Coach Croom just spoke on the SEC teleconference this morning. I asked him about offensive coordinator Woody McCorvey‘s role this weekend at Louisiana Tech. McCorvey underwent an unspecified surgery last week and returned to the practice field Monday. He has not been in any meetings, per Croom’s orders, but has been able to study film at home.
“If he’s in our meetings tomorrow, I think that’ll help us get an idea exactly how we want to approach the game,” Croom said. “If he’s ready to go, he’ll call the game, otherwise I will.”
• Derek Sherrod update: Croom said how soon his left LT returns could depend on his pain tolerance. Sherrod is expected to return to practice Thursday, but if he doesn’t he won’t start. However: “If we wake up Saturday morning and he tells me he can play, we would definitely play him, but he would not start.”
• A writer from Arkansas was asking coaches what they thought about the idea of bringing in other teams for a preseason scrimmage, a la the NFL. “I think we have a good (practice) schedule). … We’re playing 12 games now anyway, I certainly don’t think we need to come in and bang heads with someone else,” said Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino. Croom was more receptive to the idea: “From a coaching standpoint, it would be a nice thing. The difference is, the media, the fans want to keep score, so it becomes another ballgame. If we could scrimmage somebody on our own, set it up like we want to, keep it closed, yeah, it’d be great.”
And here are a couple of nuggets from Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley‘s Monday press conference. I’m supposed to talk to him in a little while.
• On his young, thin WR corps: “Are they ready? They don’t look it, but we don’t have time. This is a little bit of a lab experiment.”
• On playing BCS schools: “These are the kind of games that we need to play, and these are the kind of games our program needs to play and embrace and enjoy. Because it does see where you are as a program.”
• His quickie scouting report of State’s offense: “They’re going to come out, they’re going to get in the I-formation, and they’re going to see if you’re man enough to stop them. Then they’re going to take their shots down the field.”
Inside Mississippi State Sports with Brad Locke 
August 27, 2008 at 12:10 pm |
We need bid daddy Sherrod, that boy has got NFL written all over him. Hope he can play. For the first time in my ife, I actually agree with Petrino, its just another way your team can get banged up, its a great idea and fun to think of until a big player gets hurt
August 27, 2008 at 12:46 pm |
Is La. Tech not a BCS school?
August 27, 2008 at 1:06 pm |
Coach Dooley should fire his scouts if he thinks State “takes their shots downfield.” Good idea but I missed that part of our offense lately.
August 27, 2008 at 1:19 pm |
First play vs Auburn last year. 40 yard pass down the right side almost complete. (yeah, I know)
August 27, 2008 at 1:20 pm |
almost complete, lmao
August 27, 2008 at 1:21 pm |
sounds like a rebel saying, “almost won”
August 27, 2008 at 1:24 pm |
Yeah, I kinda laughed when I wrote it. I thought “can’t believe I’m actually writing this”. But that was the playcall.
August 27, 2008 at 2:12 pm |
The WAC is not a BCS conference. OK, off to Starkville I go.
August 27, 2008 at 2:31 pm |
Our offensive “changes” make me think back to the Ameedeeville Horror. Up the middle, up the middle, up the middle, punt. Then, the occasional incomplete or picked off bomb. No misdirection. No trickeration. No mid-range passing, screens, bubble screens to Wr’s, no nothing. Just I-form. running and low percentage passing. As dull as dry toast.
August 27, 2008 at 5:29 pm |
MState is to ‘shots down the field’
as
Dickie Scruggs is to ‘making an honest living.’
August 27, 2008 at 7:53 pm |
lord i would love to see some bubble screens and play action roll outs to the tight end …running is going to get us where we are going but it would be nice to have something that resembled a passing game to get 8 people out of the box….but we will take our shot down field just to have them picked off or incomplete….we did that a lot last year…up the middle, up the middle, 3rd and 5…long incomplete pass…punt….especially between the forties…..
August 27, 2008 at 9:24 pm |
From where we have come, last year was a good year. NO, the offense didn’t light it up. SO WHAT!!! I myself choose NOT to assume that things this year offensively are going to be the same. People just don’t get that we haven’t had the talent that is needed to have a light it up offense. We play in the SEC and without the talent (that we are just now starting to get) you can’t open up the offense because things happen that happened in the LSU game. That was 6 picks if anyone remembers. Carrol is young and I want to believe that the coaches know what they are doing in keeping it a little conservative. I expect them to open it up a little more this year and am holding my judgement on the offense at least till I get to see it.
August 27, 2008 at 9:30 pm |
I guess my point is (and no one take this personal) that I am sick of hearing all this negativity about our offense when we haven’t had SEC type talent at State for most of Croom’s career. It’s easy to be a arm chair coach and say what we should and shouldn’t run but with the level of player we have had for CC’s first four years it just wasn’t gonna happen. This years class and the ’09 class are just a sign of things to come. We will be competitive and a team regularly challenging for the West.
August 27, 2008 at 10:19 pm |
I love the Running Game, but I want us to make the running game easier by throwing hitches and slants on 1st down to create 2nd and 6 or 2nd and 4. This game has me nervous because Techmobowl is good against the run, but weak against the pass. It’s time for us to stop being scary and break some of our tendencies to make running easier
August 28, 2008 at 7:26 am |
Almost time for football. Couldn’t focus on work if I tried. Even the 80 year old ladies that come in I find myself asking them…”So you think Croom will try to get Lee in early in the game?”
August 28, 2008 at 8:31 am |
i know!!…im sitting here staring at this general ledger not thinking about anything but how mad i am that i have a night class tonight and will miss part of the south carolina game….and sat cant get here fast enough!!
August 28, 2008 at 8:45 am |
Well said rwriffe! Relax and enjoy the show.
August 28, 2008 at 9:23 am |
Can’t wit til tonight!!!
SEC football, thats all I got to say. Just glad its not a Pac10 game or something.
rwiffe, I am being patient and optimistic as well, lets give em a shot in the first few games. I think we all might be surprised tis year. Atleast I hope to be 🙂
August 28, 2008 at 9:45 am |
ima, there is a pac10 game on too. Oregon st and stanford I think.
August 28, 2008 at 3:49 pm |
Don’t mean to sound preachy, I just am giving the staff the benefit of the doubt for now. If the offense doesn’t come around and show steady improvement then of course changes will need to be made. Like I said, last year was a Godsend for this program and CC deserves all he is getting. Can’t wait till Saturday night. Man, I can’t wait till tonight for the SC/NCSTATE game. Didn’t think I would ever be anxious to see a game that Spurrier is coaching that didn’t involve MSU. Everyone enjoy.
August 28, 2008 at 3:56 pm |
Oh, I meant to tell you all that I was digging into the bowels of the College Football front page on the MSNBC web site sports section and came across a story listed as “watch out for these four programs on the rise”. I thought to myself, could MSU be one of those teams and when I opened it, they were. Teams were, Stanford, Miss State, NCState and Michigan State. It said they all have bright futures and they had a little write up about each team. Pretty interesting. When I say in the bowels I mean way down the page but it is there.