Mississippi State may be taking the weekend off, but I’m here at the SuperTalk Mississippi studios today to fill in with Richard Cross taking the day off. So while I’m waiting to get on the air, I took to Twitter to get some of your questions, and we got a great batch today.
Which player has been the biggest positive surprise this year?
— Ryan Nelson (@ryannel76) October 12, 2018
One player has stood out to me this season above all others, and that is Montez Sweat. Coming off an all-SEC campaign a year ago, I knew Sweat was good, but I thought now that coaches knew about him, they’d scheme around him and he might actually take a small step back this year in terms of production. Instead, he’s been ever better, and is leading the SEC in sacks yet again. Sweat has skyrocketed up the draft boards, coming in as the number seven overall prospect on Mel Kiper’s most recent Big Board. With marquee games left on the schedule, Sweat could continue to climb if he dominates two of the top tackle prospects on that list, Alabama’s Jonah Williams and Ole Miss’s Greg Little.
Heard anything about Reggie Perry? Expect him in the starting lineup?
— scole (@smc5784) October 12, 2018
This is the first year under Ben Howland I don’t see a freshman making a huge contribution, as MSU finally has the depth and experience in the upperclassmen to put together the rotation. That said, Perry should be one of the first guys off the bench in the frontcourt. He’s definitely a four, but he can stretch the floor a bit and take some shots on the perimeter. I’ll be interested to see how he looks when that season tips off in November.
Zaxbys or Canes
— C.J. (@hail_state_dawg) October 12, 2018
Is there anything more overrated than Raising Cane’s? It’s chicken fingers people, yet some act like all of the Iron Chefs collaborated on a recipe to create them. If anything, I might say Zaxby’s due to the wider variety of dipping sauces, but as far as the chicken itself goes, there’s no difference to either of them, no matter what my friend Brett Hudson says.
Who will be the starting shortstop on the team?
— NickandDebra Newell (@nnewell1957) October 12, 2018
We talked about this on today’s Thunder & Lightning, and both Joel Coleman and I think Jordan Westburg ends up here. He played a big role in MSU’s College World Series run, and he certainly looks the part of a future big leaguer. He will be one of that big sophomore group that will decide how the Diamond Dawgs look this season, if they all make a big jump, this could be a national championship caliber team.
Your best/worst scenario for MBK and WBK for this year? (Floor/Ceiling)
— Cajundawg (@cajundawg) October 12, 2018
The women could easily make the Final Four again and it wouldn’t surprise me. No team will be tougher in the front court, and if Myah Taylor is everything Vic Schaefer thinks she can be, then the scoring void left by Victoria Vivians could be filled. The main thing the ladies need is leadership, after losing those four seniors last year, they have to find the person who will take those big shots in crunch time. In case you missed it, you should check out my interview with Vic Schaefer from yesterday’s podcast. https://soundcloud.com/will-east-2/tl-exclusive-coach-vic-schaefer-ready-to-make-another-run-to-the-top
For the men, the time is now to return the NCAA Tournament. They bring back nearly every bit of production from last year, they have depth, and they have a ton of talent. I expect them to contend in the SEC and be an easy at-large season for the NCAA Tournament come March.
@brianhadad as for BBQ — brisket or pulled pork? Texas, KC or NC style
— Cajundawg (@cajundawg) October 12, 2018
Man, do I love brisket. In my opinion, it is the undisputed king of BBQ meats, and that’s why I think Texas style is the best of all. Brisket, ribs, sausage, and little to no sauce, that is how meat should be cooked. Maybe one day I’ll stand in line for five hours and enjoy Franklin’s.
All right, that is all for this week, guys. Enjoy the open weekend, and don’t forget to listen to SportsTalk Mississippi today starting at 3 PM as I’ll be on the whole show live at the SuperTalk Mississippi studios.
