Mississippi State University fell to the Texas A&M Aggies in blowout fashion 51-10 this past Saturday in College Station, Texas.
Mississippi State’s two-game winning streak against the Aggies came to an end as the Bulldogs put up yet another disappointing performance.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Chris Parsons got his first start for the Bulldogs under the lights at Kyle Field. Unfortunately for Parsons and the Bulldogs, the young quarterback was unable to bring any relief to MSU’s offensive woes.
The game could not have started any better for Mississippi State. MSU sophomore wide receiver Zavion Thomas returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown to put the Dawgs up 7-0. Unfortunately, Thomas’s return proved only a source of false hope for Bulldog fans.
MSU did not hold the lead for long. Texas A&M answered shortly after, going down the field in less than three minutes to tie the game at seven a piece.
It was incredibly difficult for the Bulldogs to match the Aggies’ offense in the first half as three of MSU’s first four offensive drives ended in turnovers. Texas A&M picked off quarterback Chris Parsons twice in the first three drives. After the second interception, senior quarterback Mike Wright replaced Parsons on the field.
The Bulldogs got their only points on offense in the game with 6:55 to play in the second quarter off a 35-yard field goal from freshman kicker Kyle Ferrie to make it 20-10 in favor of the Aggies.
After the Ferrie field goal, the Bulldog offense went silent.
At halftime, Texas A&M led by a score of 34-10.
The second half was just as bad, if not worse, than the first half. The Bulldogs forced A&M to punt on the first drive of the half, but the good work by the MSU defense was followed up by a Bulldog fumble and a scoop-and-score by Aggie sophomore defensive lineman Shemar Stewart to put Texas A&M up 41-10.
With less than eight minutes to play in the third quarter, Chris Parsons came back into the game to replace Mike Wright. Parsons’ first pass after reentering the game was intercepted by the Aggies. A&M turned the MSU turnover into seven more points to extend their lead to 48-10.
The Aggies would put up one more field goal before everything was over, while the Bulldogs’ offense continued its scoring drought.
Mississippi State finished the game with just 104 yards passing. Chris Parsons had 36 of those yards while Mike Wright threw for 68 yards.
MSU freshman running back Seth Davis led the Bulldogs with 79 yards of rushing. The game was Davis’s first collegiate game back in his home state.
After the game, Davis said the opportunity to play in College Station was a “blessing.”
“I used to go to some A&M games, so being here and playing is a totally different feeling, and it felt great,” Davis said.
On defense, graduate linebacker Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson posted an impressive performance with eight tackles including a sack of A&M quarterback Jaylen Henderson. Graduate linebacker Jett Johnson also had a sack to go along with his seven tackles.
Turnovers proved costly for MSU. Texas A&M scored 17 points off four Mississippi State turnovers. Eliminating the turnovers may not have won the Dawgs the game, but it would have considerably trimmed down the margin of defeat.
Turnovers were not the Bulldogs’ only issue in the contest. MSU finished the game with 12 penalties that cost the Bulldogs 100 yards.
MSU head coach Zach Arnett said that Bulldogs fans are right to be frustrated with the team’s performance.
“Our job is to put a product on the field that the fans are excited about and proud of,” Arnett said. “So simply put, right now, we need to do everything better. We need to play better. We need to coach better. Ain’t no denying that.”
The Bulldogs’ loss drops them to 4-6 overall and 1-6 in SEC play.
Next week, the Bulldogs return to Davis Wade Stadium to take on the Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., and it will be broadcast on SEC Network.
Head coach Arnett said senior quarterback Will Rogers could return to action next week if doctors clear him to play. Rogers has not played since the Bulldogs hosted Western Michigan in Week 6.
Next week’s game is a must-win if the Bulldogs want to become bowl eligible. MSU must win both of its last two contests to secure a bowl game.
Linebacker Jett Johnson said the Bulldogs still have something to fight for in their last two games of the season.
“If you have pride, you still have something to play for every time you step on the field,” Johnson said. “You’re never guaranteed another opportunity.”