Photo by: HailState.com
HAILSTATEBEAT: 100 Things To Look Forward To About Football Season
May 24, 2018 | HailStateBEAT
HailStateBEAT
In exactly 100 days, according to the experts down the hall who I still have not deemed completely innocent in the Case of the Missing Leftover Pizza, Mississippi State football will kick off the 2018 season. In dedication of such a momentous occasion, I've skipped the libation, gone right past beration and landed square on expectation in this list of 100 Things To Look Forward To For The 2018 Football Season. (It's a working title.)
Â
This list is completely of my own devising, and though it comes from years of experience with football seasons as both a fan and a working media member contributing to society, it does not necessarily reflect the views of Mississippi State University. Retweets are not endorsements, et cetera, et cetera.
Â
With a new head coach, high preseason expectations, and an ever-growing restaurant and retail scene in Starkville, there are a great many things to be excited about as the football season quickly approaches at a snails pace. Here are 100 of them, in an organized but not-quite-particular order.
Â
1. The debut of new head coach Joe Moorhead, obviously
2. And the explosive passing game he promised day one and then exhibited in the spring game
3. Nick Fitzgerald passing touchdowns
4. Nick Fitzgerald rushing touchdowns
5. Nick Fitzgerald receiving touchdowns, maybe?
6. Nick Fitzgerald breaking the all-time SEC record for rushing yards by a quarterback.
7. I think we're all just excited to see Nick Fitzgerald back in a game, are we agreed on that?
8. But it'll also be cool to see Keytoan Thompson after the great bowl performance he had
9. Maybe both quarterbacks at the same time?
10. The Dawg Walk
11. The renovations to the club level on the east side
12. Jeffery Simmons sackin' dudes
13. Montez Sweat sackin' dudes
14. The debut of Chauncey Rivers sackin' dudes
15. Really just the whole defense in general
16. But I should specifically mention Errol Thompson getting to follow up on his breakout performance last year
17. And Gerri Green coming off the edge is gonna be pretty cool, too
18. Cam Dantzler, Jamal Peters, yeah, should probably mention those guys
19. MSU cheese!
20. Don't forget Mark McLaurin, he's really good
21. Cory Thomas, Braxton Hoyett, Leo Lewis, Johnathan Abram, Willie Gay
22. Man, there are a lot of these dudes
23. Brian Cole and Aaron Odom get to make their debuts
24. MSU ice cream!
25. Fletcher Adams, Marquiss Spencer, Kobe Jones, Chris Rayford, seriously this defense is loaded
26. MSU peanut butter! Did you know MSU makes peanut butter? Because they do and it's great
27. Halftime performances by the Famous Maroon Band
28. The train whistle after big runs by Aeris "A-Train" Williams
29. The cannon blast after touchdowns
30. The fireworks after touchdowns
31. The fight song after touchdowns
32. Being confident the extra point will be made after touchdowns
33. Not even caring when the person next to you spills their drink all over your polo because who's worried about stains right now, Nick Fitzgerald just trucked the mess outta that guy at the goal line
34. Cowbell Yell
35. The Maroon-White cheer
36. The State spell out
37. Watching the numbers next to "Mississippi State" get better and better every time a new poll comes out
38. The debut of Austin Williams at receiver
39. The debut of Stephen Guidry at receiver
40. The debut of Devonta Jason at receiver
41. Pretty excited about these new receivers, y'all
42. Oh and Malik Dear is gonna be back from injury
43. Keith Mixon, too
44. Health is important, take care of your body, friends
45. The land rush in The Junction on Friday afternoon
46. The Junction on Saturday morning, afternoon and night
47. Cornhole
48. It's not called "bags," northerners
49. Bulldog Bash
50. The new recruiting lounge, for those lucky enough to spend time in it
51. Did I mention how nice it will be for MSU to have Jace Christmann back at kicker?
52. And basically the entire offensive line?
53. And it's entire stable of running backs?
54. I'm legit pumped to see what Moorhead does with Kylin Hill out of the backfield
55. I'm writing this at Bin 612 and they asked me to give them a shoutout
56. Tell them about our tacos and pizzas
57. Nah, let's go with our salmon sliders and salmon salad, salmon is super trendy this year
58. Bin 612 does have a great patio, I should add
59. Ooh and so does Bulldog Burger Company with the shade for hot days and fire pits for cold days
60. Being outside is great, especially for the inevitable and unexpected late October suntan you get during that 2:30 CBS kickoff
61. The energy in Davis Wade Stadium before kickoff
62. The team singing the alma mater with the student section after the game
63. Getting to act like you're a student again, because gameday
64. Actually being a student on gameday
65. Walking through the Cotton District on Fridays and Saturdays when the sun is out and the people are all around and everyone is wearing maroon and white and life is just grand
