What's our "The Play" in football?

[T-TownDawgg]

Should be a 45 second reel.
Bama
Kevin Prentiss PR
Bo Wallace fumbling at the goal line
Anthony Dixon dragging entire Houston secondary into end zone
Dak stiff arm

 

[Villagedawg]

You had to experience how bad MSU football was before 1974 to appreciate this one but Rockey Felker's drive and score at the end of the Memphis State game in 1974 was the play that changed State football more than any one play in my memory.

I was 4 years old, but my dad always said the same thing.

 

[dogmatic001]

You can't appreciate the athleticism of Eric Moulds on this play from the JP broadcast alone but, if you were there, it's forever burned into your memory. Fourth down, Taite throws a "holler **** and shoot" pass in Moulds general direction. Moulds stops from a dead run to leap up an backwards at least 10 feet in the air to catch the ball and convert on fourth down vs Tennessee in 1994:

 

[OG Goat Holder]

It's been 43 years since the Alabama fumble. Let's put it in the archives section. Call it "The Play Emeritus" since I know how much it meant at the time. But...

Half of us were too young to watch or not even born. The other half of you were too old when it happened to remember it the next day... It's closer to Ole Miss's national titles than present day.

This is The Play. This was the start of the greatest 7 weeks of football any of us have ever experienced. And a breakout moment for this entire generation of Bulldog fans.

The real answer: Clint Stoener setting the ball on the ground and leaving it there. It put us in the SEC West Championship. What should have been our play would have been KP's return in the SEC CG. We just couldn't capitalize.

I think Dak's stiff arm is the right answer for now. What's a little sad is we don't have a clear "the play" because we've never capitalized and finished strong after one. We just hire a DC for the Orange Bowl and show up and win and Dak's stiff arm is a lot better. The way we fell off at the end of the season just soured that. Some of it was we just lost two safeties we couldn't afford to lose, but not being ready for an option attack when we had weeks to prepare is just a brutal way to finish the season.

This is why the Dak stiff arm can't be the play. Not to mention it was such a momentary thing, with us having that 'power' only that season. But then again, in 1980, we still lost to USM and then lost our bowl game.

But beating #1 is beating #1, especially when it's Bama, in one of their two greatest dynasties. But when I think about that play, it's about a great defense, muddying up a game. That's our calling card.

And it's one reason I'm excited to see what a true defensive coach can do with this program. I've always thought defense was our true strength. I know it seems as if offense needs the attention, but I'm a believe in going with your strengths and letting them guide you, and simply minimizing your weaknesses. That's what niche offenses, or delegating to a hungry OC, can do for us, IMO. Simply don't be terrible on offense, you'd think we could consistently do that. I mean, look at 6-3. Emory's wishbone only scores 6 damn points! It's an MSU tradition.

 

[bolddogge]

The Alabama fumble ? Wallacing? Kick pick kick? Dak stiff arm?

Glad to say I witnessed 3 of these firsthand and listened to Jack call the 4th live. But my vote is for AD punishing half of Houston's secondary on the way to the endzone. Max effort. Never stop. Bulldog tough.

 

[DawginEthel]

Immaculate deflection. Was there and couldn't believe that BUSH.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Not "the play." I just wanted to remind everyone that:

CJ Sirmones is still WIDE OPEN at the 15.

RIP big man.

 

[NukeDogg]

The first play that came to mind was Dak's stiff arm vs. LSU.

My favorite play just for the sheer WTFness is 3rd and 93 vs. La Tech.

 

[Perd Hapley]

Easy question and should be unanimous…

 

[maroonmania]

It’s either the 4th and 15 completion to Kevin cooper or the field goal at the end because it still remains to this day the only time a team from Mississippi punched their ticket to the SEC championship and after 2024 that sec west championship could stand forever because they are getting rid of divisions.

I would vote for the 4th and 15 completion because it got us to the FG that essentially won the SEC West for us. If we had actually won the SEC that year (which we got to within 7 minutes of) it would absolutely be the biggest play in modern MSU football history but even winning the West was a huge deal.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

My favorite play just for the sheer WTFness is 3rd and 93 vs. La Tech.

