Five thoughts after Mississippi State's upset of another No. 1 ranked team

Oh, wait. Is this coming off as a complaint? My apologies.

Games like the one we saw Friday night (and last Saturday) are what makes sports so much fun and writing about games and moments like that are one of the best perks of this job.

So, to any Mississippi State coaches or players reading these words (Hi!), don’t y’all dare stop because this is too much fun.

As for the Friday night’s 3-2 win by the Bulldogs against No. 1 Tennessee, here are five random thoughts I had about the game:

1. Ally Perry, wow. Just…wow. Her first goal was great, having to corral the ball away from a defender inside the box before firing off a quick shot. Her second was a beautifully struck ball just outside the box. That’s now three goals scored by Perry against No. 1 teams in two seasons.
2. Before Perry’s first goal, the Volunteers’ Anaiyah Robinson was in line to be the hero. Her goals, in one writer’s opinion, weren’t as “spectacular” as Perry’s, but Robinson’s goals were enough to have the announcers start talking about the Bulldogs’ getting a moral win for playing so close to the No. 1 team in the nation. Then they switched to how a tie is like a win for Mississippi State after Perry tied the game. Then, after Perry’s second goal…don’t even remember what the announcers said. I did catch myself with the same shocked face I had last Saturday when Brenen Thompson made his game-winning touchdown.
3. Mississippi State deserved to be ranked before Friday’s match. They did beat then-No. 10 Wake Forest, who was last season’s national runner up. Now, the Bulldogs deserve to have a ranking that beings with a “1” and not a “2.”
4. The soccer field needs a new name. MSU Soccer Field is too bland and looks more like the name I came up with because I forgot the field’s actual name. How about “Graveyard of No. 1s”? Or “the Pitch of No Return”? Or “Cemetery of Champions”? OK, maybe not that last one because Arkansas and Tennessee haven’t won any championships.
5. Something special is happening in Starkville and soon (as in this year or next) there will be a national championship celebrated. No clue what sport. It may be soccer. It may be baseball. It may be a team sport, or an individual in tennis or golf. But the football team just knocked off a No. 12-ranked team, the soccer team just beat the No. 1 team in the nation, cross country just set some new program records and tennis already has a doubles team ranked high enough to be considered a national