the hangover, week eleven

This week's hangover is brought to you by Luna Vineyards of Napa, California.  Thanks wine club!

Hell, I don't know what you expected.  Mississippi State was the number one team in the nation until last week, they're still number four and in line for a playoff berth, it was senior night at home and they started eighteen seniors, and we are to all appearances the same team that crapped out hard against Temple and Ole Miss back at the beginning of the season.  51-0 is bad, but I don't know why anybody thought we had a shot to win this game.  I think we could have covered had they gone into autopilot quicker, but...

I mean, what can you say?  We're 3-8 and have to play Tennessee at home next week, and they're not a very good team but right now we are in no position to take advantage of it. Their offensive line is craptastic but we can't get to the quarterback at all.  Their defensive line is all new but we don't have a sure thing at quarterback and while we can run the ball kinda sorta, we sure can't throw to anyone but a tight end.  And they need a win for bowl eligibility, so we can still deny them the postseason for the third straight year...

But let's be honest: we live and die with this team, we'll never stop rooting, but how many of us have mentally and emotionally punched out? There's one game left, we're not going to a bowl, it's been a wretched three months.  How many folks just want it to be over with and stop thinking about it?  Now...how many of the players are the same way? One beatdown loss after another, turmoil on the roster...who has confidence that Derek Mason can get this team charged up to go out there and not just play out the string, but fight and win and take the steam out of our arch-rival?

I want to believe.  I want to have faith.  But faith is the substances of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, which makes it a perfect exemplar of Vanderbilt fandom in 2014.  We have to have faith, because right now, substance and evidence are not really on offer.