Three Players Who Stood Out in Mississippi State's 39-33 OT Victory Over Auburn

This trio of Bulldogs contributed heavily to their team's victory on Saturday night.

Mississippi State saw many big plays in its 39-33 thriller overtime victory against Auburn.

Running back Jo'quavious Marks ran for the game-winning touchdown, and kicker Massimo Biscardi nailed a long field goal to tie the game up and force overtime. Countless other athletes -- from Austin Williams to Jett Johnson -- made key plays that were important in solidifying the team's sixth win of the season. 

These three student-athletes stood out above the rest and made significant contributions to the Bulldogs' victory.

1. WR Rara Thomas

Wideout Rara Thomas stood tall against some stiff competition. The sophomore hauled in six receptions for a team-high 84 yards and two touchdowns. One of those scores served as the final touchdown to push the team ahead late and bring back some much-needed momentum that helped propel the team to victory in the end. Thomas has shown tremendous growth this season and continues to prove why he earns significant playing time in Mike Leach's Air Raid offense. 

2. LB Tyrus Wheat 

Wheat was arguably the most outstanding player on the Bulldogs' defense, making huge plays all across the field. The senior out of Amite, Louisiana, had six tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-losses, two sacks and two quarterback hurries. Many of those plays came up in big-time moments, either when the Tigers were facing a critical third-down situation or had momentum in the red zone. Without a strong defensive showing throughout the entirety of the second half, there's no way that Mississippi State would have been able to stay in the game given its offensive woes. 

3. WR Tulu Griffin 

Griffin had one of the most electric plays of the night as a special teams returner. Towards the latter half of the second quarter, the speedster hauled in a kick on his team's eight-yard line and wove his way around defenders for the 92-yard touchdown. Not only did his big play give the Bulldogs some big points that ultimately helped them win the game, but it also came at a crucial time right after Auburn put its first points on the board. This is Griffin's first kick return touchdown of the season, but he's come close to breaking away countless other times.