From the Gameday Rags...

Lock up the women and hide the children. The cousins are coming to 'Vegas.

When I was in school (the classic good ole day story begins) this guy would have been crying by halftime. Not only would we have mocked the poor soul mercilessly for hours before kick-off, but by halftime a running back like Slaton would be limping off the field. Anyone remember holding Rudi Johnson to like -15 rushing yards his senior year? Good times...good times....

Okay, back to reality.

Too many good quotes to pass up as I weed through gameday stories this morning....

"I like embarrassing people," Slaton said in the article. "The best thing is putting a move on a guy who thinks he's about to bring you down and making him miss." - Slaton will likely have plenty of opportunities to make people miss this afternoon - especially if he gets into State's arm tackling secondary.

"We have a lot of mistakes, mental mistakes as well," Culberson said. "And sometimes people are not playing all out." - That's the first time in years I recall a senior calling out his team. Is this an example of the improvement we'd miss if we were blind?

"Our guys understand that you can't mess around with these guys," Rodriguez said. "If we play as poorly as we did at times in the last game (a 27-10 victory over East Carolina), we will be in trouble. I am not trying coach-speak. They have guys that will play on Sundays." - Thanks Holtz.

"We're going to get better with experience," Croom said, "but right now, we just have to be patient." - But, what about those guys that are going to play on Sundays?

“Dad has two buses,’’ White said. - Coming from Daphne, Ala., White's hometown. I'm sure they're not too worried about White messing around.

And leave it to the Wheeler Intelligencer's Don Clegg to qausi-quote Hemingway, "If Ernest Hemingway were still around, he might have some advice to offer embattled Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom as his Bulldogs (1-4) prepare to play host to No. 4 West Virginia (4-0) this afternoon in Starkville, Miss. Ask not for whom the cowbells toll, Sylvester. They toll for thee." - Don't count on it Clegg. They haven't tolled from Croom in weeks (or maybe years - depends who you ask).

"Bulldog fans are only permitted to ring the cowbells during non-conference games — the SEC has outlawed it in league games — but Croom and his players have been hearing more boos than bells midway through his third season at the helm." - Damn Clegg, try to pick a side of an argument and stick with it.

‘‘This is the most talented team we’ve played,’’ said Rodriguez. ‘‘They’ve got three or four guys, especially on defense, who are going to be first-day (NFL) draft picks. Nobody has been able to run the ball on them, including Auburn and LSU. Their front seven has been that good.’’ - Really channeling Lou this weekend. Nice. However, he's right about one thing; no team they've played this season has as much talent at State. So, what's that say about WV's #4 ranking?

Bottom line, I think this State team is going to show a little heart this weekend. Up against a wall...cornered dog (and all those other ridiculous analogies), I think they come out swinging. If a couple good things happen early, we can stay in it. Just remember, Big East Officials are coming to Starkville, so if it's close in the second half watch for the flags to start flying.

I just wish I was on campus today, instead of being stuck miles away in ACC country. The cool fall air, the smell of bourbon floating across the stands...I miss Starkville.