Photo courtesy of Melina Vastola/USA TODAY Sports
When Keytaon Thompson Outplayed Lamar Jackson
In the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl, the Mississippi State Bulldogs faced the Louisville Cardinals and had the odds stacked against them.
Mississippi State would be without head coach Dan Mullen and several assistant coaches, who had just left the team to go coach at the University of Florida, leaving interim coach Greg Knox in charge. Starting quarterback Nick Fitzgerald would not be playing in the game due to an injury. Finally, the Bulldogs were facing one of the greatest quarterbacks in college football history in Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, who was eager to bring home a victory in the final game of his college football career.
The Bulldogs turned to freshman quarterback Keytaon Thompson to lead the team.
Thompson and Jackson each scored three total touchdowns in an epic duel between mobile quarterbacks, but Thompson got the better of Jackson as Mississippi State prevailed in a 31-27 victory.
It was not the most traditional quarterbacking duel, as most of the damage dealt by Jackson and Thompson were with their legs.
Lamar Jackson went 13 of 31 for 171 yards and two passing touchdowns, but the Bulldogs intercepted him four times in the game. Jackson broke the TaxSlayer Bowl record for most rushing yards by a quarterback with 158 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, including a 75-yard run in the second quarter, the longest run of his career.
Keytaon Thompson completed 11 of 20 passes for 127 yards, but threw an interception and did not have a passing touchdown. Instead, Thompson was a beast in the ground game, running 27 times for 147 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of rushing scores in the fourth quarter.
“We didn’t care if he was a freshman, we didn’t care if he was starting his first game,” said Mississippi State interim head coach Greg Knox. “We knew we could scheme some things up for him to run the ball, and he could have success.”
The Bulldogs trailed by four points at halftime, but they outscored the Cardinals 14-6 in the second half to win the game.
It was a breakout performance for Thompson, who displayed poise in his first collegiate start and showed a combination of strength and athleticism in the run game that has only gotten more dangerous throughout his career.
Thompson had another great performance in the opening-game of the 2018 season, throwing for 364 yards and five touchdowns and running for 109 yards and two more touchdowns in a 63-6 win over Stephen F. Austin. But, Thompson would see very little playing time for the Bulldogs after that game due to the arrival of graduate transfer Tommy Stevens.
Following the 2019 season, Thompson entered the transfer portal and ultimately chose to play for Bronco Mendenhall and the Virginia Cavaliers.
Thompson’s days as a quarterback are over, but UVA has found a way to maximize his talents as a “football player” in the running and receiving game. Thompson has 125 rushing yards and one touchdown as well as 287 receiving yards on 20 receptions this season.
On Saturday, Thompson will take another swing at Louisville. The Hoos hope to see a similar Keytaon Thompson as the one who scored three touchdowns against the Cardinals in 2017.
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