Grading the UARK Game:

[Indndawg]

Atmosphere: A-it was electric and maybe even louder than the bells....Slive you've inadvertently made things rougher on opposing teams

Playcalling: B-it was good for what Relf could do, took some shots down field....got a little too conservative in 3Q

QB: B-Real Deal did a nice job managing offense and not making alot of mistakes, save the stupid, stupid fumble. Looked poised in pocket

Running Game: A- Pigs had were playing LB and S in pretty close so popping long runs were tough, but still Relf/Bullard were effective

OL: B minus-protected Relf pretty good most of the time on passes, still made some mental boo boo's that allowed too many neg plays

Special Teams: C -Not kicking deep enough continues to hurt and not getting more yards on KO returns hurts. Hutchins played OK, Kicking OK
Still thought we gave up too many yards on KO returns

Defense: C minus- We continue to do a poor job tackling at the first level, esp on the flanks. We did get pressure on Mallette and made some key stops. Still, the DL has trouble shedding blocks and moving toward the ball...especially laterally.

Don't know if its bad angles or lack of speed, but UARK broke way too many big plays.

Again, just a play or two from winning.

The play in OT, Ballard walks in untouched but aGAIN someone (probably a receiver) misses a block and he has to struggle and fumbles

Indn's Thoughts:
I've been to Memphis, UGA, and now this game.
This team is so improved from last year, which was so improved from the Croomerian Legacy. I'm still amazed at what good coaching can accomplish. While I'm pissed to not have won this game, the team has more than exceeded expectations and plays to win and not to lose.
We're still a few player-slots from being fully competitive every Sat in the SEC; but. we're not that far off.

OM game looks like a track meet, which means someone will win 9-6 on FG's

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

...and the Egg Bowl would springboard us into the Liberty Bowl or New Orleans Bowl or something like that. Dan Mullen and the staff has wrung all the talent out of this team that you could hope for. My hope is that we can keep this staff intact for another year, and maybe with better talent we can step up and take it to the next level.

 

[Indndawg]

its hard to change a team from a culture of losing to winning...I'm surprised its happened this fast

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

...two were Number One at one point. My biggest worry in the past was whether tMSU would get up for this game the way the Rebs usually do. Last year, it actually flipped from what I grew up seeing- tMSU coming out flat, listless, and overconfident, while Bear Tech would be fired up and playing to win.

The Bears, with an older, tired coach (Houston Nutt is reminding me of Jackie Sherrill circa 2001-3), a team with nothing to play for, a QB who's splitting campus the minute the game's over to smoke Chronic and steal laptops, errrrr, "Begin Working Out and Preparing for the NFL Combines", and State playing for a better bowl, I see a hard-fought, tough victory.

 

[Indndawg]

Many on here still regard Jackie as the Kang, but forget about those last few season, esp 03. His teams quit when they got down.
When Ark took that 10 pt lead, the 02-03 would be planning for the party....even Croom's teams fought (save for his last game).

 

[slickdawg]

Plus the complete lack of talent we have - 22 seniors, mostly Croom players, and only six of them start.

White, KJ, Sherrod, Brignone, McPhee and Henderson. Gatling, a walk-on ,has started a few games too. Two of these are Mullen recruits

The only WR Senior was Leon, a Mullen recruit. The rest are freshmen and sophomores

 

[Indndawg]

chutzpah to get in a modicum of decent recruits.

22 seniors....that's hard to fathom....22 seniors and only a HANDFUL start or see significant action.
Most of these guys were recruited during/after we won the EB in '07 (thanx again to Derek Pee-GAS) and still this is all would could get?

 

[FlabLoser]

Mullen said the center snapped the ball at the wrong time. Relf was going through his fake cadence (however that works) and the center snapped the ball. That threw everything off and the play never had a chance.

 

[Indndawg]

That play looked 17 from the beginning

 

[NorCalDawg]

...the team is doing better than I expected, too. At the beginning of the season I was looking at the schedule thinking we would be sitting on 5, maybe 6, wins before the egg bowl. I was delighted to be sitting at 7-2 going to Bama and already bowl eligible because knew that the last three games of the season we're going to be tough and could possibly be an 0-3 run. The last two losses were disappointing, but not unexpected. We played a great game against UPIG; just a couple of plays away from winning that one. The team has really grown up this year and I'm excited about the potential talent coming in and our prospects for winning next year. We're only losing 5 starting seniors, although I think Sherrod, Wright and White will be hard to replace. But, I have faith in the coaching staff and if they remain intact, then I'm thinking 8 wins, possibly 9 next year. GO DAWGS!!!