are better then 8 of the teams we play.

 

[Rupert Jenkins]

Exactly. 8 eins for sure. Maybe we can sneak an extra win when we get full strength

 

[TheStateUofMS]

Mullen lost to South Alabama...at home.

He would not have gotten Tommy Stevens or Shrader, so yesterday we would have played with Key and maybe we would have won, but I definitely could have seen us losing that game vs ULL if Mullen was the coach. Hell, he barely beat Miami (OH).

But a glaring weakness on this year's team is the DL and that's on Mullen for undersigning on the DL for HS prospects and over signing tight ends. Mullen got 4 or 5 HS DLs to campus (had a few not qualify and the rest were JUCOs) in the 2016 and 2017 class. One of those HS DL was Simmons which we all knew might only be here for 2 years.

For some reason, Mullen did not know how to manage a roster. He did the same with OL, with undersigning HS OL and some would never make it to campus. We signed 5 last year I think.

 

[Willow Grove Dawg]

I would still be repeating constantly “yeah but he is our dickhead”

Let Mullen leave dammit

 

[Drebin]

We’d have a down year no matter what so let’s pump the brakes a little

Even in down years we should handle sun belt teams.

 

[MSUcoast]

Never forget 2016

 

[Drebin]

Never forget 2016

That has no bearing on today. It doesn’t excuse anything.

By the way, we went 5-7 that year so it was pretty foreboding if you ask me.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

South Alabama is Sunbelt right? Miami (OH) is MAC...

He had struggles with La Tech (CUSA), UAB (CUSA) and Bowling Green too (MAC)....

OM destroyed us when they sucked too once or twice...

 

[Diggin Out Yo Wife]

If Merlin was still here we would be horrible. He bet everything on 2017 and 2018 in order to get out of town.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

Well this ULL team is a lot better than that USA team and we have TEN SUSPENDED PLAYERS. Other than that USA tight end, they had NO ONE that looked any good. ULL at least had a few dudes. We still won by 10 points.

I mean Taury Dixon had a "muffed punt" bc the ball bounced off his foot. Was he only in there because of the suspensions? I mean for 17's sake we miss a chip shot FG bc our damn Kicker is suspended for some reason. Wait, didn't he get a DUI?

Can't help but think Autry, Willie Gay and Marcus Murphy would have been a big help yesterday.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

Even in down years we should handle sun belt teams.

We did win.

We lost to USA at home on a rebuilding year under Danz.

We looked like **** but that game is over. Maybe we should wait for a game or two before we resign ourselves to a ****** season.

Players have improved before.

 

[Go Budaw]

Even in down years we should handle sun belt teams.

False. We’ve had plenty of both up and down years where we have certainly not “handled” Sun Belt or similar level teams.

2010 - UAB
2011 - La Tech (OT)
2012 - Troy
2013 - Bowling Green
2014 - UAB
2015 - USM
2016 - USA (L), UMass, Samford, Miami OH
2017 - UMass

Pretty much all of those games were relatively in doubt in the 4th quarter, just like yesterday.

 

[OrrDawg]

We would have worn Mardi Gras colors. And lost.

 

[BoDawg.sixpack]

Merlin would have thrown his D-coordinator under the bus in yesterdays post game

That being said, ULL probably has the best O-line in the Sun Belt and has a great shot at winning their conference.

 

[missouridawg]

We have minimum 8 win season. Not that we are super good but we are better then 8 of the teams we play.

Are we really better than UK and KState? Luckily we get them both at home.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

False. We’ve had plenty of both up and down years where we have certainly not “handled” Sun Belt or similar level teams.

2011 - La Tech (OT)
2012 - Troy
2013 - Bowling Green
2014 - UAB
2015 - USM
2016 - USA (L), UMass, Samford, Miami OH
2017 - UMass

Pretty much all of those games were relatively in doubt in the 4th quarter, just like yesterday.

Don't forget we lost to BYU too

 

[Rupert Jenkins]

Good lord....our very young defense had a few hiccups, we gave them one touchdown off a simple mistake. We were short handed on the O line and still had over 200 yards rushing and almost 200 thru the air. Considering our situation I dont think it was too bad. I think Jomo is doing a good job, our receivers have improved, quarterback has improved and Kylin is rolling. Be happy for 17s sake.

 

[Drebin]

False. We’ve had plenty of both up and down years where we have certainly not “handled” Sun Belt or similar level teams.

2011 - La Tech (OT)
2012 - Troy
2013 - Bowling Green
2014 - UAB
2015 - USM
2016 - USA (L), UMass, Samford, Miami OH
2017 - UMass

Pretty much all of those games were relatively in doubt in the 4th quarter, just like yesterday.

