Surprise spark: Blackwell touchdown helps MSU to win over Missouri

In an unusual year, the Bulldogs used the unusual to close out the regular season victoriously

STARKVILLE, Miss. – 2020 has been off the rails for awhile now. So in a year defined by craziness, why wouldn't a long snapper provide just the spark Mississippi State needed to close out a wild regular season in style?

MSU long snapper Paul Blackwell recovered a muffed punt in the end zone in the first quarter to record the Bulldogs' first points of the game and it set off an offensive barrage as State ultimately rolled past Missouri 51-32 at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday. 

State got strong performances out of quarterback Will Rogers, receiver Jaden Walley and running back Jo'quavious Marks to claim victory. MSU also got a combined three interceptions out of defensive backs Emmanuel Forbes and Collin Duncan. But the guy who lit the match for the day's State success was seemingly Blackwell.

Midway through the first quarter with MSU down 7-0 already, the Bulldogs punted to the Tigers. Missouri's Cade Musser couldn't field the kick cleanly and Blackwell hopped on the loose ball in the end zone. It was suddenly a tie game and MSU had momentum.

"Basically, I saw (Musser) tracking back because (MSU punter Tucker Day) had a really good punt and executed his job," Blackwell said. "(Musser) dropped it. I think a couple of guys bobbled it before I got there and I happened to be the one to get my hands on it and it was in the end zone. I guess dreams really do come true."

Perhaps Mississippi State's offense would've eventually clicked anyway but there's little denying Blackwell's big moment was when Saturday's affair swung in the direction of the Bulldogs. The Blackwell touchdown was the first seven of 17 unanswered points by MSU. By halftime, State built a 27-10 lead and would lead by at least 16 points for the rest of the day.

In some ways, it was all the culmination of several weeks worth of visible improvement for the Bulldogs. MSU struggled to get going offensively for much of the season, but showed signs of life in losses at Georgia and at Ole Miss. After another sluggish showing last week against Auburn, Saturday seemed to show State has indeed taken strides forward.

"I thought we've had it in us," MSU head coach Mike Leach said. "As far as getting everything kind of congruent, that's been the challenge. It was a challenge tonight too...But I was very proud of how hard they played. I thought we executed well. We also had some world-class boneheaded football on all three sides of the ball, but I would have to say the thing I was most impressed with is we competed hard throughout and if you compete hard, you can overcome some of the bonehead stuff and some of the basic execution stuff becomes more explosive."

And explosive State was throughout the day, moreso than at any point this year since the Bulldogs won their opener down at LSU in impressive fashion. On Saturday, MSU had nine different plays of more than 15 yards. Five of those were for more than 20 yards and three were for over 30.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't all through the air either as the Air Raid showed a successful ground element for basically the only time this season. Yes, Rogers passed for 295 yards and three touchdowns and Walley had his fourth-straight game with over 100 yards receiving, but the Bulldogs also ran for a season-best 151 yards as a team. Entering Saturday, MSU had only 209 yards on the ground for the entire season over the first nine games. The Bulldogs nearly matched that against Missouri alone. Just add that fact to the same column as Blackwell's touchdown amongst the wacky things of 2020.

There were other absurdities as well. Chief among them was when senior linebacker Erroll Thompson, perhaps playing his final home game ever as a Bulldog, was ejected two plays into the contest because of a targeting foul. 

Need more? Late in the game, State quarterback K.J. Costello played for the first time since October 31. He threw only two passes. One fell incomplete and the other was intercepted by Missouri defensive back Shawn Robinson – who, like Costello, actually began this season as a starting quarterback.

Yet for those who like the unexpected, it's hard to imagine a more impactful surprise than Blackwell's touchdown. It seemingly put the wind in the Bulldogs' sails that they needed to put an exclamation point on the 2020 regular season as MSU waits for a likely bowl selection that is expected to be announced Sunday afternoon.

"Anytime that you can get a big play on special teams or a turnover like that or a touchdown, it’s always a game-changing play," Blackwell said. "I know it had a big impact on the game and it kind of helped our motors get running. After that, our offense started rolling…I definitely think that lit a fire for us and helped us execute our gameplan."

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