66. Ringing cowbells
67. Bob, can we specifically mention to Ring Responsibly? Thanks, John Cohen
68. Seeing all your old friends
69. Making a bunch of new friends
70. Celebrating touchdowns with strangers
71. Singing along for the "Go State!" cheer
72. Getting mad at the students for going too fast on the "Go State!" cheer
73. Yelling "Hail State!" after MSU first downs
74. Stuffing yourself on food all weekend because calories don't count on gameday
75. The crawfish dip at Restaurant Tyler comes to mind
76. So does their BBQ okra, and fried chicken, and pepperjack mac and cheese, and smoked pork chop
77. Mmmm, and cheese logs at The Veranda
78. That deep fried cheeseburger at Stagger Inn would be real good right about now
79. I'm gonna need a little Strange Brew after I eat all this
80. Seriously, what's going on in there, I ordered this pizza like 20 minutes ago
81. And maybe some dessert shooters from The Grill?
82. Or be healthy and get vegetables, they've got those fried broccoli bites at Harvey's
83. Deddrick Thomas juking people
84. That feeling when you walk out of the concourse and see Scott Field as you step off the ramp
85. Checking Twitter after big wins to see what everyone is saying
86. That pulled pork grilled cheese sandwich at Two Brothers, though
87. SEC Nation and/or College Gameday coming to town
88. Jamal Couch, Reggie Todd and Farrod Green coming down with big catches
89. Y'all keep an eye on Dontea Jones, too, he's about to have a big year at tight end
90. The new taco place the Eat Local crew is opening up
91. Oh and the new Mugshots location over by The Mill should be really cool
92. Jesse Jackson, MSU's leading receiver last year, is back for more
93. Wait how did I forget about deep dish pizza at Dave's, I love that place, the calzones are great, too, and the chili pizza cheese
sticks, man those hit the spot
94. Did y'all realize Mark McLaurin had six interceptions last year?
95. And that he also led the team in tackles? He had quite the junior campaign
96. Wrapping wins in Maroon and White
97. Speaking of wraps, Sweet Peppers Deli sounds good
98. Finally! My pizza is here, pepperoni and jalapenos on top of hot, stringy cheese and golden dough and OW IT'S HOT okay let's let that cool off for a second
99. And saving the most important thing for last because it's so big it deserves two spots
100. Getting the Egg Bowl trophy back.
Â
Â
This list is completely of my own devising, and though it comes from years of experience with football seasons as both a fan and a working media member contributing to society, it does not necessarily reflect the views of Mississippi State University. Retweets are not endorsements, et cetera, et cetera.
Â
With a new head coach, high preseason expectations, and an ever-growing restaurant and retail scene in Starkville, there are a great many things to be excited about as the football season quickly approaches at a snails pace. Here are 100 of them, in an organized but not-quite-particular order.
Â
1. The debut of new head coach Joe Moorhead, obviously
2. And the explosive passing game he promised day one and then exhibited in the spring game
3. Nick Fitzgerald passing touchdowns
4. Nick Fitzgerald rushing touchdowns
5. Nick Fitzgerald receiving touchdowns, maybe?
6. Nick Fitzgerald breaking the all-time SEC record for rushing yards by a quarterback.
7. I think we're all just excited to see Nick Fitzgerald back in a game, are we agreed on that?
8. But it'll also be cool to see Keytoan Thompson after the great bowl performance he had
9. Maybe both quarterbacks at the same time?
10. The Dawg Walk
11. The renovations to the club level on the east side
12. Jeffery Simmons sackin' dudes
13. Montez Sweat sackin' dudes
14. The debut of Chauncey Rivers sackin' dudes
15. Really just the whole defense in general
16. But I should specifically mention Errol Thompson getting to follow up on his breakout performance last year
17. And Gerri Green coming off the edge is gonna be pretty cool, too
18. Cam Dantzler, Jamal Peters, yeah, should probably mention those guys
19. MSU cheese!
20. Don't forget Mark McLaurin, he's really good
21. Cory Thomas, Braxton Hoyett, Leo Lewis, Johnathan Abram, Willie Gay
22. Man, there are a lot of these dudes
23. Brian Cole and Aaron Odom get to make their debuts
24. MSU ice cream!
25. Fletcher Adams, Marquiss Spencer, Kobe Jones, Chris Rayford, seriously this defense is loaded
26. MSU peanut butter! Did you know MSU makes peanut butter? Because they do and it's great
27. Halftime performances by the Famous Maroon Band
28. The train whistle after big runs by Aeris "A-Train" Williams
29. The cannon blast after touchdowns
30. The fireworks after touchdowns
31. The fight song after touchdowns
32. Being confident the extra point will be made after touchdowns
33. Not even caring when the person next to you spills their drink all over your polo because who's worried about stains right now, Nick Fitzgerald just trucked the mess outta that guy at the goal line
