A Mississippi State University Football Team Assessment and Critique

Five years ago, Jackie Sherrill resigned as the head football coach at Mississippi State University. Sylvester "Sly" Croom, the running backs coach for the Green Bay Packers and a former player, captain, and assistant for head coach Bear Bryant of the University of Alabama, was hired as the new head coach at Miss. State.

At his first news conference at MSU, Croom indicated that it would take several years to build a football team that would be in contention for the Southeastern Conference title. He would have to recruit student-athletes with talent and character for he was going to establish the West Coast Offense (WCO), and the defense would be tough and fast.

Those statements just went right over most people's heads; they only knew MSU had hired the first black head football coach in the SEC. At that time, he had not evaluated the current student-athletes. Anyone who follows football knows that successful coaches evaluate their players and then tailor strategies accordingly.

As expected, the first three years resulted in three wins each year. The fourth year was successful, as they won eight games. MSU defeated Tulane, Auburn, Gardner-Webb, UAB, Kentucky, Alabama, Ole Miss, and, in a bowl game, beat the University of Central Florida.

However, those wins could be attributed to a solid defense, as the WCO rarely showed promise and put few points on the scoreboard. Even so, 2008 held high expectations with the momentum of eight wins and seasoned lettermen returning with a very good recruiting class.

So far, after four games in the 2008 football season, the MSU football team, particularly the WCO, has been a disaster. Offensive coordinator Woody McCorvey has been too conservative and predictable.

Against Georgia Tech, with the football on the on the 1-foot line, 48,000 fans and the entire defensive team knew Dixon was going to get the ball, and run right up the middle. They were all correct, as the defense converged on him for a loss. Also, habitually, on 3rd-and-long McCorvey has called for a two- or three-yard pass.

Croom announced that Wesley Carol would be his starting quarterback, again, against LSU, even though Carol had been ineffective for three of the four previous games.

In the Auburn game, Carol only completed 10-of-25 passes for 78 yards and one interception; Tyson Lee, the backup quarterback, did not even get into the game. Against GT, Carol was only 14-of-22 for 120 yards with two interceptions. He was replaced by Lee, who passed 27 times, completing 17 for for 179 yards and no interceptions.

During a press conference after the Auburn loss, a member of the media asked Croom why Robert Elliott, a running back, did not get into the game. Croom said that he would make sure that Elliott would get some playing time in the next game. He did, and made the only touchdown MSU scored against GT.

Croom later criticized his players to the press, which is poor leadership. He said he would reevaluate himself after their third loss; he should have been reevaluating his offensive coordinator years ago and made a constructive change.

MSU plays at Tiger Town against LSU Saturday, Sept. 27 and if the Bulldogs play their usual ultra-conservative WCO and rely on their defense to keep them in the ball game, then the Mississippi team, coaching staff, and fans will be embarrassed.

A fourth loss makes the remainder of the season doubtful. There is the probability of MSU only winning one more game. Coach Croom and his staff have recruited talented student-athletes who have shown great character and discipline. The coaching staff is responsible for preparing the team physically and mentally to compete at the SEC level, but they have not done so. The offensive game plans have been disasters and reflect directly on the coaching staff.

For Mississippi State University's football team to stand a chance of changing its current direction, the offensive coordinator has to be replaced.