TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona converted on a fourth-and-1 run play on its second drive of Saturday’s game against Mississippi State.
The Wildcats sent D.J. Williams up the middle for 2 yards, enough to move the chains and set up a first down at midfield. For an Arizona team that had just allowed a touchdown to the Bulldogs, it was a big conversion.
It was also the only one.
Mississippi State stopped Arizona on its remaining three fourth-down attempts, all in the fourth quarter, and it was critical in MSU’s 39-17 victory.
“It was huge the way they got stops there at the end,” quarterback Will Rogers said.
The Bulldogs stopped the Wildcats on three consecutive drives in the fourth quarter, keeping Arizona from getting back into the game.
Michael Wiley went 13 yards on a pass from Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura on the first failed possession, but Wiley needed 15. MSU took over at its own 23-yard line.
Arizona’s next drive stalled in Bulldogs territory again on an incomplete pass on fourth-and-3 from the MSU 31.
The final stop came in the red zone as backup quarterback Noah Fifita fired incomplete into the end zone on fourth-and-5 from the 6-yard line.
Mississippi State coach Mike Leach said Arizona was forced to go for it because of the Bulldogs’ lead, an ideal situation as MSU ran out the clock on the Wildcats.
“I thought that was a pretty good example of offense and defense complementing each other,” Leach said.
Leach: O-line ‘mostly good’
It couldn’t be said on every series, but Mississippi State’s offensive line was “mostly good” Saturday night.
The Bulldogs mauled the Wildcats on the D-line early on, setting the tone for 70 MSU rushing yards in the first quarter alone on 7.8 yards per carry.
Arizona recorded one sack in each of the third and fourth quarters, including one three-and-out characterized by poor O-line play on Mississippi State’s part.
Rogers was pressured on a first-down pass attempt, the line gave ground on a second-down run, and Rogers was sacked on third down to force a punt.
Leach wasn’t pleased with series like that, but he praised his line’s performance overall.”
“Again they rallied, and then we did play really hard,” Leach said. “I think that really one of the biggest differences in this game was our offensive line.”
Bulldogs go late in Tucson
Mississippi State and Arizona kicked off at 10:10 p.m. Central from Arizona Stadium, and those hoping for a quick game were disappointed.
The final buzzer sounded at 1:53 a.m., signifying a game time of more than three and a half hours.
Those on MSU’s sideline couldn’t help but notice how late it was getting as the contest wore on.
“It was past my bedtime,” Watson said.
Perhaps, the redshirt senior linebacker noted, it can help the Bulldogs moving forward. MSU’s first game against Memphis on Sept. 3 was delayed more than two hours by lightning and did not finish until 12:07 a.m.
Next Saturday’s game at LSU has a relatively early kickoff — 5 p.m. — but Watson indicated the Bulldogs are prepared for pretty much anything after the chaos of the first two weeks.
Up against a team with a noted home-field advantage, that could be a good sign.
“Going into Death Valley, it’s going to be a good environment,” Watson said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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