On this #SnowBowl12 eve....a thought back to that magical season....

[vhdawg]

....remember how we were in the driver's seat in the SEC West at 7-2 (4-2) and then lost the last two games and instead of playing Florida again in the SEC Championship for either a Sugar Bowl berth or probably another Cotton Bowl, we instead got sent to Shreveport? Yeah, that was awesome.

 

[dawgstudent]

3 out of my 4 years in Starkville we controlled our own destiny going into our last 2 SEC games (Arkansas and OM). 1997, 98 (won the west) and 2000. the one year we didn't - we started off 8-0.

 

[NCDawg.sixpack]

Biggest choke job ever was against Arkansas, a team that was blown out the previous week against Tennessee, and had numerous injuries, including their starting QB. Terrible job by Sherrill getting his team ready to play that day.

 

[Seinfeld]

Assuming you're talking about the icy game from hell

Biggest choke job ever was against Arkansas, a team that was blown out the previous week against Tennessee, and had numerous injuries, including their starting QB. Terrible job by Sherrill getting his team ready to play that day.

That was the most miserable I have ever been after an MSU football game in my life. Bitter cold, sleet coming down, and we lose at home on a failed 2-pt conversion try in OT. Then, I get to watch the entire Arkansas team trotting around the field in pure joy while 5-6 of them run to midfield and do the dawg pound rock in front of all our fans.

From that day on, 17 Arkansas 4 life.

 

[maroonmania]

That was the most miserable I have ever been after an MSU football game in my life. Bitter cold, sleet coming down, and we lose at home on a failed 2-pt conversion try in OT. Then, I get to watch the entire Arkansas team trotting around the field in pure joy while 5-6 of them run to midfield and do the dawg pound rock in front of all our fans.

From that day on, 17 Arkansas 4 life.

I was indeed miserable. In fact, I remember that Dicenzo Miller took a swing pass on our end of the field and ran all the way down to the Arkansas 5 with only a few seconds left in regulation for us to, in typical MState fashion, have the FG blocked that forced the game into OT.

 

[NCDawg.sixpack]

Yeah, and Nutt called Tubberville after the game and said they had taken care of State and the conference west was theirs (Auburn). I never had any confidence in Sherrill's coaching ability after that game.

 

[Seinfeld]

Good lord, I had completely forgotten that part. My roommates and I had about 15 people that were staying with us that weekend, and I literally had to go to my room after the game and shut the door for about an hour just so I could regain my composure. I'm not a fighting man but if someone had messed with me on that night, I probably would have broken a beer bottle over his head.

 

[Maroonthirteen]

Actually, was the kick blocked? I recall the hold being mishandled and Westerfield kicking it into the centers butt. Which with that weather, a good snap and holdwa extremely difficult.

Yeah, that season.....two big wins over Florida and Auburn and two very disappointing losses to end the season. Thank goodness for the Snowbowl.

 

[KurtRambis4]

I think

you are right, in that the hold was botched. Man that may be one of the worst games I have ever attended.

 

[Nauti Dawg]

....remember how we were in the driver's seat in the SEC West at 7-2 (4-2) and then lost the last two games and instead of playing Florida again in the SEC Championship for either a Sugar Bowl berth or probably another Cotton Bowl, we instead got sent to Shreveport? Yeah, that was awesome.

Two things that stand out in my memory of that season were Decinzo breaking 47 tackles on a TD run @ BYU, and after pushing USCe all over their field but in typical 'old man football' style, not scoring enough points to avoid losing on a fade route to a walk-on qb.

 

[Dawgzilla]

Actually, was the kick blocked? I recall the hold being mishandled and Westerfield kicking it into the centers butt. Which with that weather, a good snap and holdwa extremely difficult.

Yeah, that season.....two big wins over Florida and Auburn and two very disappointing losses to end the season. Thank goodness for the Snowbowl.

I don't think you can blame the weather, but, yeah, Westerfield's kick was "blocked" by our own center's butt.

I don't think I have ever been that cold at a game, particularly a game that I was properly prepared for. There have been some games where I was quite uncomfortable because I did not bring the right clothes, but for that game I had my best ski gear on and still couldn't keep warm.

 

[Dawgzilla]

We actually had a lead of at least 9 points in each of our losses that year. It would have been double digits against USC but for a failed XP. Led LSU by 14 at the start of the 4th quarter, led ARkansas 10-0 at the half, and led UMiss 16-0 in the second quarter. Defense really failed that season, while the offense was easily the best Sherrill ever fielded, and finished third in the SEC in both scoring and total yards.

 

[DowntownDawg]

The actual day MSU football began to die was against LSU in Death Valley and surrendering a big lead against an average LSU team. Joe Lee ceased to be invincible at that point. Arkansas was the bigger nail, but that was the first real indication to me. We had a couple of last gasps - the Snow Bowl being one - but 2001 and the next 8 years were quickly on us at that point. Man that is painful.

 

[patdog]

Yep. That game in Death Valley was the day MSU football died. Really, the Snow Bowl was the only positive from that day until we hired Dan Mullen.

 

[dawgstudent]

Unfortunately, Rob Morgan had graduated. Dicenzo was our holder that year and he was gassed after that play.