Triple Option Attack: Week Four College Football Review

By E. Marcel Pourtout, Editor

Time for another edition of the Triple Option Attack where we highlight the highs and lows of college football in the Southeast from this past week.

First, music to listen to in honor of my team of the week:

Team of the Week:

Heading into LSU and emerging with a victory is never easy but that’s exactly what Mississippi State was able to achieve with a 34-29 win.

It was the Bulldogs first win over the Tigers since 1999 and the first time they emerged with a victory in Baton Rouge since 1991.

Mississippi State took a 34-10 lead early in the fourth quarter before LSU mounted the late comeback attempt to make it close.

Three important conclusions from this contest:

1. This was only Dan Mullen’s third win over a top-25 team pushing his overall record against those teams during his tenure in Starkville to 3-22. I heard slight whispers of dissatisfaction among some Mississippi State fans about the state of the program. I can guarantee in my lifetime and probably my future children that a national championship will not come to Mississippi State, especially with the current state of the SEC West. However, a victory like this could possibly lead to a double-digit wins campaign this season. Its possible because the Bulldogs have a veteran team and stout defense led by Chris Jones that held the Tigers to only 89 yards rushing. Mississippi State also has the best quarterback in the SEC.
2. You read that correctly. I know Nick Marshall at Auburn led his squad to an SEC title last year but if I was starting a team with a quarterback from the conference, my choice would be Dax Prescott from Mississippi State in a landslide. All he did against LSU on the road was throw for 268 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 105 yards and another score. He’s the dymamic playmaker that Mullen’s offense has yearned for years. If things break right for him, he might be a top-10 finisher in the Heisman voting.
3. Until LSU can find a way to consistently throw the ball down the field, this will be their peak under Les Miles. Winning around 10 games a year shouldn’t be considered a bad thing but that what we seem to see from the Tigers the past few years. I flip on my TV on Sundays and see LSU alumni all over the screen during NFL contests. Defensive backs, linemen on both sides of the ball, even running backs. Talent has never been a problem for LSU. Getting solid quarterback play has been. Watching that game last Saturday, none of the Tigers’ QBs inspired much hope. Anthony Jennings, Brandon Harris and who ever else was put in there couldn’t produce when it mattered the most.

Bad team of the week: East Carolina is a decent program that’s produced some talented teams in the past (WAR Jeff Blake!). However, there’s no reason for North Carolina to go into Greenville and get curb stomped 70-41. Giving up 789 yards of total offense will cause that to happen. I like Pirates’ quarterback Shane Carden just as much as the next guy but there’s no excuse to allow him to throw for 438 and four TDs.

Other notes from around the Southeast:

• Our homebase of Atlanta is home to Georgia Tech and the lack of interest in the program within the sports community for the Yellow Jackets’ football team has been alarming at times. There are a myriad of reasons for this which will be broken down in another post but it was good to see my Twitter feed filled with positive Georgia Tech thoughts when it earned the road win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.We did an awesome recap of the contest here. The victory pushed the Yellow Jackets to 4-0 on the season and they have a bye before hosting Miami in two weeks on primetime TV.
• My Jameis Winston thoughts deserve their own column but the lack of intelligence I’ve seen from him has been disturbing. He’s a grown man. Once you reach his age and status socially, the innocence is gone. His antics will most likely cost Florida State from getting another national title.
• No ACC team will emerge from this season undefeated. Outside of Syracuse, Wake Forest, Virginia, North Carolina and probably Boston College, I could make a case for every other team in the conference making the title game and once you get to Charlotte, anything can happen.
• Duke may be the second-best team in the ACC and that statement could be made with a straight face.
• Keep Deshaun Watson at quarterback Clemson and you can still potentially reach 10 wins.
• During the Auburn/Kansas State game, if Nick Marshall could have completed at least two more long passes, the Tigers would have won by double-digits…easily.
• Florida is on its way to a seven-win season. I’ve never believed in Jeff Driskel as an above-average quarterback. He’s been overrated since the start of his career. The Gators’ defense can only do so much.

Those are my thoughts, what are yours?