That word was used Saturday when reporters asked the SEC's first black coach about his team's 19-14 win at Auburn.
"Not to us it wasn't," Croom said. "We felt like it was a dead-even game coming in. I am sure some people would call it an upset, but we don't care, we know who we are."
Upset or not, it was another big win for Croom in his home state. Croom is a former Alabama player and assistant coach and his Bulldogs defeated the Crimson Tide 24-16 last year in Tuscaloosa.
Croom, in his fourth year at Mississippi State with an 11-26 record, said he also doesn't consider the win a personal victory.
"I told them (the players) that it wasn't for me and that I had been here before. I have beaten Auburn lots of times," Croom said, referring to his years at Alabama.
Christian Ducre scored the go-ahead touchdown with 5:15 to play and Mississippi State stopped Auburn inside the 10 in the final seconds.
Mississippi State (2-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) had lost six in a row against Auburn.
It was the second consecutive upset at home for the Tigers (1-2, 0-1), who were beaten by South Florida 26-23 in overtime last week.
NO. 2 LOUISIANA STATE 44, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 0
Ryan Perrilloux looked nothing like a backup quarterback in his first career start for LSU as the threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns.
