Croom claims Lee's injury was a factor in loss to Vols

Mississippi State football coach Sylvester Croom doesn't need a calendar to know more than half of the 2008 season is gone with the wind.

He could lament the season-opening loss at Louisiana Tech, or the 3-2 loss to Auburn. Win those games, and State is staring at a 4-3 record instead of 2-5 and on the verge of being eliminated from bowl contention.

"No question we've been playing with a sense of urgency for some time now," Croom said. "We've been trying to get back on track and get on a roll where we can hopefully have a shot of getting into a bowl game. Now, the opportunities are getting fewer and fewer week by week."

As State prepares for Saturday's nonconference home game against pesky Sun Belt Conference foe Middle Tennessee, the Bulldogs must purge themselves of the "what ifs" of Saturday's 34-3 loss at Tennessee.

What if State quarterback Tyson Lee had not sprained his knee on the opening drive? What if State had tackled better on Tennessee's opening scoring drive of the second half? What if the offensive line had protected Lee better in the fourth quarter, when he threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns?

"We were in that game until midway through the fourth quarter," said Croom, noting that the Vols were clinging to a 13-3 lead entering the final period. "We played hard but not always smart."

On the game's opening drive, before Lee got hurt on the 11th play of the possession, he completed 4-of-5 passes for 56 yards. Each pass resulted in a first down, and he had the Vols reeling.

Then, on second-and-four at the Tennessee 19, he was slung down awkwardly for a 3-yard loss by the Chris Walker. Two plays later, State's Adam Carlson missed a 39-yard field goal try, and any momentum the Bulldogs could have had was gone.

Lee wasn't really the same the rest of the game, though he had a couple of spectacular scrambles when his protection broke down. And when he had two passes picked off in an 87-second span of the final period and returned for TDs by Tennessee's Eric Berry and Demetrice Morley, it inflated the final score of what had been a close game.

"Bad decisions on my part," Lee said. "I should have thrown the ball somewhere else."

Croom said he thought Lee's injury was a factor.

"His throws were a bit off and he wasn't as sharp as he normally is," Croom said. "Some of it has to do with his drops, and I don't think there's any question that his injury had an effect on him."

Croom said Lee was sore Monday, but he expected he'll be ready for Saturday's game.