Vanderbilt ran fewer than half as many offensive plays as Mississippi State did in Saturday’s game in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Commodores were held to just 42 plays to the Bulldogs’ 86 in a 45-6 MSU win at Vanderbilt Stadium, making the visitors one of three FBS teams since 2000 to hold an opponent under 45 offensive snaps.

“I think that’s really important, especially coming into a week like this where the load is probably going to be heavier,” Mississippi State defensive tackle Cameron Young said.

Consequently, Vanderbilt managed just 155 total yards, almost a third of Mississippi State’s total of 522.

The contest illustrated an interesting fact: The Bulldogs’ success on defense this year has been largely contingent on how many plays their opponent is able to run.

To some extent, that makes sense. The shorter the possession, the better. Three-and-outs are always preferable to long, grueling touchdown drives.

But while Mississippi State ranks No. 28 in total yards per game allowed at 327.0, it’s a whole different story when yards per play are taken into account. At 5.61, the Bulldogs sit at No. 71 in the nation, tied with Washington State.

Not many top defensive teams have such a large disparity. The top five teams in yards per game this season, for example, are Georgia, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Houston and San Diego State. In yards per play, the Bulldogs and Badgers are still first and second; the Cyclones and Cougars are tied for 11th, and the Aztecs are fifth.

But thanks to its No. 7-ranked time of possession (34 minutes, 15 seconds a game), Mississippi State’s opponents have run just 408 plays against the Bulldogs, tied for fourth in the country.

MSU possessed the ball for 39 minutes, 2 seconds against the Commodores.

“I think Will did a great job of controlling the time, and coach Leach did a great job of calling plays and putting together a complete game,” Young said.

So as long as the Bulldogs can keep holding onto the ball, their defensive numbers — in terms of yards per game, anyway — will continue to look strong.

Yards per play, though, might remain a different story.

Bulldogs spread the wealth on offense

Thirteen Mississippi State players had a reception on Saturday, the Bulldogs’ highest total in the past 25 years.

Jaden Walley, Makai Polk, Christian Ford, Rara Thomas and Dillon Johnson each had five catches. Woody Marks, Caleb Ducking and Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin had four apiece. Austin Williams and Malik Heath had three, Rufus Harvey had two, and J.J. Jernighan and Jamire Calvin each had one.

“It’s great for a lot of guys who had a great offseason, worked really hard, good camp, to kind of get their opportunity, to get their number called,” Williams said. “And they responded. That was really good: to see our depth.”

Additionally, Harvey and Thomas caught their first collegiate touchdowns, receptions of 6 and 28 yards, respectively.

“That’s awesome,” Williams said. “You’ve got to go congratulate them. That’s a special moment.  I still remember mine like it was yesterday.”

On the season, the Bulldogs have six players who have at least one reception in 10 or more consecutive games. Even quarterback Will Rogers has a catch — a 4-yard loss he took when he caught his own deflected pass.

Polk is tied for fourth in FBS and ranks first in the Southeastern Conference in receptions per game with 8.3, while Marks — as a running back, no less — is tied for 13th with an even seven per contest.

Marks, barely midway through his sophomore season, already has the most receptions by a running back in Mississippi State history with 109 career catches. He has had at least one in all 18 of his career games.

Particularly because Rogers’ throws are mostly short, quick releases, the Bulldogs are second in the nation in yards after catch behind only Alabama, whose dominance in the category can be at least partially attributed to Mississippi State’s own lapses in their Oct. 16 game.

But because of that extra yardage and an unsurpassed propensity to throw the ball, Rogers ranks fourth in the nation with 2,548 passing yards and third with 364 passing yards per game.

Punting continues to struggle

No matter who’s taking the long snap, Mississippi State’s punting unit has continued to struggle.

Tennessee native Tucker Day handled punting duties Saturday against Vanderbilt, and though his two kicks were good ones, the Bulldogs’ average yards per punt remains low.

Despite Day’s punts of 56 (a season high for him) and 47 yards, Mississippi State is averaging just 41.03 yards per punt this season, which ranks No. 100 in the country. Among SEC teams, only Arkansas (No. 119) and Alabama (No. 129) are lower.

Day started the season punting for the Bulldogs but struggled early, punting five times for an average of 42 yards against Louisiana Tech and seven times for an average of 35.86 yards against North Carolina State.

Air Force Academy transfer Archer Trafford replaced Day beginning with the Sept. 18 game at Memphis. Trafford averaged between 40 and 44 yards per punt in each of the next four games.

Trafford has placed seven of his 16 punts inside the 20-yard line, while Day has done the same on two of his 14 attempts.

But it was Day who took the field at Vanderbilt, and it remains to be seen if his solid performance will be enough to keep the starting job.

Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.