The Mississippi State defense couldn’t do anything right in the first half Nov. 13 against Auburn.
The Tigers scored a touchdown on each of their first four possessions, burying the Bulldogs in a 28-3 hole barely 20 minutes into the game.
Of course, Mississippi State’s offense made up for the defensive lapses in a 43-34 win that stands as the biggest comeback in program history. MSU held Auburn to just six points for the rest of the game, too.
But a week later against a less ferocious pack of Tigers, the Bulldogs’ defense needed to make no such amends.
Mississippi State came out strong on defense on Saturday against Tennessee State in Starkville, forcing three consecutive three-and-outs to keep TSU at bay. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions en route to a 55-10 blowout victory.
Here’s what happened on each of the Tigers’ three ill-fated drives.
Drive No. 1
Start: Tennessee State 35-yard line
Thanks to a kickoff out of bounds by Tucker Day, Tennessee State got strong field position at the 35-yard line. The Tigers proceeded to go precisely nowhere. A short pass from quarterback Chayil Garnett to Devon Starling went for a loss of a yard, with linebacker Aaron Brule and safety Collin Duncan combining to bring down the running back at the 34.
On the next play, Starling got the yardage back with a 1-yard carry; defensive tackles Nathan Pickering and Jaden Crumedy tackled him at the 35. Garnett fired again for Starling on third down only for safety Shawn Preston Jr. — starting over Jalen Green for the Bulldogs — to break up the pass. The Tigers’ Kaleb Mosley punted to the 25-yard line, where Jaden Walley returned it to the 42 and fumbled out of bounds at the 40.
Net yardage: 0
Ensuing Mississippi State drive: The Bulldogs went 60 yards in just five plays to get on the board first. Quarterback Will Rogers found wideout Malik Heath for a big 31-yard gain on third down before hitting Austin Williams for a 21-yard touchdown pass.
Drive No. 2
Start: TSU 25
Scott Goodman replaced Day on the kickoff for Mississippi State, booting the ball into the end zone for a touchback. The ball was placed at the 25, and from there, the Tigers proceeded to go backward on each play.
Defensive lineman Jevon Banks and linebacker Jett Johnson brought down Starling for a 2-yard loss on first down. On second down, Garnett found Starling with a short toss for another 1-yard loss, Tyrus Wheat taking down the running back at the 22. Then Pickering raced into the backfield and sacked Garnett way back at the 10, setting up fourth-and-25 and forcing another punt.
Walley caught Mosley’s kick at the Bulldogs’ 40-yard line, made a nifty spin move and made it all the way to the Tennessee State 31.
Net yardage: -15
Ensuing Mississippi State drive: With a short field, the Bulldogs moved the ball methodically en route to a score. Rogers completed four straight passes of 8 or fewer yards before Jo’quavious Marks dropped a pass for a likely walk-in score from 7 yards out. Marks made up for it with a 7-yard touchdown run on the next snap.
Drive No. 3
Start: TSU 24
Dayron Johnson returned Goodman’s kickoff to the Tennessee State 24, the start of another Tigers drive that ended up farther from the end zone than it began. Garnett found Rodell Rahmaan on a first-down pass, but the play lost a yard when linebacker DeShawn Page and defensive lineman Aaron Odom made the stop.
Jalen Rouse gained 3 yards on a run play on second down, but Tyrus Wheat sacked Garnett for a 3-yard loss on third down. Mosley punted to the Mississippi State 38, and Walley returned the kick 4 yards to the 42.
Net yardage: -1
Ensuing Mississippi State drive: After a 1-yard loss on a pass from Rogers to Caleb Ducking, the Bulldogs moved the ball quickly to set up their third straight touchdown. Rogers hit Walley for gains of 12 and 25 yards and connected with Dillon Johnson for 17 yards. The sophomore quarterback hit Williams again for a 5-yard touchdown to put Mississippi State up 21-0. By virtue of their defense, the Bulldogs were firmly in control.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.