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Question about the wishbone at State

Wesson Bulldog

Wesson Bulldog

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I think I pretty well know the answer to this, but after Bellard's first three or four years with Bond and Company running the wishbone, how were we not able to keep being successful running it his next couple of years? And everyone just adjusted to it defensively, or was he not able to recruit the correct athletes to keep running it?
 
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blacklistedbully

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I'm not 100% on this, but I seem to recall we suffered some especially bad and/or critical injuries those years.
 
Maroon13

Maroon13

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His recruiting sucked. He ran out of Tyler's players.

I will say that 82 team was decent. They just played a tough schedule. I remember the campus game vs UGA was a heavy weight back and forth game.

I will give him credit for Don Smith though.
 
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Maroon Eagle

Maroon Eagle

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IMG_8859.jpeg

Some Underrated reasons: State played the Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Orange Bowl/Mythical National Champions in the month of October in ‘83.

Georgia replacing Vandy in the conference rotation meant two losses in consecutive seasons.

Oh. Guess what? No 1-AA games that season or in ‘84.

We didn’t schedule well at all.
 
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blacklistedbully

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Also, in '82 we lost 6 games, 4 of which were to #'s 4, 14, 17, and by 17 pts @ Miami who won the NC the following year and had at least 18 players who went on to play in the NFL. A 5th loss was to a damn good USM that also beat ranked Bama @ Bryant-Denny, lost by just 2 pts at #14 Auburn and lost by just 7 pts to #10/13 FSU. Only 2 losses total where we weren't competitive.

'83 team lost 8, of which 5 were to #1 NC Miami, #3 AU, #4 UGA, #6 UF & #12. Talk about a tough schedule!

'84 team lost 7, 3 of which were to #'s 3, 14 & 19. Lost 3 games by 4 pts or less.

'85 team lost 6, 3 of which were to #'s 5, 13 & 20. But only 1 of those 6 losses was close.
 
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bulldoghair

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Bulldog Bruce said:
Too many schools with better athletes were running it. Defenses were designed to stop it and got plenty of practice defending it. And finally the offense rarely used the passing option back then so it became too stale.
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Exactly. Now, if committing and reverting back to it, would be going against the grain and being different again. Football seems to eventually run in a circle. There’s only so much under the sun. Look at the high school level in Mississippi who are all now running the wing t successfully again.
 
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MSUGUY

MSUGUY

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Wesson Bulldog said:
I think I pretty well know the answer to this, but after Bellard's first three or four years with Bond and Company running the wishbone, how were we not able to keep being successful running it his next couple of years? And everyone just adjusted to it defensively, or was he not able to recruit the correct athletes to keep running it?
Click to expand...
John Bond left.
 
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Villagedawg

Villagedawg

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Wesson Bulldog said:
I think I pretty well know the answer to this, but after Bellard's first three or four years with Bond and Company running the wishbone, how were we not able to keep being successful running it his next couple of years? And everyone just adjusted to it defensively, or was he not able to recruit the correct athletes to keep running it?
Click to expand...
To be fair it was about 2 years with Bond. We weren’t great in 82 or 83. I think it was players. I remember people even questioning if Bond should still start. Sounds familiar doesn’t it. Fans can be something else.
 
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DAWGSANDSAINTS

DAWGSANDSAINTS

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Wesson Bulldog said:
I think I pretty well know the answer to this, but after Bellard's first three or four years with Bond and Company running the wishbone, how were we not able to keep being successful running it his next couple of years? And everyone just adjusted to it defensively, or was he not able to recruit the correct athletes to keep running it?
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Combination of both.
Other teams out recruited us, more of a Power I shift, elite athletes at WR opened up the passing game, all helped start the downfall of State all the way to the beginning era of JWS in 1991
 
Wesson Bulldog

Wesson Bulldog

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Who would have been better choices back then? I was too young to keep up with recruiting and don't have any idea who are good running backs in the state where at that time.
 
Bulldog Bruce

Bulldog Bruce

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Villagedawg said:
To be fair it was about 2 years with Bond. We weren’t great in 82 or 83. I think it was players. I remember people even questioning if Bond should still start. Sounds familiar doesn’t it. Fans can be something else.
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John could run. John couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat in the middle of the ocean concerning his passing.
 
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L4Dawg

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Wesson Bulldog said:
I think I pretty well know the answer to this, but after Bellard's first three or four years with Bond and Company running the wishbone, how were we not able to keep being successful running it his next couple of years? And everyone just adjusted to it defensively, or was he not able to recruit the correct athletes to keep running it?
Click to expand...
It was lack of talent more than anything.
 
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AROB44

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Bullard was a really great person as well. My son was a freshman at State in 1980. He saw one of the best football teams in MSU history. I told him that he never paid his dues as a State fan.
 
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Maroon13

Maroon13

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I'm pretty sure v Alabama in 1983, was the first game Don Smith played. It was game 8.

State played tough. But the game got away in the end. Parenton relieved Bond for a series or two and threw a pick 6. Smith came in for one series and fumbled.

We sat in the south endzone of BD Stadium. It was nothing but the lower bowl then. Hard to imagine now. Alabama wore white helmets that game.

Smith was the starter in 84. He got banged up by the lsu game. Orlando Lundie played most of the game at QB. State won 16-14.
 
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Maroon13

Maroon13

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Good video of the wishbone and States toughness in those years. The air raid could never....

 
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HammerOfTheDogs

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Wesson Bulldog said:
I think I pretty well know the answer to this, but after Bellard's first three or four years with Bond and Company running the wishbone, how were we not able to keep being successful running it his next couple of years? And everyone just adjusted to it defensively, or was he not able to recruit the correct athletes to keep running it?
Click to expand...

Wesson Bulldog said:
I think I pretty well know the answer to this, but after Bellard's first three or four years with Bond and Company running the wishbone, how were we not able to keep being successful running it his next couple of years? And everyone just adjusted to it defensively, or was he not able to recruit the correct athletes to keep running it?
Click to expand...
Bellard couldn't recruit. When he ran out of Bob Tyler's players, it all went downhill.
 
DAWGSANDSAINTS

DAWGSANDSAINTS

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L4Dawg said:
The freshman year is correct, but I only remember Lundie playing much in one game when Smith was out hurt. Lundie bet a Top 10 LSU team almost by himself.
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Lundie started the 1984 game v LSU - his first start.
We shut them out in the 2nd half and kicked 3 FG’s - thank you Artie Cosby and won 16-14.
LSU fans in the lower level section by the M Club Bldg on the West side were throwing sugar cubes thinking they were going to win and go to the Sugar Bowl.
 
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L4Dawg

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DAWGSANDSAINTS said:
Lundie started the 1984 game v LSU - his first start.
We shut them out in the 2nd half and kicked 3 FG’s - thank you Artie Cosby and won 16-14.
LSU fans in the lower level section by the M Club Bldg on the West side were throwing sugar cubes thinking they were going to win and go to the Sugar Bowl.
Click to expand...
They were throwing some of them at me, especially after it was sure we were going to win. In fact, there were three of us students. At the end they were throwing BAGS of sugar cubes at us. Fun time! . I was on the sideline that day with a media pass. I was a student and that was the only time I ever scored one.
 
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