A Super Talk Mississippi Media Production. So let's look back at the last time Mississippi State was able to beat Alabama with a man who was on the field that day. Jamar Cheney now on the MSU coaching staff, but of course a linebacker for the Bulldogs at that time. Jamar, first of all, great to have you on the podcast, man. I know we were trying to get you on in the past. Glad that you haven't had you back on since you've come back home. Well, I guess we'll start with there. You know, how does it feel to be back at Mississippi State? Man, it feels good, man. Actually, I haven't, when I got hired, my last time coming back was 2000, I think, 14, and that was just for a game.

So, you know, how that is. You know, you know, how that is. You know, you know, come to the game and things like that might hang out with the team a little bit, but you never really see nothing on a campus or, you know, Starkville in general. You kind of like in and out. But it's being back, man, seeing, you know, how it has grown, man,

and seeing familiar places and,

you know,

just people remembering you from your playing, it's being back, man, seeing, you know, how it has grown, man, and seeing familiar places

and just people remembering you from your playing days and things like that, man.

It's crazy, man.

It brought back a lot of memories.

So let's talk about one of those memories.

Let's talk about this 2007 Alabama game.

And one advantage you guys had that this Mississippi State team this weekend

doesn't have is you guys had beaten Alabama the year before. You had gone into Tuscaloosa

and pulled off one of the biggest upset wins of Coach Kroon's tenure there. You know,

going into that week of playing Alabama, you know that if you win this game, you're going

to be bowl eligible for the first time in quite a long time.

You know that there's going to be a big crowd. And this is Nick Sabins, you know, is now the head coach at Alabama. What was the team's mentality that week? I mean, you just know, I mean, you know the history and all that about Alabama. But, I mean, it was big for us too just because, I mean, coach, Coach Crone, you know, he played Alabama, you know, so it was a special game to him. And just like you said, just realizing, you know, we were going to be bold, Eljaro for the first time in a while that we were winning that game and we didn't want a chance of thing. But, I mean, I was just our mindset the whole year. I think we were pretty good on defense that year. And I was just our mindset going into the game. I mean, we're going to try to – we're going to be in every game because of our, you know, our defense. So we're going to go out there and, you know, play hard. So that kind of was our mindset, you know, in that game. You know, so.

You kind of hit our mindset, you know, in that game, you know.

You kind of hit on something there, too, with Coach Kroom because I think that everybody realized what the Alabama game meant to him,

being a former Alabama player and coach and, you know, having been up for that job a few years earlier,

was his message to you guys different during Alabama week than it was for other weeks in the year? I don't think so. I mean, you know how it is. I mean, you know, you try to keep, hey, man, you're playing everybody that, you know, the same. I mean, you don't want to never get too high on the team or get too long team. I mean, like Coach Leeds say, respect you anymore, fear no one. So you want to take that kind of mindset into every game, you know. But we knew of this players. We knew that, you know, he played there. He coached there. He was up for the job there. It's very an important game from. I think he's actually from Alabama. I mean, I know he resides there now in Mobile. So, I mean, it's a lot of history on his side with that program. We know how much it, you know, it meant to. I mean, when things like that happen, you know, you try to give you all. Give a little extra. We're going to go out there and play hard regardless, but, you know, give a little extra when you know how much it means, you know, to your head coach. One of the players that plays a big role not only in this game, but in this season for you guys is West Carroll. And, you know, obviously, you know, his career, you know, after 2008, he transfers out. And he's a guy that I don't think MSU fans know a ton about. You know, this was before social media was a big thing. And, you know, you didn't really get a chance to know him because he was just a freshman. What kind of guy and what kind of leader was West Carroll? I mean, he was a good leader. I mean, he was a smart guy. He knew the offense. He knew exactly, you know, how Coach Kuhn and Coach McCover wanted to run the offense. And one thing, like I said, I think we were pretty, Mississippi State has always been good on defense, you know, and we were pretty good there. We was pretty confident. I think one thing that he did was he gained a trust, you know, of the defense. I mean, in a team because he didn't really make mistakes when he got back there. I mean, he's going to make the right play. He's going to throw

the check down. He's not going to, you know, force anything. You know, he's just going to play a good side of the game and give us a chance to be in it and win the game at the end, you know. So I think That's kind of how he, you know, gained the trust of the team.

One thing I've always kind of laughed at, Jamar, is he came into that game meeting

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