Morning after thoughts.

[DesotoCountyDawg]

This was my first game back since Leach’s final season. The gameday ops seems much better. Getting into the stadium about 40 minutes before kickoff was a breeze.

The new lights are really great. It allows them to do some really neat things that get the crowd going and the 4th quarter light show etc is awesome. What’s not so good….the sound. It’s still horrible and sounds like Charlie Browns mom talking. It’s ok if no one is yelling or ringing but if there’s any crowd noise you’re not going to hear anything.

Ringing responsibly was a go last night. The bells would go silent and the yelling would start when the ball was about to be snapped. The crowd noise was getting to UT in the 4th quarter. My ears are still ringing this morning from the sound.

Shapen had a rough night but I can’t blame all that on him. His line left him out to dry so many times and he eventually was a bit shell shocked. He got obliterated on the scoop and score.

The running game was honestly a pleasant surprise. They found something that worked in the second quarter and really hammered it home…until the end of the game. More on that in a second.

The injuries really piled up and unfortunately it was a lot of key players. Reese getting hurt might have been the biggest. That completely changed the playcalling because State couldn’t run the ball effectively especially to his side after that. The playcalling on that last drive in the 4th quarter I think really was because they couldn’t run the ball. You have all 3 timeouts and almost two minutes. In a normal situation you can still run the ball there.

The UT fans leaving the stadium weren’t saying a damn word. Not a peep. They knew they escaped with a win. The ones behind us during the game were very complementary of the crowd and atmosphere. “I did not expect this. You guys in game are much more entertaining than at Knoxville.”

That’s all I can think of right now.

 

[Bneal]

I think I remember 3-4 “lookout” blocks to Shapen. Very concerned about injuries. I don’t know who all we lost on defense either. Team is gritty. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen that.

 

[MSTerritoryDog]

Be careful admitting that this is your first game in years. You may be accused as being “part of the problem.”

 

[Baddog11]

There are no moral victories when you’ve lost 13 straight SEC games in a row.

 

[ZombieKissinger]

A lot of times when we play good teams close, it feels lucky. This wasn’t that. We don’t have depth. We don’t have an O Line. But we played with them all night, and I wouldn’t be afraid to play them again

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Be careful admitting that this is your first game in years. You may be accused as being “part of the problem.”

Our tickets get used for almost every game by someone so they can take that narrative and shove it up their asş.

 

[bulldognation]

The only thing that evened things out for me today was this:
How does UT fan feel about that game?
Neither team got separation the entire game. UT clearly has better athletes, but that advantage was neutralized all game long. We found a way to counter and stayed neck and neck for the ENTIRE game.
We haven’t turned the corner yet, but I feel better about this team being able to compete from wire to wire. And that’s something I haven’t felt in a while.

 

[Anon1749038494]

The difference in the game was both sides of the line of scrimmage. We’re not there yet. We really really missed Will Whitson last night, just could not get a pass rush and then as you said injuries just piled up. Obviously we don’t know the extent of them but we’re going to limp into College Station next weekend.

 

[Shmuley]

I’ve seen enough to discern that this collection of misfits will compete well enough to be in some games. Just enough talent to make it interesting and fun. Lebby is surrounded with enough coaching experience to navigate challenges. Realistically there is nothing completely unexpected that could derail his third year on the horizon. It would take the “live boy, dead girl” scenario to block a third year.

Year three will be the deciding factor. Fix both lines and get to 7/8 wins or else.

 

[hatfieldms]

Last night was also my first game in years. Great experience all around.
And this team will be in a bowl this year. We are night and day from what we were last year

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Also another thought:

There were multiple times in that game last night they could have just laid down and quit but they gritted through it. I think Lebby has found a group of players that have truly bought in.

 

[Dawgbite]

Be careful admitting that this is your first game in years. You may be accused as being “part of the problem.”

Football and farmers schedules don’t mix. He’s got a legitimate excuse.

 

[MSTerritoryDog]

My family goes to at least one game every year, and I’ve definitely seen noticeable improvements in the fan experience.

