Mississippi State Football Defeats Southern Miss, 41-20
The Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Southern Miss Eagles 41-20, behind a dominant defensive performance from start to finish.
Mississippi State quarterback Will Rodgers made his return after being held out since Oct. 7 due to a shoulder injury. He finished the game completing 12-of-27 attempts for 144 yards and two touchdowns, but he, along with the rest of the offense, struggled to find the endzone early.
The game started on a quick sour note as the Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs on their first possession and Southern Miss quarterback Ethan Crawford took advantage with a deep pass to wide receiver Jakarius Caston for a 44-yard gain on the second play of their opening drive. Crawford connected with running back Frank Gore Jr. for an 8-yard touchdown shortly after.
Nevertheless, the Bulldog defense made sure interim head coach Greg Knox's first game this season as the interim head coach wouldn't be a high-scoring one, as they forced five punts with numerous three-and-outs in the first half alone. Linebacker Nathaniel "Bookie" Watson recorded a strip sack that gave the offense the ball in plus territory and Defensive tackle Nathan Pickering batted away a fourth-down pass late in the second quarter.
However, Rodgers and company couldn't take much advantage of the defense's efforts as they only scored one touchdown on an eight-yard reception by wide receiver Lideatrick Griffin and settled for three field goals by Kyle Ferrie, including one at the halftime buzzer. Similar to Southern Miss, the Bulldogs were forced to punt four times after numerous three-and-outs.
After yet another forced punt by the Mississippi State defense, the offense finally gained enough momentum to effectively drive down the field on its opening possession of the second half. Rodgers found wide receiver Zavion Thomas for a 35-yard gain on the second play and then connected with running back Jo'Quavious Marks for a 15-yard touchdown a couple plays later to go up 23-7.
Southern Miss scored their first points since the first quarter a couple of drives later, as backup quarterback Billy Wiles delivered the ball to a wide open Caston who took it 44 yards to the house. Wiles was on the field for a few possessions in the first half after Crawford was strip-sacked and injured. Crawford returned in the second half, but had limited snaps.
Mississippi State somewhat answered back after a positive 13-play drive, but for the fourth time, they relied on Ferris to split it through the uprights, keeping the game still intact.
A game that was once completely stagnant turned a complete 180 degrees, as Caston returned the kickoff after the field goal 98 yards to make it a one-possession game. Three plays into Mississippi State's next offensive drive, running back Jeffery Pittman broke free and sprinted 59 yards for his first touchdown of the season.
Southern Miss made it appear as though they'd score again on its next drive, but linebacker Jett Johnson hauled in an interception and lateraled it to safety Marcus Banks, who went all the way for a pick-six.
Johnson and Watson, who went into Saturday as the No. 1 and No. 2 tackles leaders in the SEC, will all but certainly stay at the top of the chart, as they finished with a combined 39 tackles. That is astonishing.
Mississippi State will play its final game of the regular season against Ole Miss next week, hoping to win the "state title."
