From the Other Sideline – Mississippi State

I’m adding yet another feature to the ‘Blogle this week. Every Thursday, along with my weekly predictions, I will post a short interview with a beat reporter, or coach, or water boy, or whatever from that week’s opponent called “From the Other Sideline”. My number one question will always be what the other teams’ fans think of when Auburn football comes up.  For example, for me, when I hear Florida, I think blue, jorts, crocs(ironic, huh?),and success(except against Auburn). When I hear Georgia, I think big bald guy with a goatee, red, bulldog, and a team that has been semi-successful with nothing to show for it. When I think of Alabama…well I won’t go there. Hey, I just had a good idea. Why don’t you post in the comments section what you think of when any or all SEC teams are mentioned? Word association if you will.

This week I interviewed Kyle Veazey (Twitter #1, Twitter #2), the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion-Ledger out of Jackson, MS. I know the questions are cheesy, but it’s my first interview of any kind so get off me.

1. What is the first thing that most Miss. State fans think about when it comes to Auburn football?

Hmm, that’s a tough one right off the bat. I think a lot of the Mississippi State fans with whom I speak still speak of the 3-2 game last year, complete with a headshake and, at least for some, a dirty word. It was a pretty frustrating experience, to say the least, for State fans.

2. What has the hire of Dan Mullen done to the fan base and how has he affected recruiting?

Fans are incredibly excited. The season ticket record has been smashed and is over 41,000, which says a lot for a program that won just four games last year. He’s said all the right things to fans in the offseason and has won many of them over. As for recruiting, he did what he had to do to seal a very solid class back in February, but it’s too early to tell if he’s going to be a champion recruiter at Mississippi State.

3. What are the normal State fan’s general expectations for this year and for the foreseeable future?

A lot of fans don’t think it’s out of the norm to expect six wins and a bowl this year, but they always will couch that by saying the schedule is tough. And it sure is. Many folks expect this team to be better than 2008 but it maybe not show up in the win column because of the schedule. But the expectations and desires are beyond just that: After seeing a half-decade of bad offense, fans will be extremely happy if their team scores a lot this year.

4. What is your prediction for this week’s game?

I don’t get into the predictions game. That said, pretty much any result would not be a surprise to me. There are so many unknowns going into this week with two new head coaches and styles.

5. What do you think Auburn and Miss. State’s overall records will be at the end of the year?

I’ll refer to my answer on question No. 4 – on both counts! Our fine columnist, Gov. Rick Cleveland, predicted five wins for State, though.

Post any questions or comments directly to Kyle, as well as your team thoughts that I mentioned above, in the comments section below. And follow the ‘Blogle on Twitter why don’t you?