I would have loved to see us walk away with that victory last night. I’m not a believer in moral victories, but it’s a heck of a lot easier to build momentum off of an OT loss to a top 15 team than it is 30 pt loss to that same team.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I’ve seen enough to discern that this collection of misfits will compete well enough to be in some games. Just enough talent to make it interesting and fun. Lebby is surrounded with enough coaching experience to navigate challenges. Realistically there is nothing completely unexpected that could derail his third year on the horizon. It would take the “live boy, dead girl” scenario to block a third year.

Year three will be the deciding factor. Fix both lines and get to 7/8 wins or else.

Throw the kitchen sink at NIL for linemen.

 

[Ranchdawg]

Throw the kitchen sink at NIL for linemen.

That is tough because that is the strategy at all the high dollar programs!

 

[Anon2444666666]

 

[615dawg]

I appreciate the guys like DCD who are fans but work the land. We have a lot of them. My dad would listen to games from the seat of a tractor quite a bit.

 

[hatfieldms]

after last night I am all in on Lebby and this staff. Those guys play hard and even though we were outmatched we were in it until the end. Just gassed

 

[hatfieldms]

Football and farmers schedules don’t mix. He’s got a legitimate excuse.

This.

We bought DCC’s extras last night and sat with them. Great family.

I have also gotten basketball tickets from him before. There’s no doubt they

 

[Shmuley]

I appreciate the guys like DCD who are fans but work the land. We have a lot of them. My dad would listen to games from the seat of a tractor quite a bit.

My childhood memories of state football involve Jack on the radio while my @$$ helped my dad and grandad cut and haul firewood. And watching closely for yellow jackets. Those b@$tards love them the smell of some red oak.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

This.

We bought DCC’s extras last night and sat with them. Great family.

I have also gotten basketball tickets from him before. There’s no doubt they

Had a blast. That was a lot of fun.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Be careful admitting that this is your first game in years. You may be accused as being “part of the problem.”

Reminds me of a song. If I’m the problem…

 

[ckDOG]

Lebby and crew can coach a little. We need to upgrade the trenches significantly before we can get an idea of what the ceiling can be. I'm optimistic again.

 

[hatfieldms]

And even though I am only all conference on here he stilled allowed us to sit with them. That’s how the heisman around here are supposed to act. Bringing us young bucks along

 

[MSTerritoryDog]

Reminds me of a song. If I’m the problem…

Ha. Yep. My family is good for one game/year. I’m not criticizing anyone for their attendance record; think everyone has to make the best decision for their situation/families. I was merely pointing out that some on this board will challenge their fandom if they openly admit to less than perfect attendance. Not sure if that came across as obvious or not.

 

[thatsbaseball]

This was my first game back since Leach’s final season. The gameday ops seems much better. Getting into the stadium about 40 minutes before kickoff was a breeze.

The new lights are really great. It allows them to do some really neat things that get the crowd going and the 4th quarter light show etc is awesome. What’s not so good….the sound. It’s still horrible and sounds like Charlie Browns mom talking. It’s ok if no one is yelling or ringing but if there’s any crowd noise you’re not going to hear anything.

Ringing responsibly was a go last night. The bells would go silent and the yelling would start when the ball was about to be snapped. The crowd noise was getting to UT in the 4th quarter. My ears are still ringing this morning from the sound.

Shapen had a rough night but I can’t blame all that on him. His line left him out to dry so many times and he eventually was a bit shell shocked. He got obliterated on the scoop and score.

The running game was honestly a pleasant surprise. They found something that worked in the second quarter and really hammered it home…until the end of the game. More on that in a second.

The injuries really piled up and unfortunately it was a lot of key players. Reese getting hurt might have been the biggest. That completely changed the playcalling because State couldn’t run the ball effectively especially to his side after that. The playcalling on that last drive in the 4th quarter I think really was because they couldn’t run the ball. You have all 3 timeouts and almost two minutes. In a normal situation you can still run the ball there.

