Hot Boudin, Cold Cous-Cous...

I'm Still Not Over That 1999 Controversy: Let's Make It 14 Out of 15, Tigers:

I take it for granted that we can write off a divisional opponent every year as easily as a rent-a-win Regional Tech State... and that divisional opponent is none other than the cowbell-wielding, Sly-following Mississippi State Bulldogs.

This is coincidentally the general expression of State fans leaving the stadium

I've always been a little perplexed by State-- their fans always look like they'd rather be somewhere else, and their alumni are way too patient with mediocrity/failure, especially being in the SEC. It's almost as if their role has been defined, and they just feel resigned enough to play it every year.

Florida has beaten State 1 out of the past 2 times

And then they do things like go and win the SEC West in 1997, or steal a win from us in Starkville in 1999, or even beat Florida in 2004. I can't really say much more about State. I'm pretty sure Omar Conner has been granted eight years of eligibility from the NCAA, and no one's really complaining. Sly Croom's race will force State into one or two more years of unnecessary losing. I'll still pull for them in the Egg Bowl every year. (Is there anything more consistently depressing/disgusting than the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving night? I mean, I stuff myself all day into a half-consciousness, only to be awakened with mental images from the phrase 'Egg Bowl.' Thanks, Mississippi.)

This photo actually taken during the 1999 SEC Championship

State doesn't stand a chance against us, and hasn't really beaten us since 1991. All signs point to total domination tomorrow, with State's completely inept offense and our top-rated defense. And then they make us play at 11:30 in the morning. The odds of Chevis Jackson regaining consciousness at 10:55 AM on the floor of a West Campus apartment are currently at 5-2.

I wholeheartedly trust this man with fielding punts

And, oh, will we be sluggish tomorrow. One of my favorite things about LSU in the '00s is how businesslike we've become. Gone are the days of us coming out flat and pooh-poohing a game against a much worse Ole Miss team in 1997. Oh, wait, that was an 11:30 game, too.

Seriously, get up

We'll end up winning like 35-6, but the halftime score will be 14-3 or so. We've scored on our first three possessions in each of our wins this season (I think), but that streak will most certainly be snapped tomorrow. In fact, the defense will probably score before the offense (Zenon?). Starting sluggishly is not necessarily a bad thing-- we certainly need a wake-up call before going into Gainesville next week, where the home team has won 11 straight.

Glenn Dorsey wants to be on you

So get up early, drink an Irish coffee, rub the sleep out of your eyes, and hit up Gatti's post-game this week, Tiger fans. Mississippi State is always a fun, methodical, sun-burned weekend.

- P.T.