Zemek on Officials in Bama-Mississippi State: The SEC protecting its bellcow?

Three-keys-Mississippi State

The Mississippi State Bulldogs probably weren’t going to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide no matter what they did on Saturday… but they at least could have gotten a fair shake from the officials.

They didn’t.

By Matt Zemek

There are plenty of calls which can reasonably be viewed as 50-50 calls. They are bang-bang plays which could go either way. There are plenty of other calls which certainly appear to be one thing more than the other, but aren’t 100-percent clear-cut and would not rate as atrocious calls if they were missed. Bad calls, but not “that official needs to be fired!” types of calls.

Then… there are those very kinds of officiating mistakes, the obvious plays which are 100-percent evident and yet are wrongly called. Such were the penalties called on Mississippi State just before halftime when the Bulldogs were trying to come back from an early deficit against the Crimson Tide.

The SEC protecting its bellcow? The home-cooking effect in which referees are afraid to make a call against Bama in Tuscaloosa? Whatever you want to call it, Mississippi State got the short end of the stick. It is something that the Bulldogs and head coach Joe Moorhead need to internalize throughout the coming offseason – not in a way which makes them bitter or frustrated or unhappy, but in a quiet and determined sort of way, something which leads the team to resolve to itself, “We have to be much better than the competition in order to win,” or “We have to earn the big-dog status Alabama has.”

The Bulldogs need to take their experience against Bama this past weekend and turn it into long-term motivational fuel. In the meantime, let’s see what they do against Arkansas.

1 – REMAIN PHYSICAL

The MSU defense performed as well as it possibly could have against Alabama. The Bulldogs hit Tua Tagovailoa again and again. They were relentless, effective and alert, tending to assignments but bringing a punishing style which earned Alabama’s lasting respect. This defense has been the backbone of the team all year long. The week after that very physical and taxing effort against Alabama, MSU has to make sure to be able to play with similar force and power this week. This theme blends into the next one:

2 – NO HANGOVER

This is a classic hangover game, against a low-end opponent the week after the game against the No. 1 team in the country which got the whole roster fired up. Mississippi State also has the Egg Bowl coming up against Ole Miss, so this is not only a hangover threat game, it is also a trap game. It is so easy to imagine the Bulldogs either thinking about the game they just played… or the one they will play next week. Moorhead hasn’t coached the week before the Egg Bowl yet. He must get and keep his players’ attention. If he can, that’s a good sign for the future.

3 – NO BUSTS

No busted coverages in the secondary on deep pass plays. MSU has a physical defense which should be able to win rugged battles at the line of scrimmage. The game can get away from the Bulldogs only if they commit severe lapses, and that mainly means giving up the big play.

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