STARKVILLE — What was old became new again Saturday for Mississippi State.
Greg Knox served as the Bulldogs’ interim head coach, just as he did to close out the 2017 season. Quarterback Will Rogers and running back Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks were back in action after missing multiple games with injuries. And MSU got itself back in the win column for the first time in four weeks, defeating Southern Miss 41-20 to keep its bowl hopes alive heading into the Egg Bowl.
The game could not have started much worse for the Bulldogs (5-6), who punted on their first drive after one first down and quickly allowed the Golden Eagles (3-8) to drive down the field. A long pass from Ethan Crawford to Jakarius Caston put Southern Miss inside the 10-yard line and set up an 8-yard touchdown completion from Crawford to star running back Frank Gore Jr.
MSU’s offense remained quiet for most of the opening quarter, but the defense quickly settled in. A long field goal by freshman Kyle Ferrie put the Bulldogs on the board thanks to a short field, and the hosts then took the lead on a drive that bridged the first and second quarters. Rogers connected with Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin in the right flat for an 8-yard touchdown to put MSU ahead 10-7.
On the first play of the ensuing Golden Eagles drive, linebacker Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson came unblocked for a free shot at Crawford, stripping the ball as he registered his Southeastern Conference-leading 10th sack. Nathan Pickering recovered the fumble inside the red zone, setting up another Ferrie field goal. The left-footed kicker would strike again at the end of the half from 41 yards away to give the Bulldogs a two-score lead.
A holding penalty and a sack by linebacker Jett Johnson forced a Southern Miss three-and-out to open the second half, and MSU extended the lead with a five-play, 63-yard drive. Zavion Thomas picked up 35 yards on a catch-and-run, leading to a 15-yard completion from Rogers to Marks in the left flat for the touchdown.
Caston almost single-handedly put the Golden Eagles back in the game in the fourth quarter, though. He broke multiple tackles on his way to a 44-yard touchdown reception, and then following another Ferrie field goal, he ran the kickoff back 98 yards for another score to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 26-20.
But MSU had just as explosive a response. Running back Jeffery Pittman, a junior college transfer, found a gaping hole to the left and turned it into a 59-yard touchdown, and coupled with a pass from Rogers to Thomas for a two-point conversion, the Bulldogs were back up by two touchdowns.
State truly put the game away when Johnson intercepted a pass from Billy Wiles, then lateralled the ball to safety Marcus Banks as he was being brought down. Banks took it the rest of the way for the game’s final score.
MSU will battle rival Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl on Thursday night at Davis Wade Stadium. Kickoff will be at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.
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