After an embarrassing loss to Auburn, head coach Dan Mullen said he promised to adjust the play calling against Vanderbilt. Adjust he did.
The Bulldog defense held the Commodores to only three points and 157 yards of total offense. Mississippi State improved its record to 2-1 with the 15-3 victory over the Commodores, and Mullen said defensive tinkering helped lead the way.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” Mullen said. “Last week we didn’t put them in a good position as a coaching staff, but we corrected that. We played hard on defense.”
The Bulldog’s passing game did not post spectacular numbers as Chris Relf and Tyson Lee were a combined 10-18 for 81 yards, but the rush attack helped pave the way to victory with 260 yards on the ground.
Mullen said the play of senior running back Anthony Dixon was key to the offense, as he led the Bulldog backfield with 123 yards – his 10th career game to pass the century mark.
“He provided a boost of confidence to our offense,” he said.
Mullen also said he was impressed with how his team ran the no-huddle offense when asked to.
“The guys managed it pretty well,” Mullen said. “Over the course of the season, our younger guys are going to find a way to make plays off of it.”
Until Lee’s 22-yard touchdown run with 3:20 left in the game, the Bulldogs never led by more than six points which, as safety Zach Smith said, meant MSU was one Vandy touchdown away from losing the lead.
“We know that a touchdown is seven points so we could go down one,” Smith said. “But the defense kept that from happening. We talked about relentless effort and the fact that we have to keep punching and keep battling, and that’s what we did tonight.”
The Mississippi State defense held Vandy to only 33 yards rushing, and Smith said he credits the scheme adjustments made after the Auburn game.
“Well, they ran the ball on us last week and they didn’t this week,” he said. “Most of the time we had another defensive lineman in there instead of having three like last week. I thought the coaches did a good job and players executed well which allowed us to win.”
Smith was not the only person on the field to notice the difference in the defense. Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said his offense could never get going, due in large part to the play of MSU’s defensive line.
“They were doing a good job of getting people on our backfield,” he said. “They were blitzing, and we were having a hard time recovering. Trying to go fast tempo didn’t seem to bother them. That’s a problem. We should be able to get first downs and get into their territory.”
Johnson also said this was not the first time Vandy has had trouble with a stingy Bulldog defense.
“They play us very well,” he said. “They are stout on defense when they play us. Other people seem to run their offense against them, but we can’t execute.”
Of the Bulldogs’ 15 points, nine of them came on field goals. Kicker Sean Brauchle was a perfect 3-3 in Nashville, as the offense had trouble reaching the end zone against a physical Vandy defense.
Mullen said converting on a crucial fourth down when he elected not to kick the ball in the fourth quarter is what eventually won the game.
“The wind was getting stronger late in the game,” he said. “Our offense wanted to go for it and take responsibility of the game. We got a huge first down which led to our touchdown.”
That touchdown, of course, was the 22-yard scamper by Lee. It was fitting that the only touchdown of the game, though scored by a quarterback, was on a running play.
Mullen said he was impressed with the Bulldog rushing offense as it eventually led to the win.
“We were able to run the ball well tonight,” he said. “That’s our strong point with our running backs. The defense was able to get off the field quickly and get our offense right back out there.”
Mullen also said he does not underestimate how hard the running backs worked against a strong Commodore defensive line.
“Vanderbilt played hard on defense tonight,” he said. “They were physical. Tonight was a tough SEC battle. Any victory is an unbelievable feeling. We put in a lot of time into the game and to celebrate as a family is great.”
Defensive coordinator Carl Torbush said he had similar feelings, saying the 15-3 game was a tough, defensive showdown. He acknowledged the strong play of the defense, but said the Bulldogs were lucky to come away with the victory.
“It was cutthroat,” he said. “We were very fortunate to win. It was pin and needles down to the very end. It was a great win for our coaching staff, our players and our fans.”