Cue the Benny Hill Music:

 

[lazlow]

Good lord, it's the Dicenzo Miller run against BYU 2000ish (ESPN Thursday Night game). And it's by far the single best effort by any bulldog ever.

Zo ran and ran and ran....every byu player on the field got a wiff of zo's a$s.

 

[TXDawg.sixpack]

Cue the Benny Hill Music:

The best part about that play is that when the players were asked about it after the game, every single one of them admitted that they were trying to scoop & score but that when they couldn't secure it, they intentionally kicked it further to give themselves another shot at it.

 

[L4Dawg]

It's been 43 years since the Alabama fumble. Let's put it in the archives section. Call it "The Play Emeritus" since I know how much it meant at the time. But...

Half of us were too young to watch or not even born. The other half of you were too old when it happened to remember it the next day... It's closer to Ole Miss's national titles than present day.


This is The Play. This was the start of the greatest 7 weeks of football any of us have ever experienced. And a breakout moment for this entire generation of Bulldog fans.

Ole Miss has never won a national title in football.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Ole Miss has never won a national title in football.

They haven't won a national title in anyth.... Damn you 2022!

 

[woozman]

1980 Bama for the olds…

Dak stiff arm for the younguns…

 

[L4Dawg]

1980 Bama for the olds…

Dak stiff arm for the younguns…

It's both for me.

 

[Ghostman]

Cue the Benny Hill Music:

Definitely not THE PLAY, but that was a play that I was going to mention. It's definitely memorable.

 

[drexeldog23]

Glad to say I witnessed 3 of these firsthand and listened to Jack call the 4th live. But my vote is for AD punishing half of Houston's secondary on the way to the endzone. Max effort. Never stop. Bulldog tough.

grindin' for his State

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

The entirety of 3-2

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

Ole Most Champions……

Their one legitimate chance was in 1959. But they screwed it up due to the Billy Cannon Run.

Note- they didn't even win the SEC championship that year. Georgia, led by Fran Tarkenton, did that. When the Rebel fans talk about that being the "Team of the Decade", what they're really doing is being the first snowflakes to win a Participation trophy.l

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

Cue the Benny Hill Music:

 

[Maroon13]

You can't appreciate the athleticism of Eric Moulds on this play from the JP broadcast alone but, if you were there, it's forever burned into your memory. Fourth down, Taite throws a "holler **** and shoot" pass in Mounds general direction. Moulds stops from a dead run to leap up an backwards at least 10 feet in the air to catch the ball and convert on fourth down vs Tennessee in 1994:

When Taite let that pass go, I cussed. Thought the game was over. Then Superman used that 40" vertical and snatched the ball from the sky.

Incredible catch

 

[Baddog11]

You can't appreciate the athleticism of Eric Moulds on this play from the JP broadcast alone but, if you were there, it's forever burned into your memory. Fourth down, Taite throws a "holler **** and shoot" pass in Mounds general direction. Moulds stops from a dead run to leap up an backwards at least 10 feet in the air to catch the ball and convert on fourth down vs Tennessee in 1994:

Yes, that play is forever burned into my memory.

 

[knock him out john]

dak's stiff arm for offense and bulldogs recover for defense. no doubters

 

[hatfieldms]

The Alabama fumble ? Wallacing? Kick pick kick? Dak stiff arm?

For me it is easily the Dak stiff arm

 

[dogmatic001]

Cue the Benny Hill Music:

The most amazing thing about that play is, afterward, we didn't somehow commit a penalty that gave them an automatic first down.

 

[Cantdoitsal]

The Alabama fumble ? Wallacing? Kick pick kick? Dak stiff arm?

Those are prolly my all time favorites. Rushed the field @ 6-3.

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

It's not "The Play" but it's pretty high up my list of favorite plays: The Don Smith keeper against Tennessee in 1986. The Vols were held in pretty high regard after pounding No. 2 Miami in the Sugar Bowl the previous year, so the Game 2 win felt pretty big. I was a sophomore, and we were pretty full of ourselves when we were 6-1 and in the Top 20. Then we lost the last four games 144-12, and I learned what it was like to be a State fan.

