Whichever Way You Look At It, They're All Traps

Let's be honest, this game on August 31, 2006 is definitely one of those that if you are a South Carolina fan, when kick-off starts, you grab your balls really really tight and hold on to them for dear life until the buzzer sounds in hopes that your gamecocks are victorious. And at the end of it whether you win or lose, you just go ahead and get blitzed that night anyways!

In his first two years, Sylvester Croom worked to implement a system with players he inherited from the previous staff. As he enters his third year at Mississippi State, he finally has a roster that features mostly players he recruited. "Two years of 3-8, this is the last time for that. I've been patient, and my patience has worn out. When I came here, I knew it was going to take time to build a positive attitude. Now, I'm tolerating nothing. Anybody or anything that gets in the way of us winning is going to get eliminated," stated Croom. The Mississippi State Bulldogs have 5 returning starters on the offense and 7 returning starters on the defense. Well actually, you can say that have 6 on the offense returning and 8 defensive starters returning becuase of all the stupid cowbells which add an extra person on the field.

Quarterback Michael Henig knows the success of Mississippi State's offense begins with him. And to be the type of player he wants to be, understanding the West Coast offense is priority No. 1. Henig's had two years to grasp the schemes and has a far better understanding of what coach Sylvester Croom expects. One of the biggest surprises last year was the improvement of the defense, which went from last in the SEC in total yards allowed in 2004 to eighth in 2005. Let's keep in mind, even though this team went 3-8 last year, they made significant improvement throughout the season. They defeated Ole Miss 35-14 the last game of the season which was at Ole Miss.

This is a scary game for the gamecocks yes indeed. This is what I like to call a "trap" game. Which my definition is a game where if you win - FINE, you're suppose to, but if you lose - OH NO, that kills your season already. With Sylvester Croom saying "Anybody or anything that gets in the way of us winning is going to get eliminated," I gotta believe him. Someone better tell Blake Mitchell to bring some earplugs because the cowbells will be ringing and screaming on that Thursday night!

On August 31st, what happens when South Carolina visits Mississippi State? Mississippi State wins by 1-7 points South Carolina wins by 1-7 points South Carolina wins by 8-14 points South Carolina wins by 15-21 points