Contrary to pop music history, one is not the loneliest number.
Today, when the Associated Press releases its weekly poll, one will be a number Mississippi State and its emotionally exhausted fans will cherish.
The Bulldogs, who entered the game ranked No. 3 in the nation, jumped on No. 2 Auburn early, played through a bevy of self-inflicted wounds and came away with a convincing 38-23 victory that seems certain to vault MSU to No. 1 in the ranks, leap-frogging current No. 1 and defending national champion Florida State in the process.
Already holding its highest ranking in the program’s history, State has made a powerful argument for the No. 1 ranking.
Whatever claim Florida State may have on the top spot, it cannot match the Bulldogs’ resume through its first six games. The Seminoles cannot say that each of their six wins have come against teams that were unbeaten when they met them. That is a claim only the Bulldogs can make today.
Florida State certainly cannot lay claim to beating three teams ranked in the Top 10 on successive weeks, which is precisely what Mississippi State has done, beating then No. 8 LSU on Sept. 20, No. 6 Texas A&M last week and, finally, second-ranked Auburn, which lost for only the second time in its past 21 games.
Do the Bulldogs deserve that No. 1 ranking?
“I don’t’ have a vote,” said sixth-year Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen. “I guess if they did give me a vote, I would have voted for (MSU) six weeks ago.
“If that happens, I’ll think it’s the coolest thing in the world, but I’m still going to be at work (Sunday), grading this game film. They don’t give trophies for mid-term grades.”
True enough. But the Bulldogs have brought home a pretty good six-week report card, even if Saturday’s test had a few wrong answers on it.
In a game in which State turned turnovers into touchdown on Auburn’s first two possessions and then went 71 yards for another score to roll out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead, the Bulldogs spent much of the rest of the game fighting through its own miscues. The Bulldogs threw three interceptions and fumbled away a punt in the second quarter alone, yet managed to carry a 28-13 lead into halftime.
In the second half, after Auburn had closed to within a single score at 28-20, the Bulldogs scored 10 points in a 26-second span in the fourth quarter to extend its lead as a jam-packed crowd of 62,945 — the largest crowd ever to attend a football game in the state of Mississippi — clanged their cowbells and shook 100-year-old Davis Wade Stadium to its venerable old roots.
As the final seconds ticked off and the Bulldog players rushed to greet the student section behind the north end zone, MSU security dispatched several workers equipped with long poles, which they wedged against the turf to prevent any attempt to pull the goal post down by exuberant fans, something that happened last week in Oxford after Ole Miss upset Alabama.
But no such precautions were needed. The fans stayed put, content to celebrate in the stands. In the span of four weeks, the Bulldogs have gone from unranked to the pinnacle of the rankings, a dizzying, emotionally-draining ascent that has no precedent in MSU history.
So maybe the fans were simply too exhausted to rush the field.
Or maybe, they believe there are even bigger things ahead for this team.
“We haven’t accomplished anything yet,” said Mullen, who appeared to be trying to keep a lid on the expectations. “We’re only halfway through our season and less than halfway through our SEC schedule. There’s still more that we want to accomplish.
“But I like where we’re at. We’re right where wanted to be at this point.”
Right at the top, most likely.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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