Despite being down to UMass 10-0 after one quarter of play, Mississippi State rallied in the final three quarters to win its homecoming game by a score of 45-20.
It was the first time Mississippi State (2-7) found the victory column in seven games as the Bulldog defense held the Minutemen (2-7) to 335 yards of offense while finishing with two sacks and one interception. Here’s a quick recap of the matchup:
Scoring summary
After the Bulldog defense gave up over 100 yards on the first two drives and had negative yards offensively, Mississippi State held UMass scoreless on the next five drives while scoring 35 unanswered points.
Mississippi State freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren, Jr., accounted for three second-quarter touchdowns – two with his legs and one being a 19-yard pass to tight end Seydou Traore.
After halftime, the Bulldogs stayed dominant with a 36-yard touchdown run from Johnnie Daniels adding to their lead. That was followed by a 30-yard touchdown run from Davon Booth to make for a 35-10 lead going into the fourth quarter.
In the final period of play, both Mississippi State and UMass traded field goals before a sack by Bulldog linebacker Ty Cooper led to a punt, which was followed by a 72-yard touchdown run from Xavier Gayten. The Minutemen scored again on a short pass with 17 seconds remaining to make for a final score of 45-20.
Numbers never lie
Van Buren finished 14 of 25 passing for 222 yards and a touchdown. He added two scores with his legs as the Bulldogs totaled 463 yards. The rushing attack was present with Daniels, Booth, and Gayten combining for 237 yards on 19 carries.
Defensively, Mississippi State played one of their best games of the year. Linebackers Stone Blanton and Nic Mitchell combined for 21 tackles as Cooper, Kai McClendon, and Deonte Anderson helped bring the UMass quarterback down twice behind the line of scrimmage. Safety Brylan Lanier had the lone interception.
Kyle Ferris converted was perfect on six extra point attempts and nailed a 24-yard chip shot in the fourth quarter.
The Minutemen were 9 of 16 on third downs and controlled the time of possession (40:49) but committed nine penalties for 99 yards.
Next up
Mississippi State will look to get its first SEC win of the season when it travels to No. 7 Tennessee next Saturday. Kickoff time has not been announced as of now.
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