And we could have gone to a bowl game that year but turned down a pre-invite invite to the Liberty (or Motor City ?) even at 6-3 because Templeton was confident we would get a better bowl invite.
So much for that.

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

The real answer: Clint Stoener setting the ball on the ground and leaving it there. It put us in the SEC West Championship. What should have been our play would have been KP's return in the SEC CG. We just couldn't capitalize.

I think Dak's stiff arm is the right answer for now. What's a little sad is we don't have a clear "the play" because we've never capitalized and finished strong after one. We just hire a DC for the Orange Bowl and show up and win and Dak's stiff arm is a lot better. The way we fell off at the end of the season just soured that. Some of it was we just lost two safeties we couldn't afford to lose, but not being ready for an option attack when we had weeks to prepare is just a brutal way to finish the season.

KP’s punt return in Atlanta is probably my 2nd all time MOMENT in State sports history.
I’ll have to think about this some more but man that was a hell of a feeling there in the GA Dome thinking we may just win the SEC Championship.

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

You can't appreciate the athleticism of Eric Moulds on this play from the JP broadcast alone but, if you were there, it's forever burned into your memory. Fourth down, Taite throws a "holler **** and shoot" pass in Moulds general direction. Moulds stops from a dead run to leap up an backwards at least 10 feet in the air to catch the ball and convert on fourth down vs Tennessee in 1994:

Great game and W by the Dawgs.
P Manning entered the game sometime in the first half as a Freshmen.

 

[dogmatic001]

Enjoy a great play, great win or great season AS IS.

Don't expect it to turn into anything or lead to anything.

Ever.

This is the great lesson of wisdom I've gleaned from a lifetime as a Bulldog. I see some of you in this thread discounting plays and moments because they didn't lead anywhere or ended in ashes.

In 1992 we had Alabama on the ropes in Starkville but couldn't land the knockout blow. We led for much of the game but finally fiddled around and lost. Within that game was a Moulds catch even greater than the one I linked earlier in this thread. It's a TD catch in the back, left corner of the north end zone. Thanks the JP quality of the video, it's scarcely worth the trouble of hunting up on YouTube. It involved Moulds using a vertical leap that defies description. I carry that in my mind, but it took me years to enjoy it because it was, I thought, wasted in a loss. Don't let long-term results cloud the beauty of short-term performance. If you do, your enjoyment of being a Bulldog will be scant indeed.

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

And we could have gone to a bowl game that year but turned down a pre-invite invite to the Liberty (or Motor City ?) even at 6-3 because Templeton was confident we would get a better bowl invite.
So much for that.

That actually may and probably was Charlie Carr as AD.
Templeton was there lurking tho as Associate AD

 

[josebrown]

1999 Egg Bowl. The kick and pick. I still have my portion of the south endzone goal post from it.

CJ Sirmones is still wide open!!

 

[patdog]

And we could have gone to a bowl game that year but turned down a pre-invite invite to the Liberty (or Motor City ?) even at 6-3 because Templeton was confident we would get a better bowl invite.
So much for that.

That was Charlie Carr. One of the worst ADs we’ve ever had. But you’re right. We turned down a bowl bid & then got blown out our last 2 games & sat home. Carr “resigned” soon afterwards & we promoted Templeton.

 

[thekimmer]

It's the goal line fumble recovery to beat #1 Bama in 1980.

After not moving the ball all game, they were marching down the field with ease. I wasn't there (but listening on the radio) I knew Bama would score. What a miraculous moment and huge win.

Bama through the 70s was winning at the rate of Sabans Bama teams. It was a gigantic win.

Hands down this was THE PLAY! No 'emeritus' crap.

 

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Good lord, it's the Dicenzo Miller run against BYU 2000ish (ESPN Thursday Night game). And it's by far the single best effort by any bulldog ever.

Zo ran and ran and ran....every byu player on the field got a wiff of zo's a$s.

If I remember right, Zo got a penalty on that play for leaping into the end zone. Ref said it was "unsportsmanlike". Typical State luck. But great run by Zo.