Tighten Your Chin Straps...Miss. State Is Coming to Town

There is no denying that Saturday's game against Mississippi State is the biggest game in the history of Floyd Stadium. The Bulldogs will be the first SEC team to play in Floyd Stadium and the Blue Raiders have a great chance to show the nation that we're one of the up and coming programs.

I'm not anywhere close to comparing Blue Raider football to other non-BCS teams like Boise State, but a win against Mississippi State would be a huge step in the right direction.

The problem with the national perception of MTSU is that we've never won any big games in front of a national audience. The last second touchdown to beat Florida Atlantic on ESPN2 last season was a great win for our program, but it was against another Sun Belt team, and most people give the Sun Belt no credit whatsoever.

Last Tuesday the Blue Raiders had a good chance to beat at least one team in the Sun Belt that has a little bit of national recognition against Troy on national television, but they squandered that opportunity and played poorly.

That was a tough loss, but the Blue Raiders are still 3-2 and have beaten some decent teams. By normal standards this season has exceeded expectations so far, but this isn't normal standards. Coach Rick Stockstill has this team believing they can beat anyone and that's great news for Blue Raider fans.

This game against Mississippi State is going to test the MTSU defense like it has never been tested before. The Mississippi State players are going to be bigger and faster than our guys, but sometimes the team that has the most heart pulls out the win. Plus the Blue Raiders are an excellent home team and that will push our players to go above and beyond they're normal abilities.

I can't wait to see my Blue Raiders give it everything they got on Saturday. It's going to be tough, but once again I'm going to say that a loss isn't the end of the world.

A blowout will be the closest thing to it, though. We can't be embarrassed again in front of a national audience or we can wave goodbye to any respect that we might have gained after beating Memphis and Maryland earlier this season.

MTSU/Miss State Statistical Ranks

• Total Offense: MSU (44th), MTSU (46th)
• Rush Offense: MSU (10th), MTSU (84th)
• Total Defense: MSU (71st), MTSU (87th)
• Pass Offense: MSU (100th), MTSU (21st)