Welcome to A Sea of Blue's virtual tailgate for the Mississippi St. Bulldogs vs. the Kentucky Wildcats tonight in Commonwealth Stadium. We're glad to have you with us.
Today, one of these two teams will no longer be 0-fer in SEC play, and both teams could use it. MSU has played pretty well of late in losing causes, especially against South Carolina in Columbia Starkville two weeks ago. The Starkville Dawgs are coming off a bye week, and Kentucky is coming off a win against FCS Jacksonville St.
But more about football later. Follow me on in here and check out what's on the menu.
First things first. Let's get you a nice cold beer:
Today, we are serving Vedett Extra White Belgian wheat ale, from ... well, you know, from Belgium. Tasty!
This is a nice, light, flavorful beer with a hint of citrus and bitterness, and goes really good with:
Catfish and hush puppies (via cookinglady)
Catfish is the favorite food of the state of Mississippi, so I figured today would be a good day to serve it.
For the side dish, we're having another Mississippi favorite:
Cheese grits! Yeah, for those of you who have never tried cheese grits, here's your chance. Gotta love this.
Of course, if you're a grits hater we have another side for ya:
Sweet potato fries. If you haven't tried them, you really should. These are awesome.
For those with seafood allergies or who just don't like catfish, we got:
Korean style barbecue short ribs. Mmmm. Gotta love 'em.
Now that we're all fed, let's talk some football. The Dawgs come in today trying to take us on our own field, in our brandy-new black uniforms with blue shoulder tabs. I don't think the Wildcats want to disappoint the fans on our first black-out game, so I expect Kentucky's best today.
With that said, MSU has gotten healthier and more prepared for the game during the week off, as all teams do. Naturally, Kentucky couldn't be so lucky as to escape the last game without injury, but Raymond Sanders' sprained ankle doesn't figure to keep him out more than a game or so, and CoShik Williams was the big story of last week, running for 148 yards.
If you haven't checked out Ken's preview, do so here and come back. I think what Ken says is right. We have got to find a way to move the ball on the ground against the Bulldogs, and if we can, we have a chance to win this game. Defensively, the Bulldogs are about mid-pack in the SEC in every category, so it should be possible. I am not convinced Kentucky can ever throw the ball well with this group, but if we can run it, it may take pressure off the passing game.
Defensively, the 'Cats have to stop the run, and if the offense can avoid three-and-outs, I think we can.
Here's hoping. Go, 'Cats!