The Wednesday Whatever: Answering the Absurd

“What happens if Mississippi State beats Alabama?”

This is a question that found its way into the For Whom the Cowbell Tolls facebook message inbox. It’s certainly a question. I have a few ponderings on what will happen should Mississippi State find a way to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide this year in the sport of football.

1. I will ingest several containers that hold adult beverages within them.
2. I will be very, very happy.
3. Mississippi State will get a lot of cool news media coverage.
4. Hell will have frozen over.
5. Pigs will fly.
6. We’ll watch the pigs fly while ingesting several containers that hold adult beverages within them.
7. We’ll probably put videos of the flying pigs on youtube or something and get tons of views.
8. The Monday afterwards will be declared a national holiday in 49 states.
9. People will stop criticizing Nick Fitzgerald (lol who am I kidding these folks are never satisfied).
10. Mississippi State will pay Dan Mullen $7 million a year, easily.

So, that’s what will happen if Mississippi State somehow beats Alabama. Can it happen? I mean, maybe. Will it happen? Probably not. The Alabama-Mississippi State game, historically, does not end well for the Bulldogs. It’d be like asking a chipmunk to kill a bear. More than likely, it won’t happen. But if it does, you better have recorded it because you likely won’t see it happen again in your lifetime.

“I’m still critical of Nick Fitzgerald because reasons”

Yup. People are still stupidly finding things to be upset about when it comes to Nick Fitzgerald. Which, you know, this actually is impressive. To continue to find ways to criticize a quarterback that has put Mississippi State on track to win 9 games this year is an incredible feat. Efficient passing and spectacular running aren’t enough, for some.

Literally. These hypercritical fans will tell you that themselves.

When it comes down to it, performances like 12 of 21 aren't gonna cut it. Yes it's a bit over 50 percent, and yes he rushed for 105 yards, but Nick's a quarterback...quarterbacks pass the ball. He has the ability, but he relies to heavily on his running to bail him out of tough situations. Its this trait that keeps him from developing into the clutch quarterback I know he can be. Granted it works most of the time, but against teams like Bama that's not gonna work, even when our Oline is playing lights-out like they have recently ( only 3 sacks allowed this season). Fitz is gonna have to step it up in a big way if Mississippi State is ever gonna step it up and get back to the top of the College Football world like in days of old. (College Football Playoff Rankings 2014: Standings and Breakdown of 1st Release)

First and foremost, this notion that a quarterback in Dan Mullen’s system shouldn’t rely on being able to run is idiotic at best. Mullen has made his name by molding and tailoring an offense around mobile quarterbacks. Chris Relf, though not an overly productive quarterback, ran for 713 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2010. Dak Prescott ran for 986 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2014. Dan Mullen coached quarterbacks should be able to run. Fitz doing this is a good thing.

Secondly, what the hell do you mean when you say “Fitz is gonna have to step it up in a big way if Mississippi State is ever gonna step it up and get back to the top of the College Football world like in days of old.”

THIS IS BORDERLINE MADNESS

Mississippi State has been ranked number one in the nation for a grand total of 6 weeks out of over 100 years of football. THAT’S AN ANOMALY. THAT IS NOT THE NORM. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, MISSISSIPPI STATE HAS NOT BEEN GOOD HISTORICALLY AT THE SPORT OF FOOTBALL.

THERE ARE NO DAYS OF OLD WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT 2014

THAT WAS THREE YEARS AGO

THREE YEARS

While Mississippi State football is in a great place right now, this period of success is not the norm. It’s new. It’s great. It’s beautiful. And we should enjoy it. Nick Fitzgerald is an incredibly productive quarterback in a system that is built for him to succeed and allow him to develop at a natural pace.

That’s a good thing.

I want with every fiber of my being for our Bulldogs to have success, now and in the future. But for this to happen, its time for our QB1 to become the quarterback we need, not the one we want.

Mississippi State is having success right now. They’re poised to have an incredible year in 2018. A lot of that should be credited to Nick Fitzgerald. And for what it’s worth, the future looks bright beyond that too.

As for your ending here, Fitz isn’t the quarterback that you want, for some damn absurd reason that I do not understand. You, yourself, stated that you want someone else to start. You, yourself, stated that his tendencies aren’t enough by some standard. MSU needs Fitzgerald to play the way he does. The offense is built around him. It’s a very successful offense.