34. Cowbell Yell
35. The Maroon-White cheer
36. The State spell out
37. Watching the numbers next to "Mississippi State" get better and better every time a new poll comes out
38. The debut of Austin Williams at receiver
39. The debut of Stephen Guidry at receiver
40. The debut of Devonta Jason at receiver
41. Pretty excited about these new receivers, y'all
42. Oh and Malik Dear is gonna be back from injury
43. Keith Mixon, too
44. Health is important, take care of your body, friends
45. The land rush in The Junction on Friday afternoon
46. The Junction on Saturday morning, afternoon and night
47. Cornhole
48. It's not called "bags," northerners
49. Bulldog Bash
50. The new recruiting lounge, for those lucky enough to spend time in it
51. Did I mention how nice it will be for MSU to have Jace Christmann back at kicker?
52. And basically the entire offensive line?
53. And it's entire stable of running backs?
54. I'm legit pumped to see what Moorhead does with Kylin Hill out of the backfield
55. I'm writing this at Bin 612 and they asked me to give them a shoutout
56. Tell them about our tacos and pizzas
57. Nah, let's go with our salmon sliders and salmon salad, salmon is super trendy this year
58. Bin 612 does have a great patio, I should add
59. Ooh and so does Bulldog Burger Company with the shade for hot days and fire pits for cold days
60. Being outside is great, especially for the inevitable and unexpected late October suntan you get during that 2:30 CBS kickoff
61. The energy in Davis Wade Stadium before kickoff
62. The team singing the alma mater with the student section after the game
63. Getting to act like you're a student again, because gameday
64. Actually being a student on gameday
65. Walking through the Cotton District on Fridays and Saturdays when the sun is out and the people are all around and everyone is wearing maroon and white and life is just grand
66. Ringing cowbells
67. Bob, can we specifically mention to Ring Responsibly? Thanks, John Cohen
68. Seeing all your old friends
69. Making a bunch of new friends
70. Celebrating touchdowns with strangers
71. Singing along for the "Go State!" cheer
72. Getting mad at the students for going too fast on the "Go State!" cheer
73. Yelling "Hail State!" after MSU first downs
74. Stuffing yourself on food all weekend because calories don't count on gameday
75. The crawfish dip at Restaurant Tyler comes to mind
76. So does their BBQ okra, and fried chicken, and pepperjack mac and cheese, and smoked pork chop
77. Mmmm, and cheese logs at The Veranda
78. That deep fried cheeseburger at Stagger Inn would be real good right about now
79. I'm gonna need a little Strange Brew after I eat all this
80. Seriously, what's going on in there, I ordered this pizza like 20 minutes ago
81. And maybe some dessert shooters from The Grill?
82. Or be healthy and get vegetables, they've got those fried broccoli bites at Harvey's
83. Deddrick Thomas juking people
84. That feeling when you walk out of the concourse and see Scott Field as you step off the ramp
85. Checking Twitter after big wins to see what everyone is saying
86. That pulled pork grilled cheese sandwich at Two Brothers, though
87. SEC Nation and/or College Gameday coming to town
88. Jamal Couch, Reggie Todd and Farrod Green coming down with big catches
89. Y'all keep an eye on Dontea Jones, too, he's about to have a big year at tight end
90. The new taco place the Eat Local crew is opening up
91. Oh and the new Mugshots location over by The Mill should be really cool
92. Jesse Jackson, MSU's leading receiver last year, is back for more
93. Wait how did I forget about deep dish pizza at Dave's, I love that place, the calzones are great, too, and the chili pizza cheese
sticks, man those hit the spot
94. Did y'all realize Mark McLaurin had six interceptions last year?
95. And that he also led the team in tackles? He had quite the junior campaign
96. Wrapping wins in Maroon and White
97. Speaking of wraps, Sweet Peppers Deli sounds good
98. Finally! My pizza is here, pepperoni and jalapenos on top of hot, stringy cheese and golden dough and OW IT'S HOT okay let's let that cool off for a second
99. And saving the most important thing for last because it's so big it deserves two spots
100. Getting the Egg Bowl trophy back.
Â
Players Mentioned
S
/ Football
DE
/ Football
K
/ Football
S
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
DE
/ Football
WR
/ FootballRB
/ Football
DT
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ FootballTE
/ FootballDE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
S
/ Football
WR
/ FootballDE
/ Football
CB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
DE
/ Football
DT
/ FootballDE
/ Football
DE
/ Football
DT
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ FootballWR
/ FootballBASEBALL | Bryce Chance & Ben Davis NCAA Starkville Regional Selection Press Conference - 5/25/26
Monday, May 25
BASEBALL | Brian O'Connor NCAA Starkville Regional Selection Press Conference - 5/25/26
Monday, May 25
SOFTBALL | Super Regional at Oklahoma Game 3 Highlights - 5/24/26
Sunday, May 24
SOFTBALL | Postgame Press Conference at Oklahoma (NCAAT) 5/24/26
Sunday, May 24