Tennessee, Mississippi State Set to Battle in Starkville

By CHRIS TALBOTT
Associated Press Writer

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi State has won four games in a season for the first time since 2000, beaten Auburn on the road and proven the rebuilding process is marching forward.

Yet, coach Sylvester Croom believes backers will be hard to find Saturday when No. 25 Tennessee comes to Starkville.

``Nobody's going to give us a chance to win,'' the fourth-year coach said.

``There's just an idea that Mississippi State can't do this.''

And looking at history, who could blame the doubters? The Bulldogs have had losing records in 13 of the last 20 seasons. Meanwhile, Tennessee has had four SEC championships and been ranked in 16 seasons of that span.

But Croom thinks the SEC might be different today.

``Anybody can beat anybody, and that's the thing I want our players to understand,'' Croom said.

Recent history supports Croom's theory. Except for No. 1 LSU, every SEC team has at least one conference loss at the season's midpoint. And eight teams are .500 or worse against league opposition.

The Volunteers have been a fine example of the up one week, down the next nature of the SEC. They were beaten soundly by then-No. 5 Florida 59-20 in a game some thought signaled Tennessee's fall from Rocky Top. But then Tennessee turned around and thumped then-No. 12 Georgia 35-14 last week in a game that was never close.

And even if Croom's theory doesn't hold up, there's the chance Tennessee could overlook the trip to Starkville with upcoming games against hated rival Alabama and No. 7 South Carolina.

``For us to overlook a team with a better record than we have would be silly,'' Vols quarterback Eric Ainge said.

Saturday's game - the first of three straight against ranked SEC teams for the Bulldogs - will feature strength against strength with Tennessee's impenetrable offensive line clashing against Mississippi State's active defensive front.

The Volunteers have allowed just two sacks in 193 passing attempts this season. That's best in the nation and has given Ainge, the SEC's top passer, plenty of time to complete 67.6 percent of his passes for 259 yards per game with only two interceptions.

The line also has led the Volunteers to 378 rushing yards in their last two games, including 190 against Georgia.

``I think they've got a physical line,'' Mississippi State defensive end Avery Hannibal said. ``They're willing to hit, on the pass they can go a long time. They seem like they're going to be probably the best offensive line we've faced.''

Mississippi State counters with a defense that uses pressure up front - most notably from end Titus Brown - to force mistakes. The Bulldogs have returned four interceptions for touchdowns this season, are tied for third in the SEC with 11 sacks and are sixth in the league in total defense, giving up 322.8 yards per game.

The Bulldogs complement the defense with a power running game meant to kill the clock and take the pressure off true freshman quarterback Wes Carroll and the team's foundering passing game. Carroll is one of three Bulldog quarterbacks who have started this season because of injuries. Original starter Michael Henig will be available, but won't start after a shaky performance last week coming back from a broken hand.

``It would be nice to be stylish and modern and be able to throw the football around, but that's not who we are,'' Croom said. ``So we're going to do what we do regardless of where we rank in passing stats.''

The last thing coach Phillip Fulmer wants is for the Volunteers to get caught up in the Bulldogs' offensive statistics. They're 12th in the league in passing offense with 133.8 yards per game, which has left them last in the league in total offense.

He said in some ways this week's game presents more challenges for the Volunteers than they faced a week ago in Knoxville.

``It's only natural for everybody to talk about last week or talk about the weeks ahead,'' Fulmer said.

``Mississippi State is a bit different than Georgia and in some ways a bigger challenge because of the experience they have up front. Mississippi State is a much more veteran football team and we're playing on the road.''

Source: ncaafootball.com; Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media