Spring Break
Croom's time has come
Mr. Excellent
Paul Kimbrough
The Mississippi State football program needs a new direction. MSU is on the verge of yet another losing season. Barring a massive upset in Tuscaloosa over current No. 1 Alabama, ending a nine game losing streak against Arkansas, and retaining the Egg Bowl for the first time since 1999, State will miss the postseason for the seventh time since 2001.
Five years ago, head coach Sylvester Croom inherited one of the most difficult coaching jobs in the nation. The program was on NCAA probation. Fan interest in the program was at an all-time low. MSU lacked SEC caliber talent at many starting positions. MSU surrendered 42 points per SEC game in Jackie Sherrill's last year. In Croom's first year, State improved to only giving up 25 points per game, and they have improved each year. The offensive production is obviously the problem.
The play calling has been questionable. MSU's first touchdown against Kentucky was from a 29-yard pass. The Bulldogs did not test the Wildcat's deep pass defense again.
Cries in the student section have grown louder in recent weeks to move the program in a different direction. The offense ranks 115th in scoring. The defense has not saved the team as it did last season. Coach Croom has often said in his press conferences that the team is just not executing or that the Bulldogs win if MSU had made a single one of 10 or 15 plays. Croom is right.
While on paper the team is better than the early 2000s Bulldogs, Croom cannot get MSU to make any of those plays, and the Bulldogs again find themselves cellar dwellers. Croom's ball control offense has failed. The Bulldogs do not get enough first downs or hold possession long enough to make up for the lack of a big play threat.
Croom has collected nine SEC wins in five years. This year is being reported as a down year for the SEC, and MSU has only mustered a win over an overrated Vanderbilt team.
Remember last season how the Bulldogs were annihilated at home by Louisiana State and at West Virginia. South Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas each completely dominated MSU for a half. The eight-win season masked the fact that the team was again not SEC level.
State fans will remember the late '90s when Sherrill put together four straight winning seasons. State fans will remember coming so close to being crowned SEC champions in 1998 when State led the eventual National Champion Volunteers 14-10 midway through the fourth quarter before two quick touchdown passes from Tee Martin stole a 24-14 win. Bulldog fans will remember the 1999 season when MSU built an 8-0 record and finished with the best national ranking of a team from Mississippi in a generation.
Sherill's late '90s success was once in a generation. Last season was only MSU's 15th eight-win season in its 100 year football history. The Bulldogs' two 10-win seasons are the fewest in the SEC West.
In 2004, Croom had tremendous obstacles to overcome to succeed at MSU. The losses are piling up and the Bulldogs are toying again with mediocrity. It is hard to be a successful football coach in Starkville, but it is possible and MSU must not accept this mediocrity.
Paul Kimbrough is a senior majoring in biological sciences. He can be reached at pbk8@msstate.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 21
Mr. Reb
posted 11/07/08 @ 10:13 AM CST
I think you should keep him.
He's doing a fine job.
C.J. LeMaster
posted 11/07/08 @ 10:29 AM CST
The last time we won against Ole Miss in Oxford was actually 1998, not 1999.
And the headline of this article is misleading. He says the program needs to be taken in a different direction, but at no point in the article does Kimbrough assert directly that Croom should be fired. (Continued…)
Melissa Swan, MSU Alumni and Proud Croom Supporter
posted 11/07/08 @ 10:52 AM CST
I am writing in response to the article in 11/07/08's opinion column about the advocated firing of Coach Croom. Coach Sylvester Croom happens to be the greatest Man and Coach in the SEC!! He cares about his players ON and OFF the football field!! Yes, he wants them to win games, but he also wants them to be winners after college football!! When Croom wins games, everyone seems loves him, but the minute the team loses, he is the most hated man on the MSU campus!! Not only is Coach Croom concerned what plays are made on the field, he is also concerned with what decisions the players make in life!! I am honored and humbled to have him as our Head Coach and I think that the players will agree with me!! Coach Croom, thank you for your genuine concern about our players!! I have the greatest respect for you and will continue to support the MSU Football Team!!
Ryan
posted 11/07/08 @ 1:15 PM CST
I have deep respect for Croom too, but there comes a time when we have to weigh the pros and cons. There comes a time when fans have had enough mediocrity and west coast offense which does nto seem to work in the SEC. (Continued…)
Five Years
posted 11/07/08 @ 4:04 PM CST
Croom is an absolute joke. He has been here five years and has one winning season (which was a complete fluke i might add.) we got so lucky last year. (Continued…)
Rebnstarkvegas
posted 11/07/08 @ 4:23 PM CST
How can anyone want to fire "Bear Jr". This is the greatest coach of all time, in the history of football. We can't fire him, he just needs 5 more years, please god don't fire the Bear Jr. (Continued…)
Adam
posted 11/07/08 @ 10:10 PM CST
I am sick and tired of everyone and their uneducated opinions. How about you do a history check on our program? Apparently you haven't, let me educate you, we are historically, let's just say not one of the winningest teams in SEC history. (Continued…)
John
posted 11/07/08 @ 10:29 PM CST
I think Coach Croom is doing a good job. You can always question the play calling, but what it comes down to is execution. Croom is not on the field executing the plays. (Continued…)
Manny
posted 11/08/08 @ 12:16 AM CST
"Let the guy get some talent here, we will be significantly better next year"
I hear this argument all the time. You are aware that Croom and his staff are directly responsible for the talent, right? Why will next year bring this mysterious talent? Yes, it's harder to recruit to MSU, but it has been done. (Continued…)
Paul, the writer
posted 11/08/08 @ 8:26 AM CST
Wow, thanks for all the interest in my article.
Here is a little more MSU history that I found in doing my research:
State has finished in the top 3 of the SEC only 7 times in 75 years (1940, 1941, 1957, 1980, 1981, 1998, 1999) So its obvious that top tier conference success at MSU is really only a once a generation thing. (Continued…)
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