None of those are excusable. We are a perennial 8-4 team in the SEC. Our athletic budget is bigger, our facilities are better, and we recruit better. We should never, ever struggle with Sun Belt opponents. That we have before is not an excuse to accept it the next time. It's a warning sign to get your **** together.

 

[RocketDawg]

False. We’ve had plenty of both up and down years where we have certainly not “handled” Sun Belt or similar level teams.

2011 - La Tech (OT)
2012 - Troy
2013 - Bowling Green
2014 - UAB
2015 - USM
2016 - USA (L), UMass, Samford, Miami OH
2017 - UMass

Pretty much all of those games were relatively in doubt in the 4th quarter, just like yesterday.

We also lost to Troy State in 2000 or 2001. Didn't Alabama lose to Louisiana Tech in Saban's first year?

 

[Diggin Out Yo Wife]

We also lost to Troy State in 2000 or 2001. Didn't Alabama lose to Louisiana Tech in Saban's first year?

He’s talking about recent history, specifically Mullen.

 

[RPOdawg]

If a down year at Mississippi state is 8 wins I’ll take it. We are winning 8 games, with a shot at 9. Y’all need to back of the ledge on this beautiful victory Sunday and thank God for our 4 OOC opponents and 4 putrid SEC opponents on our schedule. We are going to a bowl game in Florida and 10’straight bowl appearances. Sit back and enjoy.

 

[Bulldogg31]

These days EVERYBODY has players. EVERYBODY has facilities. EVERYBODY has dedicated Strength & Conditioning Staffs. EVERYBODY gets at least a piece of TV money because EVERYBODY is on TV for almost Every game.

The days of just waltzing in to some stadium and flashing the SEC logo on a jersey and expecting the other team to run and hide are over. It part of the reason Tennessee can’t get up off the mat. It’s part of the reason a team like Memphis expects to beat Ole Miss. It’s how Arkansas can lose to Texas State. How Missouri can lose to Wyoming. How South Carolina can lose to Citadel and on and on...

Here’s the bright side of yesterday...we’ve had MANY teams, including several in recent years, that would have found a way to lose composure yesterday and bring home an “L” from New Orleans.

I thought the new guys, the veteran starters and the transfers did a fantastic job of not letting silly mistakes, bad bounces, suspensions and injuries allow ULL to get their first ever SEC win, and I promise ULL busted their asses for 8 months because they thought we’d be their first win.

A win is a win these days, just gotta get the next one.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Tn, I believe Fulmer is part of the problem

He needs to exit (which I doubt)


Wyoming scores point and has had some sucess vs SEC

​

WYOMING VS. SEC TEAMS

​

W

​

L

​

T

​

Win %

​

PFPG

​

PAPG

Auburn 0 1 0 0.0 21.0 35.0
Florida 0 2 0 0.0 7.0 22.5
Georgia 0 1 0 0.0 9.0 16.0
LSU 0 3 0 0.0 12.3 36.7
Mississippi 2 0 0 100.0 30.5 23.0
Missouri 0 1 0 0.0 13.0 40.0
Tennessee 1 2 0 33.3 12.3 32.0

Plus the Mo. win yesterday.
​

 

[Go Budaw]

None of those are excusable. We are a perennial 8-4 team in the SEC. Our athletic budget is bigger, our facilities are better, and we recruit better. We should never, ever struggle with Sun Belt opponents. That we have before is not an excuse to accept it the next time. It's a warning sign to get your **** together.

Dude, you are saying its inexcusable if we don’t do a certain thing every time, when we have only historically done that thing about 50-60% of the time (at best), even with really good teams. You have to have a basis for something being inexcusable with data and history to back it up. Do you think it was inexcusable every time that Shaq missed a free throw, too?

And its not just us. LSU lost to Troy two years ago....at home. And to UAB, at home, with freaking Saban. Alabama lost to ULM at home, also with Saban. Florida lost at home to GA Southern. UT just got their absolute **** pushed in by a GA State team that went 2-10 last year. Ark lost to North Texas last year. We lost to USA. OM has lost to Memphis countless times. Auburn went to OT (or close to it) against Jacksonville State a few years ago. Georgia beat 17ing NICHOLLS STATE by just 2 points a mere 3 years ago in Kirby’s first year. THOSE are things that are inexcusable. And for every one of those games, there are dozens of others where a solid SEC team showed up against a G5 team, didn’t play particularly well, but still toughed out a double digit win.

Regardless of resources, these are human beings we are talking about, and no one is invincible. Bad games and poor execution happen even to the best of teams against the worst of opponents. They happen more often in the first game of the season, they happen more often when breaking in a new QB, they happen more often on the road, and they happen more often when you have a **** ton of regulars suspended. We had all of those things going on yesterday. Cut them some damn slack.