The UT fans leaving the stadium weren’t saying a damn word. Not a peep. They knew they escaped with a win. The ones behind us during the game were very complementary of the crowd and atmosphere. “I did not expect this. You guys in game are much more entertaining than at Knoxville.”

That’s all I can think of right now.

Good summary. Thanks

 

[Dawgbite]

My childhood memories of state football involve Jack on the radio while my @$$ helped my dad and grandad cut and haul firewood. And watching closely for yellow jackets. Those b@$tards love them the smell of some red oak.

You’re lucky. My dad and neighbor cut firewood in July so it’d be dry enough to burn by the time Jack came on the radio.

 

[HotMop]

Our tickets get used for almost every game by someone so they can take that narrative and shove it up their asş.

If you sell them cheap enough on StubHub of course they are. ***

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

If you sell them cheap enough on StubHub of course they are. ***

I don’t put them on there for conference games because I don’t want to take the chance they get bought by away fans. I get someone on here or family or friends.

 

[paindonthurt]

The only thing that evened things out for me today was this:
How does UT fan feel about that game?
Neither team got separation the entire game. UT clearly has better athletes, but that advantage was neutralized all game long. We found a way to counter and stayed neck and neck for the ENTIRE game.
We haven’t turned the corner yet, but I feel better about this team being able to compete from wire to wire. And that’s something I haven’t felt in a while.

This. Every time they scored to go ahead or have something good happen we battled back.

Anyone still talking **** about Lebby should literally go pound sand and then take a swift kick in the nuts.

 

[retire the banner]

The only thing that evened things out for me today was this:
How does UT fan feel about that game?
Neither team got separation the entire game. UT clearly has better athletes, but that advantage was neutralized all game long. We found a way to counter and stayed neck and neck for the ENTIRE game.
We haven’t turned the corner yet, but I feel better about this team being able to compete from wire to wire. And that’s something I haven’t felt in a while.

Not sure I agree with “UT clearly has better athletes”. I’ve seen this said several times and it’s not what I saw nor does really make sense. Do they have more depth? Yes. Are they better in the trenches than us? Yes, we are still a year away from solidifying our OL/DL. But not sure when you’re comparing RB rooms, secondary, WR’s what I saw from Tennessee was “clearly better”. If that were the case, we should’ve been beaten pretty handily. Heupel has proven to be a good HC and has a good staff around him, so I don’t believe the reason we could’ve won that game was because Lebby and staff were just coaching circles around UT. Give our players more credit. We have some legit SEC guys out there, just need another year to build depth and line of scrimmage.

 

[paindonthurt]

I’ve seen enough to discern that this collection of misfits will compete well enough to be in some games. Just enough talent to make it interesting and fun. Lebby is surrounded with enough coaching experience to navigate challenges. Realistically there is nothing completely unexpected that could derail his third year on the horizon. It would take the “live boy, dead girl” scenario to block a third year.

Year three will be the deciding factor. Fix both lines and get to 7/8 wins or else.

If he wins 6 games next year we aren’t firing him. FACT.

 

[cowbell88]

A lot of times when we play good teams close, it feels lucky. This wasn’t that. We don’t have depth. We don’t have an O Line. But we played with them all night, and I wouldn’t be afraid to play them again

They don’t want to play us again!

 

[Perd Hapley]

A lot of times when we play good teams close, it feels lucky. This wasn’t that. We don’t have depth. We don’t have an O Line. But we played with them all night, and I wouldn’t be afraid to play them again

That’s kinda what I thought. I didn’t think we could be in a game like that without coming out way ahead in the TO battle. Tennessee gave us a few, we gave them a few. It all came out in the wash.

Holding them to 20 offensive points in regulation was impressive, and it was encouraging to see us shut down their running game for the most part. But the team with the most talent is going to win 80% of the time. The team with the most talent and the best QB is going to win 99% of the time. Tennessee had both, and it was still a heavyweight bout. Pretty encouraging.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

When the smell in a drinking cup doesn't get mention, we might be heading the right direction.

Did the band uniforms meet with your approval?

