STARKVILLE — A 21-3 halftime lead quickly turned into 21-13 with 4:39 remaining.
But in an otherwise slow second half, Mississippi State put together a complete final offensive drive and put Kentucky away, taking down the Wildcats 28-13 in its SEC opener at Davis Wade Stadium.
This win was crucial in the grand scheme of things and even more critical with a road contest looming against an impressive Auburn team.
A quick programming note for those who are new here: Bulldog Bullets will be a weekly recurring article filled with short observations and commentary written throughout Mississippi State football games that posts shortly after the final gun.
To the Bulldog Bullets:
– After true freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader’s first collegiate start, I continue to think he’s going to be an impact player when all is said and done. His on-field awareness is incredibly high for a first-year player and you can tell he usually refuses to panic and waits for plays to develop. That being said, the freshman mistakes are still going to be there. He overshot a wide receiver in the second quarter which resulted in an interception and holding on to the ball too long caused him to fumble in Kentucky territory and likely cost his team points.
– Shrader’s 49-yard run on 3rd-and-4 with the game on the line was pretty impressive. I think Shrader’s mobility was a completely underrated aspect of his game following fall camp. The Charlotte native ran for 125 yards on 11 carries while completing 17 of 22 passes for 180 yards.
– On the flip side, it was clear as day Kentucky signal caller Sawyer Smith hasn’t played much. Smith was starting because of the injury to UK starter Terry Wilson and only completed 15 of 41 passes for 232 yards.
– The first time we hear Starkville native Willie Gay Jr.’s name for something other than a suspension for a violation of team rules comes from a 53-yard interception return for a touchdown on Kentucky’s opening series. Safe to say MSU’s linebacking core has missed him a lot.
– Gay Jr. also picked up two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties before halftime and was disqualified for the rest of the conference. He just has to be smarter. As dynamic of a playmaker as he is, that has to drive the coaching staff crazy.
– The first half was definitely the best the Bulldogs have looked defensively all season. Having Gay Jr. and previously suspended defensive tackle Lee Autry available helped a lot in that aspect. So did the three sacks recorded, which is more than they’ve notched in any game this year.
– Mississippi State now leads the all-time series 24-23.
– It’s sometimes taken for granted, I think, but running back Kylin Hill is so fun and electric to watch. He has agility and athleticism most football players can only dream of. The Columbus product went over the 100-yard rushing mark for the fourth straight game, the first time a MSU running back has done that since Anthony Dixon in 2009.
– This is an unofficial number, but it felt as if Kentucky dropped four touchdown passes Saturday.
– Biggest throw Shrader made all day: a 26-yard strike to Deddrick Thomas on 3rd-and-16 late in the third quarter.
– Kentucky kicker Chance Poore was 1-of-3 on the day and even missed a chip-shot 26-yard attempt. When it rains, it Poores. OK, I’ll show myself out.
– The second half MSU offensive showing was less than ideal.
– Going to have to give Kentucky partial credit for benching middle linebacker Kash Daniel on the first couple of series, despite Daniel being one of its better playmakers. They also stripped him of his team captain status for the week. If you haven’t heard, Daniel was caught on film intentionally trying to twist a Florida player’s ankle a week ago in the middle of a scrum. Before the video evidence came out, he lied to the media about the incident. Football is a violent game by nature, but there’s no place for that kind of behavior.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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