STARKVILLE — To Dak Prescott, it was far from a Heisman moment.
To Fred Ross, it was a second chance.
For Mississippi State’s football team, it was a game-winner.
When Prescott, who threw for a career-high 331 yards, scrambled to his left, evaded a sack and uncorked a 69-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Ross, the Bulldogs had their first lead and a capacity crowd at Davis Wade Stadium could finally breathe as No. 1 MSU went on to a 17-10 win against Arkansas on Saturday night.
“A play had to be made,” said Prescott, who had thrown two interceptions before connecting with Ross, who had three catches for 91 yards. “I don’t really think of things in terms of the Heisman. Maybe it was a Heisman moment for Fred, but not for me.”
Whoever reaped the benefits of the 69-yard play, the touchdown pass ultimately led to breathing room for the Bulldogs, who improved to 8-0 and 5-0 in the Southeastern Conference. Ross, a sophomore from Tyler, Texas, was all smiles in the postgame press conference.
“The last time, I relaxed too much and let the ball get through me,” said Ross, referring to a well-known play in MSU’s Week 6 win against Texas A&M, when Ross dropped a sure 89-yard touchdown pass.
This time, Ross didn’t flinch.
“I was thinking about last time, so when the ball finally got there, I just brought it in and made the play,” Ross said. “When the ball comes your way, you have to make the play.”
It was the conclusion of a banner night for the 6-foot-2 sophomore, who entered the game and stabilized MSU’s punt return problems by substituting for freshman Jamoral Graham in the second quarter, and Ross added one carry for six yards.
On the game-winning touchdown, Ross simply continued his route long enough for Prescott to step away from the Arkansas pass rush, and found himself wide open by the time Prescott loaded up to throw the ball downfield.
“We had a bust in the back end,” said Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, whose team fell to 4-5 and 0-5. “We didn’t have a deep-thirds player near our bench. We weren’t able to execute – 10 of 11 had it or nine of 11 had it.”
Robinson shines in passing game
Early on, Prescott wasn’t sharp. The Haughton, Louisiana, native completed 11 of his 17 first-half passes, but that also came with a pair of interceptions, Prescott’s sixth and seventh of the season.
The remedy for Prescott’s early miscues happened to be standing right beside him in the Bulldogs’ backfield. Tailback Josh Robinson, who was held to a season-low 63 yards on 19 rushes, stepped up in the passing game by catching six passes for a career-high 110 yards, which included a highlight-reel 51-yard catch in the first half where Robinson snagged Prescott’s offering with one hand.
“That catch … I’m speechless,” Robinson said. “I just stuck my hand up and it fell into my hands.”
The Bulldogs needed every bit of Robinson’s production, as the Bulldogs escaped despite 331 yards from Prescott.
“We saw coming in that they were going to be tough to run on,” said Prescott, referring to an Arkansas defense that held MSU to a season-low 128 yards rushing. “We had that plan coming in and Josh is just a football player. Running, passing, it doesn’t matter. He’s going to make a play.”
Redmond again
In MSU’s Southeastern Conference opener, junior cornerback Will Redmond notched an interception as time expired to help clinch MSU’s 34-29 win at LSU. On Saturday night, Redmond did it again.
This time, Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen was the victim, throwing an interception that landed in Redmond’s arms with 15 seconds left that sealed the deal.
“Will is our best cornerback, hands down, no questions asked,” said Robinson of Redmond, who is tied for the team lead with three interceptions.
Said MSU coach Dan Mullen, “Will is playing very well and he plays aggressive. He’s a smart young man. I think he really studies the game and wants to be a great player.”
Homefield advantage
For the first time since ascending to the top of the college football world three weeks ago, MSU played in front of its home fans at Davis Wade Stadium. The sellout crowd, which arrived early and stayed late, was crucial, according to Mullen.
Grabbing the press conference microphone and asking if the fans in the Junction could hear him, Mullen said, “I just want to tell the fans, tell our student body that came out and cheered for us, they were the difference in tonight’s game. That was another awesome performance.”
Bulldogs slowed
For the first time, an opposing defense figured out MSU’s balanced offense. Entering the game with Arkansas as the SEC’s second-highest scoring offense, MSU struggled throughout against the Hogs, putting up season lows in total yards (459), rushing yards (128) and points (17). The 17 points was half of MSU’s previous low effort — 34 at LSU – and the 10-0 first half deficit lasted longer than all of MSU’s previous deficits combined entering the game.
Too many mistakes
For the fourth straight game, MSU freshman punt returner Jamoral Graham made a critical mistakes on special teams. Attempting to field a punt in the second quarter, Graham misjudged the catch and it deflected off his arm and rolled 20 yards, eventually to be recovered by Arkansas. Four plays later, the Razorbacks scored their only touchdown of the night, a one-yard run by Alex Collins. That ended Graham’s night at returner, and combined with two interceptions by Prescott, gave MSU three turnovers for the second time in three games.
“We are turning the ball over way too much lately, said Mullen. “We have to fix that.”
Still No. 1?
Ranked No. 1 in the Amway Coaches Poll (USA Today) and The Associated Press Top 25, MSU struggled for much of the game. But ultimately, the Bulldogs emerged unscathed at 8-0. Asked about the rankings afterward, each Bulldog polled gave a similar response.
“That doesn’t matter to us,” Prescott said. “We are only worried about winning SEC games.”
Defensive lineman Chris Jones agreed.
“All that matters is being No. 1 in the football game you’re playing that day,” sophomore defensive lineman Chris Jones said. “If we can be the best team in every game, we will get to where we want to go.”
Big kick
MSU trailed 10-7 with three minutes, 35 seconds left in the third quarter when kicker Evan Sobiesk drilled a game-tying 37-yard field goal. Sobiesk is 5 of 6 on the year. The 37-yarder was high longest of the season.
“Big kick by Evan,” Mullen said. “We trust him in that spot. We went for it prior to that because I liked the defensive look, so that’s on me. But in that situation, we will turn to him.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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 34 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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
