STARKVILLE — Starkville had just opened up the scoring in the second half on a 2-yard touchdown run from Courtland Cooper as the Yellow Jackets took a 23-13 lead on Friday.
Not even 30 seconds after Cooper scored, Justin Jenkins forced a fumble on West Point running back Keshawn Henley, and Anthony Hogan recovered for Starkville around the Green Wave’s 30-yard line.
Yellow Jackets quarterback Trey Petty had a somewhat quiet first half, but he heated up in the second, hitting a leaping Jalen York in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown as Starkville scored two touchdowns in less than two minutes to go up 30-13.
That eventual 21-point third quarter made all the difference as Starkville dominated West Point, 44-13.
“Probably the biggest thing we were successful at in this game was up front,” Petty said. “I don’t think I really had to leave the pocket. That gave me time to get the ball to my playmakers. That was the plan, and we executed.”
Petty had himself a day for Starkville (2-0), throwing for 174 yards and three touchdowns in the second half alone, going 9 of 10 in the process.
Overall, Petty was 18 of 24 for 341 yards and four touchdowns, and he showed off his legs as well, with seven carries for 35 yards.
Starkville’s offensive line was firing on all cylinders on Friday against the Green Wave (0-2), which was massive for Petty and massive for the skill position players on the field to go off and go off they did.
“It was all about execution,” Starkville head coach Chris Jones said. “When we execute, we can be really good …It’s a really good group of players. (The wide receivers) are unselfish. They make plays together.”
Starkville’s receiving corps showcased just how good it is Friday as all four touchdowns were 20 yards or longer. Jaque Jenkins led the Yellow Jackets with three total touchdowns, including two receiving touchdowns in the second half alone.
His two second-half receptions for 73 yards showcased his speed as Petty hit him in the middle of the field before his speed took care of the rest.
“I mean, 3 just stay open,” Jenkins said, referring to his own jersey number. “Our wide receiver group, I feel like we’re the coldest wide receiver group in high school football. Trey … that’s my brother right there. He did his job tonight, and I showed up as well.”
While Starkville cruised in the second half, West Point, which kept pace with the Yellow Jackets and threw several haymakers in the first half, just couldn’t keep up.
The rushing attack of Keshawn Henley, Kahnen Daniels and Quinterion Tillman-Evans was impressive early on.
They pushed the tempo of the game and just kept pounding the ball on the ground, something Starkville really wasn’t able to stop.
However, once the Yellow Jackets got the passing game going, it quickly became game over for the Green Wave, who now go into Week 3 winless on the season.
“It’s all about blocking and tackling,” West Point head coach Chris Chambless said. “We turned the ball over, things didn’t go our way a couple of times, and we just couldn’t stop the train.”
West Point looks to get back on the right track next week against Noxubee County at home, the Green Wave’s first home game of the season.
On the other side of things, Starkville takes its undefeated record into next week and a home matchup against Olive Branch.
Despite the dominant win, Jones said postgame that there’s still things for this Starkville team to work on for the future, things to clean up for this team.
“It’s still early,” Jones said. “We still have a long season, but we just played a good opponent. It was a decent measuring stick, but we just have to keep playing better. We didn’t play 100 percent as far as a grade, but that’s why we play: to get better.”
If this is Starkville not playing at 100 percent, then the rest of Mississippi just got put on watch because the Yellow Jackets still have stuff left in the tank, and they’re ready to continue to dominate.
Starkville 44, West Point 13
Starkville (2-0) 0 16 21 7 — 42
West Point (0-2) 0 13 0 0 — 13
Second quarter
S — Jaque Jenkins 9 run (Brayden Green kick), clock 9:56
WP — Quinterion Tillman-Evans 5 run (Louis Facella kick), clock 6:12
S — Jaiden Turnipseed 68 pass from Trey Petty (kick failed), clock 5:51
WP — Kahnen Daniels 11 run (kick failed), clock 2:20
S — Brayden Green 24 FG, clock 0:16
Third quarter
S — Courtland Cooper 2 run (Green kick), clock 9:28
S — Jalen York 22 pass from Petty (Green kick), clock 7:40
S — Jaque Jenkins 39 pass from Petty (Green kick), clock 3:16
Fourth quarter
S — Jaque Jenkins 34 pass from Petty (Green kick), clock 10:50
Individual statistics
PASSING: West Point — Quinterion Tillman-Evans 2-4, 17; Kahnen Daniels 0-5, 0; Starkville — Trey Petty 18-24, 341.
RUSHING: West Point — Kahnen Daniels 16-112, Keshawn Henley 16-65, Quinterion Tillman-Evans 7-49; Starkville — Courtland Cooper 14-73, Trey Petty 7-35, Jaque Jenkins 2-10.
RECEIVING: West Point — Kahnen Daniels 1-29; Starkville — Braylon Burnside 6-103, Jaiden Turnipseed 4-91, Jaque Jenkins 2-73, Jalen York 2-42.
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