Mississippi State’s bid to upset No. 6 Texas A&M at Kyle Field on Saturday fell short of the mark. The offense was stuck in the mud after a positive start to the game, and though the defense did well enough to hold on, the Aggies were able to wear them out down the stretch.
Here is a look at a few of the moments that mattered most as the Bulldogs failed to find their feet in Aggieland.
Movement
The Bulldogs were in business on their second drive of the game.
The running game, which has become the team’s bread and butter over the last three games, got the team rolling into Aggie territory. Davon Booth even had an opportunity to break one, but couldn’t regain his balance after breaking through a tackler into the secondary. Still, the drive kept moving, and after 13 plays, they were knocking on the door at the one-yard line.
On third and goal, Lebby sent on quarterback Kamario Taylor to run a play at the goal line. The true freshman has had a successful package of plays to run in short-yardage situations, and looked set to drive the ball in when a flag was thrown.
Right tackle Luke Work, filling in for the injured Albert Reese IV, moved early and was called for a false start. It backed the Bulldogs five yards back from the end zone, and the following rollout play came to nothing.
Kyle Ferrie drilled a short field goal to get MSU on the board with a 3-0 early lead, but the opportunity to break through early would soon come back to haunt the Bulldogs.
Floater
In the middle of the second quarter, the Bulldog defense had found its rhythm. A goalline stop gave the unit confidence, and though there was a lack of pressure on Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed there was also a lack of clear options for him in the passing game.
Looking downfield for a chunk play, Reed made an ambitious pass over the middle that was snagged by MSU cornerback Kelley Jones.
It was the second turnover in a row for the Bulldog defense, and set the offense up for a major swing in momentum. It only took three plays to cross midfield into Aggie territory, and with the defense seemingly on the ropes Lebby went for a home run swing. Shapen went to wind up for a shot to the end zone, but as he started his throwing motion, Aggie edge rusher Cashius Howell got a hand to the ball. The heave was high and wobbly, primed for an interception as it floated back down over the middle for Daymion Sanford to pluck out of the air.
It wasn’t quite the end for the Bulldogs, but the next drive saw the Aggies find the end zone for the first time, and Shapen wouldn’t take another snap in enemy territory until the fourth quarter.
Bobble
The MSU offense was on life support at the start of the second half.
Midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs were looking to get back on track after five straight drives with nothing to show for, only running one play, the interception, in Aggie territory since the first quarter. A positive first down play deep in their own territory saw them well within reach of a first down, but another mishap set them back.
The ball fell loose during a bad exchange between Shapen and running back Davon Booth, and though the ball was recovered, the second down play doomed the Bulldogs to another third down and long. Shapen completed to Anthony Evans, but the play was just short of the sticks.
The Bulldogs punted once again, and the next drive saw A&M begin a march of four consecutive scoring drives to take command of the game. It was 28-3 before the MSU offense got moving again, with another three-and-out and a fumble all they could muster amid the Aggie onslaught.
“We’re not good enough to overcome things like that,” Lebby said after the game. “That’s not going to be our identity. For us to play winning football, we’ve got to take advantage of being at second and three.”
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