STARKVILLE — Before the start of overtime Saturday night against Auburn, Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers walked up to a defensive teammate with a promise.
“Just hold them to three, and we’ll win the game,” Rogers pledged.
Like it almost always did, Mississippi State’s defense had its offense’s back Saturday.
And — when it counted — the Bulldogs offense held up its side of the bargain.
MSU forced the Tigers into a field goal attempt, which it missed, and Jo’quavious Marks’ 5-yard touchdown run gave Mississippi State (6-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) a 39-33 overtime win over Auburn (3-6, 1-5 SEC) on Saturday night at Davis Wade Stadium.
Massimo Biscardi sent the game into overtime with a 44-yard field goal with 29 seconds to play, and Marks finished off the Bulldogs’ victory after Auburn’s Anders Carlson missed a 38-yard kick.
The Bulldogs won a wild game in which they held a 24-3 lead, lost it in the fourth quarter, regained their advantage, fell behind again and tied the game all before the end of regulation.
“Good at the end. Good at the beginning,” MSU coach Mike Leach said. “In between, just bounced on and off the rails.”
Mississippi State rebounded from a string of nine consecutive scoreless offensive drives, including two fumbles by Rogers and an interception, but the Bulldogs’ defense kept Auburn mostly in check.
Despite starting seven of eight drives past the MSU 35-yard line, the Tigers were forced to settle for multiple field goals, two punts and a turnover on downs.
“Defense definitely saved us,” wide receiver Austin Williams said. “They played a heck of a game.”
Williams had his own role in saving things for the Bulldogs.
After Tank Bigsby’s go-ahead 41-yard score put Auburn up 25-24 with 6:36 return, Williams snagged a low throw from Rogers off the ground on fourth-and-2 near midfield.
Rogers found Rara Thomas for a 33-yard catch-and-run touchdown to put the Bulldogs back on top.
“We are a team that never surrenders,” Leach said. “We’ll never surrender.”
Auburn didn’t surrender, either.
Playing with nothing to lose after firing head coach Bryan Harsin on Monday, the Tigers rallied back. Neshoba Central product Jarquez Hunter struck late for Auburn, breaking the plane on an 8-yard touchdown run with 1:05 to play.
It was far from the last word.
A facemask penalty called on Auburn on the ensuing kickoff return moved the ball to the 50-yard line, but Mississippi State’s drive stalled at the 26.
After two timeouts called by the Tigers in an attempt to ice Biscardi, the Bulldogs kicker was true from 44 yards to even the score at 33-all.
“That was awesome,” Williams said. “I was so happy for him. It’s a tough environment and a tough thing to do, but he came out there cool, calm, collected.”
Ben Raybon’s squib kick ricocheted off an Auburn player and into the hands of the Bulldogs, giving MSU one more shot in regulation.
But a 56-yard attempt by Biscardi was well short, sending the contest to overtime.
A pass interference call in the end zone set up MSU with first-and-goal at the 5-yard line, and Marks trotted in from there.
Marks ran seven times for 13 yards, but Dillon Johnson had just three attempts for minus-1 yard as the Bulldogs struggled in the run game overall.
“I think we have to do a better job running the ball when it’s a five-, five-and-a-half, six-man box and we can get four or five yards on first down, we have to do it,” Rogers said. “Part of that’s on me.”
The junior quarterback finished 42 of 59 for 357 yards, three touchdowns and one pick.
Rogers hit Thomas and Caleb Ducking for receiving scores in the first half, breaking Dak Prescott’s record for career passing yards and career passing touchdowns on the first touchdown pass.
Lideatrick Griffin added to the lead midway through the second quarter, racing down the field for a 92-yard kickoff return touchdown.
Griffin tied a school record for kick-return scores with his second, and his teammates knew it.
“Once we saw a hole, I had my hands up,” nose tackle Cameron Young said. “I already knew what he was going to do.”
The touchdown put the Bulldogs up 24-3, but just like last year, when MSU rallied back from a 28-3 deficit at Jordan-Hare Stadium for a 43-34 win, the game was far from over.
Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford ran for scores of 20 and 18 yards, silencing the Davis Wade Stadium crowd each time.
Bigsby tiptoed the left sideline to put the Tigers ahead, but MSU rallied.
Thomas caught his second touchdown of the game, a catch-and-run score, and Biscardi’s kick sent the game to overtime.
And just as Rogers asked, Mississippi State’s defense got one last stop to set up the win.
“Defense, I thought, kept us in it,” Leach said.
Next week, Mississippi State will host No. 1 Georgia (9-0, 6-0 SEC) at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.
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 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion