Sherrill: 'I will do the right thing for Mississippi State'

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill spent most of a 40-minute conference call with reporters Monday answering questions about his job status which is looking more precarious every week. <br> <br> Sherrill said he&#39;ll know when it is time for Mississippi State to make a coaching change. <br> <br> ``I know when the time well be and I will do the right thing for Mississippi State,&#39;&#39; he said. ``This is not about Jackie Sherrill. <br> <br> ``The players come first. That is and always will be the first consideration.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Sherrill is in his 13th season with Mississippi State and 25th as a head coach with previous stops in Texas A&M and Pittsburgh. <br> <br> He is the winningest coach in Mississippi State history, but his program has been in a downward spiral the last three seasons. <br> <br> The Bulldogs have won six of their last 27 games. <br> <br> This season, the Bulldogs (0-4) are off to their worst start since 1968. Their nine-game losing streak is the third longest in school history and they haven&#39;t won a Southeastern Conference game since 2001. <br> <br> Mississippi State hosts Vanderbilt (1-4, 0-2) on Saturday. <br> <br> All the losing has led to growing dissatisfaction with Sherrill among Bulldogs fans. <br> <br> One fan held up a sign during Saturday&#39;s nationally televised 41-6 loss to LSU at Scott Field which read: ``Eliminate Sherrill&#39;s Paycheck Now.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> A firejackiesherrill.com Web site is up and running. <br> <br> ``I&#39;ve been in this game fighting for national championships,&#39;&#39; Sherrill said. ``You&#39;re never going to have all the people like you.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The loss to LSU in its SEC opener was Mississippi State&#39;s most lopsided this season. The Bulldogs lost their first three games by a total of 18 points. <br> <br> Still, Sherrill said he is seeing improvement in his team. <br> <br> ``Sometimes the score is not indicative of the game,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> Sherrill, who is under contract through 2004, is fourth among active Division I-A coaches in victories. He has led Mississippi State to unprecedented success since taking over the downtrodden program in 1991. <br> <br> But with every game it looks less likely that he will be able to turn around the Bulldogs again. <br> <br> ``Everybody, no matter who you are, would say you&#39;d like to go out on top,&#39;&#39; Sherrill said. ``Sometimes you don&#39;t get to make that choice.&#39;&#39;