STARKVILLE — Joe Moorhead readjusted his visor and inched into the plastic chair set at the front of the media room at Davis Wade Stadium.
Pulling the chair in toward the table, he quickly glossed over the stat sheet in front of him and delivered a gleeful opening statement.
“Very proud of our guys,” he said. “We said heading into the game it was going to take poise, passion and precision. We certainly saw a lot of it.”
One week after losing a fourth quarter lead against Kansas State, the Bulldogs (3-1) eked out a 28-13 win over Kentucky (2-2) Saturday to begin SEC play 1-0.
Following three weeks of offensive excess, it was the Bulldog defense that shouldered the load against the Wildcats.
Junior linebacker Willie Gay Jr. — who missed the first three games of the year for violating team rules — hopped in front of a Sawyer Smith pass and took it 52 yards to the house for the opening score of the day on just the fourth play from scrimmage.
Gay, who was disqualified midway through the second quarter for his second unsportsmanlike penalty of the game, finished his first game of the season with two tackles — one for a loss — and the interception.
“I think Willie is one of the top linebackers in the conference and in the country,” Moorhead said. “He’s big; he’s strong; he’s fast; he’s athletic; he plays with great passion.”
Following Gay’s interception return, junior running back Kylin Hill maintained his historic pace to start the season as he guided the MSU offense to 421 total yards.
Hill, who finished the afternoon with 120 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries, notched his first score off a sweep handoff at the Kentucky 12-yard line. Hitting left-hand corner with three Wildcat defenders closing in, he leapt from the four yard line and flew into the end zone for a touchdown.
Hill then helped extend the MSU first half lead to 18 with a two-yard plunge to cap off a 10-play 80-yard drive with 4:45 remaining in the second quarter.
While the MSU offense rolled out of the gate, Kentucky was mightily stagnant — totaling just 59 yards in the second quarter.
“Very disappointed, really, with the entire first half,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “It did not feel like we played very good football in any phase.”
After MSU marched into halftime with a 21-3 edge, Kentucky crept within a score thanks to a Kavosiey Smoke 2-yard touchdown run and a 29-yard Matt Ruffolo field goal.
That said, the Wildcats special teams unit — which cost them an upset at No. 9 Florida last week — continued its recent run of abysmal play. Kicker Chance Poore missed a 40-yarder to close the first half, while his 26-yard fourth quarter kick was driven left of the uprights — missing a chance to bring Kentucky within a score.
Hill closed the scoring with his third touchdown — a one-yard inside handoff with 1:39 remaining to grant MSU a two-possession lead late.
“Redemption always feels good,” he said. “Last week we didn’t play like ourselves. We were energized this week. We wanted to make a statement to show the world that we still can battle, still can continue to compete for a championship.”
At quarterback, freshman Garrett Shrader earned his first career start as No. 1 signal caller Tommy Stevens was scratched due to a lingering shoulder issue.
Shrader, whose fourth quarter helicopter run against Kansas State last week earned national acclaim, gutted out another gritty performance Saturday — finishing the afternoon 17-for-22 for 180 yards passing with another 125 yards rushing on 11 attempts.
“This was three or four years of recruitment and relationships and belief come to fruition,” Moorhead said of Shrader. “I don’t know if there are too many freshman quarterbacks around the country playing like that.”
As has become the cliched narrative of this season, Moorhead has harped on each week being a one-game season. This week, the concurring mantra of not allowing one loss turn into two. Though the Bulldogs conceded postgame it wasn’t a complete 60 minute effort, they made good on Moorhead’s message.
“I know it’s a cliche as hell,” Moorhead said. “…but it we have to do that because that’s the type of team we are.”
Dawg notes
Starting wide receiver Stephen Guidry did not suit up Saturday. According to Moorhead, Guidry was not scratched until late in the week. It is unclear what the extent of his injury is.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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