MSU:Speedier start is Dogs’ goal
What a difference one play makes.
When the Ole Miss offense lined up on a fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter last Nov. 23 at Scott Field, much hung in the balance for Mississippi State.
A winning season. A bowl berth. The next day’s sunrise.
When the Bulldogs stuffed BenJarvus Green-Ellis in the backfield, it set in motion a series of major events that have reshaped the MSU program and the expectations thereof.
The Stop sparked a furious rally. Down 14-0 at the time, MSU rallied for a 17-14 Egg Bowl win.
David Turner, who was in his first season as the Bulldogs’ defensive line coach, watched his big boys make the play, and he could almost see that intangible commodity known as momentum make a sharp turn.
“I remember after the play I was thinking, We’ve got a chance now,” Turner said Wednesday. “You could feel the momentum, everything, from the players to the coaches to the fans in the stands, I mean the whole momentum thing swung after that.”
djournal.com
8/29/08
