Mississippi State’s eight days from breakthrough to blowout
In eight days, Mississippi State climbed to its best ranking in four years and then got blown out on its own field. On Sept. 26, the Bulldogs held off No. 19 Missouri 31-24. On Oct. 3 in Starkville, they lost 56-23 to No. 7 Alabama.
The comeback against Missouri
Early on, the Missouri game looked almost easy. Kamario Taylor threw two touchdown passes, and it was 14-0. Then the visitors regrouped, erased the deficit and went ahead 24-17.
It came down to the last seven minutes. Fluff Bothwell tied it on a 4-yard run with 7:09 left. The Bulldogs went the distance on their next possession, and with 4:04 left Taylor found Sanfrisco Magee in the end zone for his third touchdown pass of the night.
Missouri had two chances to pull it out. One drive stalled at the 11 when a fourth-down pass was broken up. Austin Simmons’ last throw into the end zone fell incomplete, too. The win over a ranked opponent moved Mississippi State to 4-0.
Eight spots in one week
The AP poll, voted on by sportswriters, comes out on Sundays, and this time the voters were generous. In the Sept. 27 poll, the Bulldogs jumped from No. 24 to No. 16, the program’s highest ranking in four years. You don’t often see an eight-spot jump for one win in late September.
Clinton actually has a college team of its own, Mississippi College, which plays in NCAA Division II. But that week, fans across the state, from Clinton down to the Gulf Coast, were watching Starkville, where the cowbells at Davis Wade Stadium were getting ready for Alabama.
Cowbells, Bully the bulldog on the sideline, helmets, rivalry trophies: college football runs on its trappings about as much as on the scoreboard. All of that left the stadium a long time ago and ended up in souvenir shops, video games and online casinos, where football-themed slots put the same helmets, balls and scoreboards on the reels. The online casino Spinchester carries games like these alongside its other sports slots, so the football theme doesn’t get lost in the Spinchester Casino catalog.
Alabama leaves no doubt
The Alabama game was supposed to confirm the Bulldogs’ new status. Instead, it turned into their roughest night of the season. The Crimson Tide won every quarter, 14-7, 14-10, 14-6 and 14-0.
The visitors led 28-17 at halftime. The Bulldogs pulled within 28-23 in the third quarter, and that was as close as they got. Alabama scored the next 28 points. The home team never answered.
Alabama’s defense held Mississippi State to 18 rushing yards and piled up five sacks. Kamario Taylor threw for 258 yards, though they didn’t buy much with four turnovers, two of them interceptions. Dijon Lee took one of the picks back 30 yards for a touchdown.
On the other side, Alabama’s offense never let up. Keelon Russell threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns, and Anthony Evans III added 166 receiving yards. The 56 points set an SEC record. No team in the conference had ever scored that many in regulation, without overtime, on a ranked opponent’s home field.
What’s next
Alabama left Starkville with a conference record and a 5-0 start. Mississippi State dropped to 4-1.
One week doesn’t make a season. It does show how contender status works in the SEC, though. Beating ranked Missouri was worth eight spots, and a week later Alabama reopened every question about this team in a single night. The Bulldogs will have to find their answers in the upcoming games against Top 25 opponents.
