Mississippi State Preview: We’re Talkin’ ‘Bout Practice

It’s funny…when you ask coaches what they think about qualifying for a mid to lower tier bowl, the first thing they usually say is, ‘it’s going to be nice to practice for another couple of weeks.’

Never that ‘we’re looking forward to traveling’ to Shreveport or Nashville…or Memphis or Birmingham (now with the new SEC tie-in to the Papa John’s Bowl).

With as many freshmen as the Hogs have played this season, perhaps no one in the SEC would cherish the extra work more than the Razorbacks.  So in the words of current NBA star Allen Iverson, “Practice?  We talkin’ ’bout practice, man?”  Yep…you bet we are.

With the Razorbacks two victories shy of extra practice time, Bobby Petrino leads the Hogs into Starkville to rumble with Mississippi State (3-7), before hosting LSU in Little Rock.  The Bulldogs are coming off a hard-fought 32-7 loss to #1 Alabama, while the Tigers escaped by Troy, 40-31, after trailing 31-3 in the second half.

Mississippi State was eliminated from bowl contention last week as they struggled to put up points against the stout ‘Bama defense.  Surprisingly, after 10 games the Bulldogs continue to sit last year’s starting quarterback Wesley Carroll for diminutive junior college transfer Tyson Lee (5-11, 180).  Hog fans got an up-close view of Carroll last season when he torched the Razorbacks in Little Rock for 421 yards and four TDs in a 45-31 loss.

The Bulldog defense has been schizophrenic all year: holding Auburn to 3 points in a 3-2 loss, then giving up 34 to a bad Tennessee offense.  Wide Receiver Derek Pegues is a dangerous return man.

Coach Petrino is uncommittal on which Dick brother may start at quarterback.  Nathan mopped up at USC after Casey suffered a concussion.  If healthy, look for Casey to start.  Believe it or not, he still gives the Hogs the best chance to win…and keep practicing.

CBSSports.com BlogPoll Ballot — Week 12

We have resisted moving Florida to the top spot since they have one loss…but no more.  After completely embarrassing a top-ranked defense in South Carolina (56-6), there is little doubt (at least, in our mind) who has the best overall team.  The Alabama sputtering offense sees them losing ground.

You can see the complete BlogPoll over at CBS Sports.com.

Here’s the RazorBloggers ballot for this week:

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CBSSports.com BlogPoll Ballot — Week 11

We must be the last one on the Texas Tech bandwagon.  The Red Raiders move up accordingly after their 56-20 thumping of Okie State.  Pirates rule!!!  Got a chance to see Ball State play for the first time last week and they have a nice little team.  So we’re finally giving them some props, too.

You can see the complete BlogPoll over at CBS Sports.com.

Here’s the RazorBloggers ballot for this week:

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly — South Carolina

Some random thoughts after watching the South Carolina game.

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South Carolina 34, Arkansas 21

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Carolina takes advantage of miscues

South Carolina scored on its first two possessions of the game and added another score to open the second half on its way to a 34-21 win over Arkansas on Saturday in front of 80,290 at Williams-Brice Stadium.

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South Carolina Preview: By The Numbers

The Hogs’ offense will be severely tested on Saturday against Ellis Johnson’s Gamecock defense.  Bobby Petrino matching wits with his first choice for defensive coordinator should be quite a show.  I expect the game to be a defensive struggle.  Their defense is great…ours is improving rapidly.

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