Deacs Hold Halftime Lead Over Mississippi State in Duke's Mayo Bowl
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Highlights of the First Half – Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State
The first play from scrimmage was a 51-yard toss to Mississippi State wide receiver Brenen Thompson. The Bulldogs picked up another first down, but ultimately settled for a 33-yard field goal.
0-3 Mississippi State
Wake Forest's offense didn't touch the field because Koredell Bartley took the kickoff 100 yards to paydirt. The Deacs followed up the lightning strike with a two-point try: Eni Falayi caught a jump pass from Sawyer Racanelli.
8-3 Wake Forest
Both teams traded punts, and then Mississippi State hit on consecutive plays of 15 or more yards. That effort helped set up Kyle Ferrie to hit a Connor-Calvert-esque 50-yard field goal halfway through the first quarter.
6-8 Wake Forest
To follow up the Bulldog field goal, Wake Forest went on a 9-play 75-yard drive that ended with a Robby Ashford beauty to Kamrean Johnson for a 14-yard touchdown. That was Johnson's first touchdown of the season.
15-6 Wake Forest
Mississippi State went on a 10-play drive that lasted over five minutes. Despite the sustained play, the Bulldogs only mustered three points, off a 23-yard field goal.
15-9 Wake Forest
Wake Forest got the ball back with under a minute to play in the half. Robby Ashford found Carlos Hernandez for 22 yards and pumped life into the drive. However, he threw an interception to Mississippi State's Brylan Lanier on the following play.
Halftime Score: Wake Forest 15 – Mississippi State 9
Key Players of the First Half:
Koredell Bartley
Koredell Bartley is a true freshman defensive back out of Greensboro, NC. He appeared in nine games this season, most notably tallying four total tackles against the Delaware Blue Hens. With a mixed-up roster, Bartley got the nod at kick returner and took his first attempt to the house.
Koredell Bartley was the only freshman this season to not redshirt.
Fun Fact: In additon to Koredell Bartley's kickoff return touchdown, Chris Barnes also took a kickoff for six, against NC State. This season is the first time since 1952 that the Deacs have accomplished this feat.
Nick Andersen
It is only fitting, considering this is Nick Andersen's last game in old gold and black. He was all over the field in the first half—not surprising—and recorded 10 tackles and a sack.
As a whole—despite letting up some big plays—Wake Forest's defense was stout. The Deacs had 3 sacks and 6 tackles for loss.
Halftime Stats
Team Stats | Wake Forest | Mississippi State |
|---|---|---|
First Downs | 9 | 11 |
Third Down Efficiency | 4/8 | 2/9 |
Fourth Down Efficiency | 0/0 | 0/1 |
Total Yards | 160 | 229 |
Passing Yards | 101 | 156 |
Rushing Yards | 59 | 73 |
Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
Times Sacked | 0 | 3 |
Penalties (Yards) | 6 (50) | 3 (25) |
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Blake is a Sophomore at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. When not living on campus, he resides in West Virginia, where he was born and raised. He is studying communication and is invested in all things related to sports media. In his Freshman year, he completed an internship with the National Sports Media Association, and also worked as a sports editor at Wake Forest's student-run newspaper, the Old Gold & Black. Currently, Blake does play-by-play broadcasting for Wake Forest Club Ice Hockey and holds a job at Learfield, working as a studio host. In a perfect world, he would spend his free time road tripping and attending concerts all across the United States.
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