PROVO, UTAH — Taysom Hill threw for three touchdowns, including the game-winner in double overtime Friday night to give the BYU football team a 28-21 victory against Mississippi State at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Fans stormed the field after BYU linebacker Fred Warner broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone by quarterback Nick Fitzgerald to end the game. It was the first time Hill has thrown for three touchdowns since the 2014 season opener.
“I’m really proud of the guys and how they played,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “A lot of these games have been close, and that takes a toll, but I’m happy with the outcome. We got some things worked out and got the win.”
BYU (4-3) couldn’t get much going most of the night, but Hill hit Moroni Laulu-Pututau for a 15-yard touchdown on third-and-goal with 13 minutes, 15 seconds left in the game to tie things at 14.
Fitzgerald struck first in overtime with a 2-yard touchdown run, but Hill answered with a quarterback sneak to send it into double overtime. He then threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Balderree on the first snap of double overtime.
Hill finished with 165 passing yards, 53 rushing yards, and four touchdowns. Running back Jamaal Williams ran for 76 yards and set the school career rushing record at 3,468, which broke Harvey Unga’s career mark. Unga, whose last year was in 2009, had 3,455 career rushing yards.
MSU (2-4) led 14-7 at halftime thanks to a defense that held BYU to 126 first half yards, including 45 through the air.
The Bulldogs scored first with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Fitzgerald to Keith Mixon on a run-pass option to the left. Fitzgerald punched it in on a 1-yard rush later for the 14-7 lead.
Fitzgerald threw for 214 yards and one touchdown and two interceptions. He also ran for 41 yards and two touchdowns.
“He made some plays at times to win the game and made some good plays to go and do it,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said. “That’s one of his strengths; that and the ability to make the play if the play breaks down and make something happen.
Sophomore running back Aeris Williams led the Bulldogs with 86 yards rushing on 21 carries. Fred Ross had a team-high five receptions for 69 yards, while Keith Mixon had four catches for the same yardage and a touchdown.
“They played really hard and they played hard enough to win the game, we just didn’t do a good enough job as coaches to get them ready to make the plays they needed to win,” Mullen said.
Freshman inside linebacker Leo Lewis had a career-high 12 tackles, including six solo, while MSU had six tackles for loss. Richie Brown added 10 tackles, nine solo, and a pass breakup.
“I think we played a complete game,” Fitzgerald said. “We played more than a complete game tonight, and that’s something I don’t think we’ve done until now, so it’s something good to see. We just couldn’t pull it out at the end.”
MSU will take on Kentucky (3-3) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) in Lexington, Kentucky.
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