The 4,000 Mississippi State University Bulldog supporters that migrated to newly expanded Autzen Stadium witnessed a team without its favorite ammo try to hunt the University of Oregon Ducks. The missing ammo was starting quarterback Kevin Fant, who never made the trek of over 2,600 miles. An NCAA suspension of one game kept the junior quarterback in Starkville for the Bulldog opener. The NCAA ruled Fant ineligible due to the help that a Jackson-area booster gave when Fant purchased tires last spring.
MSU reported the infraction, but the team suffered from Fant and the booster’s decision.
Redshirt freshman Kyle York filled in and posted respectable numbers, hitting his receivers 18 of 37 times to tally 192 yards, but yards passing was the only offensive stat where MSU prevailed.
Oregon took control of the game early and never let go. The Ducks scored on a 5-yard rush by junior quarterback Jason Fife to cap the 80-yard opening drive. Oregon benefited from the Bulldogs, who were generous guests on this drive, making three costly penalties on the way to committing 7 for 83 yards on the day.
Fife piloted the high-octane Duck offense over, around and through a Bulldog defense that returned seven starters from last year’s squad. Fife connected on 14 of 26 attempts for 166 yards, including touchdown tosses of 4, 27 and 34.
The Oregon ground game racked up bulky numbers, outrushing State 205 to 31. Senior tailback Onterrio Smith ran 28 times for 124 yards on the day. Three other Ducks posted rushing gains.
The passing prowess and rambunctious rushing proved to be a dominant combination, as Oregon converted nine out of 19 third down plays on the way to making 23 first downs over the course of the game. This kept the Bulldog defense on the field and the offense on the sidelines for 35 minutes of play.
Twenty minutes into the game the Bulldogs finally made the first of only 12 first downs on the day. State fans would have to wait almost 10 more minutes before their Dawgs could find the end zone.
By then, the Ducks had evaded State defenders enough times, waded into the end zone three times and added six more points via Jared Siegel field goals. They headed into the locker room with a 27-7 lead, a margin that would be insurmountable on the road.
While the defense tightened in the second half, State’s offense was still stagnant. The Maroon and White did not reach the end zone until the fourth quarter.
The defensive bright spot of the day was the play of senior All-American linebacker Mario Haggan. Haggan recorded 10 solo and seven assisted tackles to lead the team with 13.5. Haggan also forced a fumble that was recovered by senior All-SEC free safety Josh Morgan.
The Bulldogs will have 11 more chances this season to prove their abilities, before a rematch against the Ducks. Oregon will travel to Starkville to open the season for both teams next August.
The next challenge for the Dawgs is the Sept. 14 home opener against Jacksonville State.