Some notes, thoughts, and observations from a road trip to Starkville to watch the Tigers earn a road win.
The concept of this Monday morning column is that it is similar to the classic beat reporter notebook – a dump of thoughts, stats, trends, and observations from the game before. But it comes from the fan’s point of view, and from afar, instead of a neutral reporter’s perspective with access.
Well, this week I got to be up close and personal, as for the second time this year I hit the road to see the Tigers play in person. My college crew tries to hit at least one road game a year, and we have been on a long run of in-conference futility. This was the first time we saw Mizzou win an SEC road game since Texas A&M in 2014.
(Reader, fret not about my jinxing abilities: I have at least attended wins at UConn, at UMass, in Faurot, and the Cotton Bowl last year.)
Starkville lived up to its friendly small town reputation. Friday afternoon we hit Little Dooey’s, the famous ‘cue spot in town. The meats were average but the sides were the highlight. Later that night we ventured downtown, but found it sparse for foot traffic on a Friday night.
Gameday was excellent, except for one complaint that I will get to. The campus was beautiful and made for a great “grab a few beers and walk around” experience. (Is there a term for that kind of peripatetic tailgating? There should be.) Like some other SEC schools with stadiums square in the middle of campus, MSU has a nice, grassy park-like area reserved for no-vehicle tailgating. It’s called The Junction, and it was a great scene, much like The Grove at Ole Miss or The Quad at Bama.
The in-game atmosphere was raucous, with diehard fans that were not quitting on a go-nowhere team that was also showing fight. It would have been easy for this team to roll over for November after Jeff Lebby’s first season failed to get off the ground, especially as injuries piled up. But they competed, and the partisans gave them their full-throated backing.
The in-stadium sound experience was brutal. The speakers were cranked far too loud, and far too often loud electric guitar licks or hip-hop bars filled the stadium. It sounded like a college bar, not a college game, and they should have let their band and natural noisemakers lead the charge here. Sure, the cowbells are annoying, but they are also part of the charm. (Their pregame hype video using the iconic SNL Will Ferrell “more cowbell” sketch was hilarious and well done.)
After a celebratory few drinks and a meal at the other bar district in the town, we retired for the night, content and thankful to have finally witnessed a Tiger road victory over a league foe.
Some other notes, from my seat about 20 rows away up…
—We likely only have one more game of Luther Burden III as a Missouri Tiger. His penultimate outing was memorable, with a show-stopping diving touchdown catch, along with a few other touches that left a string of Bulldog defenders in his wake. It’s been a joy having him on the team, and I’m happy to have seen him in person a few times.
—Marcus Carroll scored three touchdowns on Saturday. He matched that feat against UMass earlier this year, the other game I attended. Feels like I should have worked out some kind of incentive deal or NIL program. Someone fly me to Columbia this weekend?
—Dreyden Norwood stood out on Saturday simply by not standing out. Mississippi State clearly made a point of targeting the receiver not covered by Norwood, picking on Nick DeLoach and Toriano Pride. Norwood was targeted twice, and did not allow a catch, according to PFF charting.
—Drake Heismeyer has been doing really well since filling in for Connor Tollison, an injury I thought might be crushing to the offensive line at the time. The line was clearing huge holes in the interior for the run game, and Cook had a clean pocket. For the second year in a row, the offensive line is playing their best ball of the season down the stretch.
—Speaking of playing the best ball down the stretch, Johnny Walker Jr. has been a man possessed in November. He (and Eddie Kelly) took up residency in the Mississippi State backfield.