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Not sure I agree with “UT clearly has better athletes”. I’ve seen this said several times and it’s not what I saw nor does really make sense. Do they have more depth? Yes. Are they better in the trenches than us? Yes, we are still a year away from solidifying our OL/DL. But not sure when you’re comparing RB rooms, secondary, WR’s what I saw from Tennessee was “clearly better”. If that were the case, we should’ve been beaten pretty handily. Heupel has proven to be a good HC and has a good staff around him, so I don’t believe the reason we could’ve won that game was because Lebby and staff were just coaching circles around UT. Give our players more credit. We have some legit SEC guys out there, just need another year to build depth and line of scrimmage.

This is the first time I’ll agree with you. Talent wasn’t our issue last night.

 

[T-TownDawgg]

My childhood memories of state football involve Jack on the radio while my @$$ helped my dad and grandad cut and haul firewood. And watching closely for yellow jackets. Those b@$tards love them the smell of some red oak.

Good Lord. PTSD post^^^
Apparently in my family, the only time to cut firewood was on sunny, 93 degree late summer/early fall days.

To this day the smell of fresh cut Red Oak gives me sunburn, sweats, blistered hands, splinterd fingers, phantom wasp sting/ant bites, dehydration, and an aching back. Good times.

 

[Pookieray]

This was my first game back since Leach’s final season. The gameday ops seems much better. Getting into the stadium about 40 minutes before kickoff was a breeze.

The new lights are really great. It allows them to do some really neat things that get the crowd going and the 4th quarter light show etc is awesome. What’s not so good….the sound. It’s still horrible and sounds like Charlie Browns mom talking. It’s ok if no one is yelling or ringing but if there’s any crowd noise you’re not going to hear anything.

Ringing responsibly was a go last night. The bells would go silent and the yelling would start when the ball was about to be snapped. The crowd noise was getting to UT in the 4th quarter. My ears are still ringing this morning from the sound.

Shapen had a rough night but I can’t blame all that on him. His line left him out to dry so many times and he eventually was a bit shell shocked. He got obliterated on the scoop and score.

The running game was honestly a pleasant surprise. They found something that worked in the second quarter and really hammered it home…until the end of the game. More on that in a second.

The injuries really piled up and unfortunately it was a lot of key players. Reese getting hurt might have been the biggest. That completely changed the playcalling because State couldn’t run the ball effectively especially to his side after that. The playcalling on that last drive in the 4th quarter I think really was because they couldn’t run the ball. You have all 3 timeouts and almost two minutes. In a normal situation you can still run the ball there.

The UT fans leaving the stadium weren’t saying a damn word. Not a peep. They knew they escaped with a win. The ones behind us during the game were very complementary of the crowd and atmosphere. “I did not expect this. You guys in game are much more entertaining than at Knoxville.”

That’s all I can think of right now.

I just walked in the door from the game. Stayed in Starkville with daughter and SIL after the game. Other than the sound I was going to basically say the same thing. I'm don't have the best hearing and I didn't sit in a seat, I stood on the walkway on the rail and the sound was ok best I could tell. In game atmosphere was awesome, game was a good, I had no complaints other than we lost to a better team and I thought we had the win 5 min to go. They players never gave up. I agree losing Reese IV hurt, a lot. I never saw him come back onto the sidelines so he may be done. Never say Work in the game and I thought after seeing him last year he was going to be good. Is he still hurt??

 

[Pookieray]

There are no moral victories when you’ve lost 13 straight SEC games in a row.

I disagree, 13 games ago we weren't competitive, now we are and I expect that we will be in the next 7 with chances to win at least 2.

 

[Shmuley]

Good Lord. PTSD post^^^
Apparently in my family, the only time to cut firewood was on sunny, 93 degree late summer/early fall days.

To this day the smell of fresh cut Red Oak gives me sunburn, sweats, blistered hands, splinterd fingers, phantom wasp sting/ant bites, dehydration, and an aching back. Good times.

I’d give anything to hear my Grandad say one more time, “Quit complaining’, son. You’re gonna get two heatins’ outta this wood.”