Take a moment out of your day to grasp the fact that the Mississippi State Bulldogs are 7-0. It might take a while to let it roll naturally off your tongue, but the Bulldogs are indeed unbeaten leading into their late season matchup with our beloved and undefeated Crimson Tide.
But as strange as it sounds to think of Mississippi State as a legitimate threat to the Tide’s national championship aspirations, this meeting is two years too late if one Cameron Jerrell Newton had gone with his heart and joined Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen in Starkville in 2010.
Get into Marty McFly mode as we take a glimpse back at what might have been in a season that was full of turmoil, conflict and the birth of a new threat in the SEC West.
For years, the Crimson Tide has dominated Mississippi State in the annual Battle of Highway 82 rivalry game, accruing 74 total wins to the Bulldogs’ 18. In the past couple of years, however, we’ve seen the Bulldogs come to Tuscaloosa with grit and determination. Their defense has always been underrated, even with star players like first round draft pick Fletcher Cox and current All-SEC cornerback Johnathan Banks.
They play physically and always make the Tide work to earn a victory.
The same could not be said for their offense. In 2010 in particular, the Bulldogs boasted speedy receivers like Chad Bumphis and bruising running backs like Vick Ballard, but had quarterbacks like Chris Relf and Tyler Russell that contributed as much as a Kardashian contributes to society.
But rarely is it even acknowledged that Cam Newton was one decision away from donning maroon and possibly turning a 9-4 Bulldogs team into a, wait for it, national champion.
Of course skeptics and frequent Finebaum callers from places in Alabama that few knew existed like to point out the pay-for-play scandal and will never get over that. But set the scandal aside and insert Cam Newton into a lineup, a system and a coach that had all the makings of this year’s “Cinderella story.”
It has been acknowledged by Sports Illustrated senior staff writer and Alabama adjunct professor Lars Anderson that Newton’s intentions were to follow his former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen at Mississippi State. The story from there gets blurry until, lo and behold, Auburn nabs Newton and rides the freakishly athletic quarterback to a crystal ball that season.
If Newton had picked Mississippi State, it is no guarantee they would have been undefeated going into their annual matchup with Alabama that year. However, the Bulldogs only lost two games prior to arriving in Tuscaloosa, including a three-point loss to Newton himself in Week 2.
Many say that the only reason why both Auburn and Newton were so successful that year was that Newton was a godsend to Gus Malzahn’s spread-option offense, an offense similar to that run by Dan Mullen. Then there are those who argue that Newton was lucky to have an NFL caliber player on the defensive side of the ball to keep Auburn in games. Did I mention Cox and Banks earlier?
The fact is, Newton was a perfect fit for Mississippi State in 2010. There were better players on offense, better coaches on the sideline and a defense that has remained consistently good for years.
So while the 2010 Iron Bowl loss to Newton still leaves a bad taste in the mouth for most Tide fans, it could have been much worse if he had led an undefeated Mississippi State team into Tuscaloosa. Now, the Tide must avoid complacency against this undefeated Bulldogs team that, despite not having Newton, has all the potential to dethrone the giants of the SEC West.
