STARKVILLE — Mississippi State running back Dillon Johnson said after Saturday’s win against No. 17 Texas A&M that he thought the Bulldogs had eclipsed 100 rushing yards as a team.
Informed the number was in fact 144, Johnson was surprised.
“Oh, for real?” he said. “Wow. I don’t know if we’ve ever — did we reach that before?”
MSU had done so just once in the past three seasons, totaling 151 yards in a Dec. 19, 2020, win over Missouri in Starkville. Saturday was the Bulldogs’ second-best rushing performance under third-year coach Mike Leach.
The Bulldogs averaged an even 6 yards per carry, running 24 times between Johnson, Jo’quavious Marks and Simeon Price. It wasn’t Mississippi State’s most rushing attempts under Leach, but it was one of MSU’s best efforts in the run game in years.
“I think y’all can tell that we run the ball a lot more,” Johnson said.
Mississippi State’s only game with more rushing efficiency under Leach came last season against Tennessee State with a 7.1 yards per carry average.
Texas A&M is not Tennessee State.
But facing both the Bulldogs’ Air Raid passing offense and what is now a respectable run scheme, the Aggies struggled to defend either.
“They had a tough time teeing off on any one thing, so I thought that part was good,” Leach said.
A tough Mississippi State offensive line paved the way for the Bulldogs’ rushing success. And that was without left tackle Kwatrivous Johnson, who was injured against Bowling Green and did not play Saturday.
Nick Jones slid over to left tackle and played capably at the position, while Middle Tennessee transfer Steven Losoya filled in at left guard.
The Bulldogs picked up the slack nearly perfectly.
Not only did Mississippi State’s O-line keep quarterback Will Rogers clean, but it opened rushing lanes against the Aggies throughout the night.
“They were just moving bodies, man,” Johnson said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in those guys.”
Another factor in the Bulldogs’ favor was the defensive formation Texas A&M deployed against MSU.
Rogers said postgame the Aggies were the first true “drop eight” defense Mississippi State faced this season, although the Bulldogs were peppered with it in years past as opponents attempted to solve the Air Raid.
That meant three-man defensive fronts and favorable boxes for the run game, something Johnson said signified a lack of respect for MSU’s rushing offense.
“They really don’t respect us running the ball,” he said. “They’re more worried about the pass.”
In past years, that might have been justified. Mississippi State had among the fewest rush attempts of any team in 2020; in 2021, they were dead last by a good margin.
MSU is still third from the bottom in 2022, but their 3.55 yards per carry average is a big step up on last year’s 3.04 mark.
For Johnson and the Bulldogs, it’s a great sign as MSU continues SEC play.
“Every running back wants to run the ball,” Johnson said. “When we get out there and they’re moving bodies and we’re getting yards, it just builds confidence for the whole offense. It opens up the whole offense.
“As you can see, we had a whole bunch of passing yards. We had a whole bunch of rushing yards. When we’re able to be two dimensional, we’re a great team.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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