The Big 3 Report by Jason “Gator” Pigott
(Gator's Take Season Record: 4-3)
USM will begin a two game road trip on Saturday by traveling a short distance south on I-59 for a
date with the Tulane Green Wave in the Superdome. After receiving another week off due to Hurricane
Ivan, the Eagles are more than anxious to get back on the field. An extra week off may seem like a
luxury on the surface, but it could just as easily become a detriment. Any momentum gained from the
upset win over Nebraska will have to be rekindled in a place that, lately, has not been so kind to all
that wear and support the Black & Gold. Though the Eagles have dominated the series (18-7 Record),
Tulane has won 2 of the last 3 games played in the Dome.
The Eagles are led by QB, Dustin Almond and by an experienced offensive line. The offensive unit
struggled against Nebraska (as do most), but did enough to win. More importantly, they didn't commit
the “big mistake” late in the game and allowed only one sack against one of the nation's best defenses.
This week, the Eagle offense should be able to open things up a little more against their C-USA rival.
Tulane's defense is…well, (how can I put this) not Nebraska . Actually, the fact that the two were
mentioned in the same sentence would probably offend any Husker fan that may stumble upon this
article. In fairness, the Green Wave is young on the defensive front. Six true freshmen will see action
on a regular basis. SS, Tra Bogar, leads the defensive secondary. The Green Wave defense was torched
in week one in a 28-7 defeat at MSU, but looked better against Florida A&M (Div.1-AA) a week later.
In the 39-19 win over the Rattlers, the Tulane defense recorded 11 sacks but still allowed almost 400
total yards of offense.
Offensively, Tulane is capable of putting up good numbers each week but has been inconsistent early on.
This unit will only get better as QB, Lester Ricard (LSU transfer) and RB, Jovan Jackson become more
comfortable in their roles as starters.
Gator's Take: This is a situation where the Eagles could stub their toe if they don't show up ready
to play. After reviewing their schedule (at S. Florida, vs. Houston ), they shouldn't be looking past
their rivals this weekend. However, after playing and winning on national television in their only
game thus far, followed by being idle last week, the possibility of a letdown lurks.
Be careful here…
The Ole Miss Rebels notched their first win of the season last week with a come from behind 26-23 victory
in overtime against Vanderbilt. An injury riddled Rebel defense was shredded for three quarters by the Vandy
ground game, but came up with a couple of big stops in the 4 th quarter to give the offense a chance.
New QB, Ethan Flatt delivered a solid performance statistically (21-32, 187 yards), but more importantly
displayed his leadership ability. Trailing 23-10 in the second half, Flatt led the Rebels on three consecutive
scoring drives to force the game into overtime. Barring injury, it appears that Flatt will be the Rebel's signal
caller the rest of the season.
Flatt completed half of his passes to WR Bill Flowers but will be without his favorite target this week.
Flowers is out with a lacerated kidney. The injury occurred late in the 4 th quarter against Vanderbilt and
will keep him out of action for at least one game.
This week, Ole Miss will head west to face the Wyoming Cowboys (1-1) of the Mountain West Conference.
After demolishing Div.1-AA Appalachian St. 53-7 in their opener, Wyoming wasn't quite as fortunate last
week at Texas A&M. The Aggies held the Cowboys to a mere 181 total yards in the 31-0 rout.
There is some talent on this Wyoming team that returns 13 starters from last season. Senior QB Corey Bramlet
is a dangerous passer and has a couple of explosive targets to throw to. Redshirt sophomore WR, Dustin
Pleasant leads the team with 20 receptions and junior WR/KR Jovan Bouknight leads the MWC in all-purpose
yards and has game-breaking ability. The Rebel secondary will have their hands full trying to cover these two
if Bramlet has time to throw the ball downfield.
Gator's Take: Tough call here. The Rebels struggled more than I thought they should in the win against Vandy,
but during their comeback I could see the team starting to come together. This game means more to the Wyoming
program than it does to the Rebels and it will show early on. The Cowboys will strike early, and another 2nd
half comeback will be needed from Cutcliffe's crew if they are to escape with a win.
REBELS 29 Cowboys 24
The Bulldogs came up short at home last week losing to Maine 9-7. The loss was a bitter pill for head coach
Sylvester Croom and his team to swallow, and rightfully so. State controlled the game on the field and on the
stat sheet, but not on the scoreboard.
Offensively, the Bulldogs easily moved up and down the field all night. But, once inside the red-zone, futility
took over. Three turnovers inside the Maine 20-yard line allowed the Black Bears to have an opportunity to
win in the 4th quarter with one lucky drive. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened.
Perhaps the only effort that was more futile than the Bulldog's red-zone offense vs. Maine , was Pat Summerall's
attempt to pronounce T. J. Houshmandzadeh (Cincinnati Bengals, WR) during Sunday night's broadcast on ESPN.
This week, State will be fortunate to enter the red-zone as the Dogs travel to Death Valley in Baton Rouge to take
on the LSU Tigers.
LSU has dominated the Bulldogs in recent years and will be looking to rebound after the 10-9 loss to Auburn last
week. Before the season started, I thought MSU would have an upset opportunity here, but not anymore. My thinking
was that LSU would come into this game undefeated and be looking ahead to road games at Georgia and at Florida
in the following weeks, thus leaving them vulnerable. Instead, the storyline will read “wrong place at the wrong time.”
Gator's Take: Due to poor QB play and numerous injuries, LSU has struggled on offense this year. An opportunistic
State defense could make some plays and stay in the game for a while and have a chance to win much like Maine
did a week ago. Notice, I said “could” and not “will.” Consider the following before buying into the Dogs stopping
LSU theory: the Saints “could” win the Super Bowl this century; the NHL “could” be missed by someone living south
of Minnesota ; John Kerry “could” remember what he said yesterday…you get the idea.
TIGERS 63 Bulldogs 14