STARKVILLE – Mississippi State fulfilled its goal of going undefeated through nonconference play with a win over Northern Illinois on Saturday in Starkville. The Huskies put up a strong fight and were within four points of the hosts at halftime, but MSU’s defense locked down the second half to allow the offense time to get in gear.
The Bulldogs (4-0) scored on their opening drive for the fourth game in a row, finding the end zone through receiver Brenen Thompson on an end-around run. The speedster didn’t have much room to work with, but made his cut and bolted through two tacklers to walk across the goal line.
The Huskies (1-2) retook the lead after a shanked punt by Nathan Tiyce from his own end zone, setting up the visitors to score on the first play of the second half.
It was the first passing touchdown of the season for quarterback Josh Holst, and one of several first-half throws under pressure that landed on the money.
The Huskies tried to take advantage of the momentum with a surprise onside kick, but failed to steal a possession. The Bulldogs responded with a drive and score of their own to retake the lead, but failed again to follow up on the score.
MSU took a 14-10 lead into the halftime locker room.
The team came out looking rejuvenated, scoring after receiving the second half kickoff and coming up with a clutch stop on defense. The Huskies tried to respond with a drive of their own into the red zone, but MSU’s leader on defense, Isaac Smith, chose a good time to record his first interception, denying the visitors in the end zone with a toe-tap pick.
The Huskies had one more chance to make a game of it early in the fourth quarter, but again came up short. A pass to the first marker on fourth down was marked just short of the sticks, and the Bulldogs never looked back after that. The foot was on the gas, and two more touchdowns in the final frame sealed the deal.
MSU will be back at home next Saturday for the SEC opener against Tennessee. The game will kick off at 3:15 p.m. and air on SEC Network.
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