Redemption Week

by Barca Blog - Last season, Mississippi State spoiled Vanderbilt’s 5-0 start and No. 13 national ranking in Starkville.

This time around, the ‘Dores will be looking for revenge in Nashville.

"It’s redemption week," co-captain Bradley Vierling said. "We want to redeem ourselves from last year. We’re fired up about this game and we owe them a lot.”

In 2008, Mississippi State took advantage of a bye week to change their defensive scheme. The plan worked as the Bulldogs limited the Commodores to a season-low 107 yards of total offense while forcing two critical turnovers in a 17-14 upset victory.

“Offensively, we were awful,” Vierling recalled. “Our defense did everything they could to put us into position to win that game and we didn't. It was solely on our shoulders last year that we lost that game.”

The loss marked the beginning of a four-game skid that eventually knocked the ‘Dores out of the national rankings. And while the team will look for retribution Saturday, they will also have to overcome the emotions of last week’s hard-fought defeat at No. 9 LSU that left several players banged up.

“I can’t tell you how angry this team is that we lost to LSU,” Vierling added. “We want to get our second win. We want to get back over .500 and back to our winning ways. That’s the first thing this team talked about in the locker room after the game.

“We’re just ready to go and play the next game, and get the next victory. We lost guys to injury which means other guys are going to have to step up and play well. We’re just excited and ready to go."

I’ll end this blog with the Video of the Day. Sure, it’s only Week 3, but Saturday’s game is critical to Commodores’ season. They need to get the W. So with that being said, here’s Foreigner’s hit-single from 1981 titled Urgent.