Yes, if "45-35" was the iconic score for the chaos in the Big XII South in 2008, then "3-2" was its parallel for the offensive impotence of all but the best teams in the SEC.</p>
The participants in that slogfest, Auburn and Mississippi State, had struggled on offense for years. But this game was a new high. Auburn was 3-for-16 on third down, lost three fumbles and, of course, provided the Western Division Bulldogs their points by way of a safety. Mississippi State made sure those errors were relatively harmless, going a mind-boggling
0-for-14 on third down and rushing for 38 yards.</p>
This was particularly troubling in Starkville. After all, Sylvester Croom was an offensive coach, right? But when was his vaunted offense going to show itself.</p>
Whenever he fired coordinator and good friend Woody McCorvey, many Mississippi State fans insisted. The irony of Croom's situation was that
<font color="#11118B">he was apparently moving in that direction</font> when he, as the story goes, made the decision to step aside himself.</p>