STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Offensive alternatives had been there for the taking by No. 17 Texas A&M. Mississippi State’s protection was additionally there to disclaim the Aggies at nearly each flip.
The Bulldogs pressured A&M into 4 turnovers, together with three contained in the pink zone, and took benefit in a 42-24 victory on Saturday.
Decamerion Richardson scooped up Emmanuel Forbes’ essential third-quarter field goal block and returned it 50 yards for the landing to present the Bulldogs a 21-3 lead. The Aggies (3-2, 1-1 Southeastern Convention) received no nearer than 11 as MSU’s protection denied A&M contained in the 20 all recreation lengthy with huge performs.
“We’ve been practising all week and once I received my likelihood, I simply took benefit of it and blocked it,” Forbes mentioned. “It was an actual huge momentum change. The offense had simply received a turnover and we needed to decide them up and we did that.
“I noticed (Richardson) decide it up and I simply needed to go have enjoyable with him in the long run zone. I’d do something to assist my brother out.”
The primary takeaway got here early within the second quarter when Devon Achane fumbled on the 6. MSU responded with a 94-yard, 11-play drive ending with Will Rogers’ 5-yard landing move to Rufus Harvey.
Main 14-0 simply earlier than halftime, the Bulldogs’ protection got here via once more as Nathaniel Watson pressured Aggies quarterback Max Johnson to fumble within the pink zone. Forbes’ blocked area objective within the third quarter put an exclamation level on the sport for MSU and their first SEC West win.
“The largest factor was we simply performed collectively. Early on we performed too near the vest and as we opened up, we had extra success,” MSU coach Mike Leach mentioned. “They’d a troublesome time teeing off on one factor. A&M is hard.
“They’ve some actually good gamers and a number of the prime recruits within the nation. The largest factor is doing all your job and I assumed we had been.”
The Bulldogs (4-1, 1-1) had one other environment friendly day offensively with 473 yards, 329 of these from Rogers on 31-of-45 passing with three touchdowns. RaRa Thomas had 5 catches for 134 yards and a rating and MSU rushed for 144 yards on 24 carries.
In the meantime, the Aggies had been annoyed on offense. Johnson was 18 of 25 passing for 201 yards and a landing earlier than leaving within the fourth quarter with a hand damage. MSU sacked Johnson 4 instances and posted six tackles for loss, led by 1.5 sacks by backup linebacker JP Purvis.
“Mississippi State performed a superb soccer recreation and is deserving to win,” A&M coach Jimbo Fisher mentioned. “We had essential errors in all three phases. We didn’t play properly sufficient. We had alternatives to make it, however we didn’t get off the sector on protection, we didn’t hit these pink zone probabilities on offense and had the blocked kick. We now have to scrub up these errors and get higher.”
Forbes then made two interceptions late within the fourth quarter and capped the sport with a 33-yard pick-six. Fellow cornerback Richardson had 9 tackles to steer MSU and received his landing on the blocked kick.
The win for Leach moved him to 9-4 lifetime over the Aggies between Texas Tech and MSU. The Bulldogs have gained 5 of the final seven within the sequence and Leach now has six wins over ranked opponents in his three years in Starkville, shifting above .500 at MSU total for the primary time since arriving in 2020.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Texas A&M is probably going out of the rankings with a second loss. Mississippi State could possibly be near getting in.
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas A&M continues a lackluster begin to the 12 months, which has included a house loss to Appalachian State and now on the street to the Bulldogs. Jimbo Fisher’s offense has taken plenty of the criticism early, and Saturday is prone to spark extra because the Aggies struggled once more.
Mississippi State was on the verge of the Prime 25 when the Bulldogs went to Baton Rouge in opposition to LSU however missed an opportunity for the win. After consecutive wins together with a victory over the ranked Aggies, MSU is as soon as once more a crew to observe in a crowded SEC West.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M visits No. 2 Alabama on Saturday.
Mississippi State hosts No. 20 Arkansas on Saturday.
Jeff Lebby has a major rebuild facing him in Starkville.
Mississippi State football is coming off its worst season in over a decade, the roster is facing massive overturn, and a grueling 2024 schedule awaits to make an immediate turnaround that much more difficult. Add in Lebby’s inexperience as a head coach, and you can understand why expectations for Bulldog football this fall aren’t particularly high.
But what Jeff Lebby should at least bring is the ability to score points. A direct branch off the Art Briles Baylor tree, Lebby’s seen immediate offensive success at each of his previous stops, and the programs that have installed similar offenses to his have quickly become competitive, often in spite of struggling defenses.
Many Bulldog fans and media have looked to the 2020 Ole Miss squad for a glimpse of what could be in store for State this year. Jeff Lebby was the offensive coordinator for that Rebel offense under first year HC Lane Kiffin. Ole Miss had one of the nation’s best offenses (and one of the worst defenses) and made major improvements compared to 2019
As much as it makes sense to draw comparisons to that Ole Miss team given Lebby’s role on that staff, another SEC team from a year later may actually provide more parallels.
The 2021 Tennessee Volunteers also adopted the Briles offense under new HC Josh Heupel, whom Jeff Lebby worked for at UCF. The Vols, like 2020 Ole Miss, made huge strides almost entirely because of their effectiveness on offense. But what made their turnaround even more impressive was the situation Heupel inherited upon taking over.
Tennessee had bottomed-out in 2020 under Jeremy Pruitt, were facing NCAA sanctions, and had almost every major contributor on the roster transfer out. They seemed poised for a lengthy rebuild. But with the offense Heupel brought in, they found success with a largely unproven roster and avoided a reset.
At least in the preseason, there are shades of 2021 Tennessee in 2024 Mississippi State. Let’s take a closer look at the similarities between the two
Jeff Lebby’s offense is one predicated around dominating on the ground, and he’s been able to do it at every previous stop. Brian Hadad and Robbie Faulk discuss how his Ole Miss and Oklahoma offenses were able to be so strong in the running game without an All-American in the backfield, and ask who can fill what roles for the Bulldogs in 2024.
The body of a missing Winston County, Mississippi man was discovered on Saturday morning.
56-year-old Clovis Parker Jr. of Noxapater was found in the woods about 400 yards from his home. A neighbor found his body while mowing their lawn.
Winston County Sheriff Mike Perkins stated that he would the body to the State Crime Lab for an autopsy.
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