Mississippi State at Texas A&M: Quarter By Quarter Summary
Mississippi State defeated Texas A&M 26-22 on Saturday in College Station, thanks to a great performance on both offense and defense.
The Bulldogs played four complete quarters and competed well against a talented SEC opponent to get a much-need victory heading into the open date. Saturday night's performance in College Station was everything it needed to be, showing the type of improvement the team has been looking for while also showing some need for fine-tuning in certain areas as this team looks to increase its level of consistency.
Here's a look into the quarter-by-quarter summary of how things shook out at Kyle Field:
First Quarter: MSU 10, TAMU 7
Mississippi State kicked off to Texas A&M to start the game, but the Bulldogs quickly gained possession of the football. Fred Peters intercepted a pass from Aggies' quarterback Zach Calzada less than a minute into the game. Peters returned the ball 12 yards to the Texas A&M 25 yard line.
The Bulldogs scored first on a 24-yard field goal by Nolan McCord with 11:49 left in the first quarter. The Aggies received the ball again, and scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass less than 3 minutes later to take the lead. On the following drive, Will Rogers completed seven of eight passes, including a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Walley with 2:58 left in the quarter. Overall, the Bulldogs had 93 total yards on 17 plays, while Texas A&M had 101 yards on 13 plays.
Second Quarter: MSU 17, TAMU 13
At the start of the second quarter, Texas A&M was at the Mississippi State 14 yard line facing a 3rd down and six. A 9-yard sack by Tyrus Wheat pushed the Aggies back to the 23-yard line and forced a 40-yard field goal. Texas A&M kicker Seth Small made the field goal and tied the game at 10.
From there, Mississippi State had a drive that ended in a missed field goal, and each team was forced to punt once. The next score came with 2:47 left until halftime when Small kicked another field goal to give the Aggies a three-point advantage. From there, Rogers led the Bulldogs down the field to score again. Rogers completed four passes, including two for 23 yards each, as well as a 15-yard touchdown pass to Makai Polk with 1:16 left until halftime. McCord made the extra point, and Mississippi State went into the locker room with a four-point lead and possession of the football to start the second half.
Third Quarter: MSU 24, TAMU 19
In the third quarter, Mississippi State had 123 total yards to Texas A&M's 84. The Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-point lead with 6:54 left until the fourth quarter. Rogers completed another touchdown pass to Polk, this one for 20 yards. Texas A&M ran 11 plays on the following drive while draining nearly five minutes off the clock. Calzada ran 25 yards for a touchdown with 1:18 left, but could let a two-point conversion pass fall incomplete. Both teams had a solid quarter with no turnovers and few penalties, and Mississippi State continued to hold onto a small lead.
Fourth Quarter: MSU 26, TAMU 22
Mississippi State played a sloppier fourth quarter than in previous weeks, but held onto the lead and claimed the victory. The Bulldogs made it to the Texas A&M 14 yard line with 10:59 remaining in the game, and were looking to put the nail in the coffin. Rogers threw an incomplete pass and was then sacked to bring up a third down quickly.
Rogers was sacked again on the third down play, but a holding call against the offense pushed the ball back to the Texas A&M 25 yard line and forced a 3rd-and-21. Before that play could get underway, a false start penalty was called. The Bulldogs were only able to gain three yards on the 3rd and 26, and McCord came on to attempt a 44-yard field goal. Another false start penalty made it a 49-yard field goal, which McCord did not make. Texas A&M took over at their own 31-yard line, and running back Devon Achane ran 41 yards to the Mississippi State 28 yard line on the first play of the drive. The Bulldogs defense held the Aggies to a field goal, but that cut the lead to two with 5:39 left in the game.
State did not find momentum on the following drive, but punter Archer Trafford kicked the ball to the Texas A&M 11 yard line. With 2:02 left in the game, Nathan Pickering sacked Calzada in the end zone for the victory-sealing safety. The Bulldogs were given possession of the football, and held onto it until time expired.
