You’ve probably heard some version of the phrase, “Things will get worse before they get better.” I’ve always considered it apocryphal, a bit of pseudo-logic that helps us deal with hard times.
And while I’ve never understood how anyone could take any comfort in the knowledge that a situation will continue to deteriorate, I guess, for some, there’s solace to be found in the fact that once things hit rock bottom, the bounce will be worth it.
Over the next few weeks, Mississippi State football fans are going to find out whether any of that is true. The Bulldogs are barrelling toward their worst season since at least 2003, and things are about to get really bumpy.
Later this week, MSU will travel to Austin in preparation for facing the Texas Longhorns on Saturday afternoon at Darrell K. Royal Texas-Memorial Stadium. The No. 1 Longhorns are hosting their first-ever SEC football game, and more than 100,000 screaming fans clad in the ugliest shade of orange this side of Knoxville will no doubt be in full throat, ready for their debut on the big stage.
Adding injury to insult, the Bulldogs will be without the services of quarterback Blake Shapen, who will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury he suffered last week against Florida. In his Monday press conference, head coach Jeff Lebby confirmed that freshman Michael Van Buren would get the start but that redshirt freshman Chris Parson would also play. Starting running back Keyvonne Lee is also out with an injury and could be out “awhile,” according to Lebby.
Texas has a quarterback controversy of its own, with junior Quinn Ewers back at practice after missing the last game and a half after an injury. If Ewers can’t play – and, frankly, why risk it? – waiting in the wings is redshirt freshman Arch Manning, the nation’s No. 1 recruit in 2022 and grandson of Mississippi legend Archie Manning. Really dodged a bullet there, huh?
After that, a bye week and then a trip to Athens, Georgia, to face the No. 2 Bulldogs. Have you no sense of decency, SEC schedule-makers?
Fan reaction that I’ve heard and read over the past few weeks seems to be split two ways: blind optimism and existential dread. The first group, which includes message board denizens and those close to the program, are confident that Lebby is the right man for the job and is laying a foundation for the future. The second group, mostly composed of the social media commentariat and even some veteran sports writers, believe, well, the sky is falling.
I’m here to tell you, they’re both wrong. Maybe the Pollyannas are right and Lebby is the guy, but with the gap between the haves and have-nots in college football widening every year, there’s not much time for a rebuild. After all, the transfer portal and its promise of increased NIL money are only ever a click away. If the arrow isn’t pointing up by the end of this season, top recruits are going to start looking elsewhere. As for the Chicken Littles, they just don’t understand their history. Since first fielding a team in 1895, Mississippi State has lost more games than it’s won. The Bulldogs’ all-time SEC winning percentage is just .357 with one conference championship (1941).
So, if you’re a Mississippi State fan born before 2014, you’ve never really been concerned with wins and losses. You certainly celebrate the wins, but you’re already an expert at coping with the losses. 2024 is the season to embrace what you’ve practiced for so long. Each Saturday, the sun will rise. There’ll still be student-athletes, resplendent on sun-splashed fields, donning the same maroon and white you’ll likely be wearing. Every game will still have a winner and loser, produce statistics and storylines and generate conversation throughout the week. And while those results won’t be what you wished they were, you’ll get up the next Saturday and do it all over again. So will they. It’s tradition and ritual. It’s as true as anything could ever be.
You know what else is true? Saturday is going to be painful. But there’s always hope that things will get better.
Philip Poe is sports editor.
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