Saturday night’s game against the Tennessee Volunteers was unquestionably the toughest challenge the Mississippi State Bulldogs have faced all season.
But in a game full of momentum shifts and high and low points, the Bulldogs, like in every other game so far in 2012, made the necessary plays and came away victorious 41-31.
Head coach Dan Mullen said the win was a great team effort.
“That was a heck of a ball game,” Mullen said. “We knew it was going to be a four-quarter battle all the way through, especially with the offensive firepower that they had. I’m proud of how our guys played.”
MSU’s 41 points, which is the most scored by the Bulldogs since their season opener against FCS-opponent Jackson State, were manufactured largely by big plays throughout the course of the game.
Marcus Green, a sixth-year senior tight end from Scooba, Miss., was a key recipient in several of MSU’s big plays.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, Dak Prescott, a freshman quarterback typically featured in short yardage situations, took a shotgun snap, faked a quarterback draw, then hit a wide open Green for an easy 13-yard touchdown to extend MSU’s lead to 17-7.
“It was kind of like a play action,” Green said. “They kind of lost me in coverage, and Dak found me.”
Later in the second quarter, after MSU had driven the ball into the red zone, Green once again found the end zone. This time, junior quarterback Tyler Russell found the tight end in the back of the end zone to make the score 27-14 in MSU’s favor.
“On the second one, it was play action,” Green said laughing. “They kind of lost me in coverage, and Tyler found me.”
After catching only one pass combined in MSU’s last three games, Green stepped up Saturday night against Tennessee, tallying six receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Only senior wide receiver Chad Bumphis had more receptions for the Bulldogs.
While one would think there would be great cause for celebration after a performance like Green’s, the tight end, who began his collegiate career at MSU two years before Dan Mullen accepted the head coaching position, said there was really no reason to celebrate.
“It’s a blessing,” Green said. “I’m just working hard, staying humble and giving thanks to God.”
While there is no doubt he had a monstrous performance Saturday night, Green was not the only MSU tight end to make his presence known against the Vols. Sophomore Malcolm Johnson, who had not played in any of MSU’s games prior to Saturday night due to a pectoral injury, also contributed to the Bulldogs’ passing attack.
Johnson had two catches for 34 yards, including a highlight reel, one-handed touchdown catch in the back of the end zone that sealed the game for MSU.
Johnson had two catches for 34 yards, including a highlight reel, one-handed touchdown catch in the back of the end zone that sealed the game for MSU.
After Johnson was an All-SEC Freshman Team selection last season, quarterback Tyler Russell said the return of Johnson only adds to an already potential passing attack for the Bulldogs.
“Just to have the tight ends that we have, all of those guys are athletic,” Russell said. “They can block, they can catch. So you kind of pick your poison if you try and stop the run.”
Though they certainly played a large role in MSU racking up 450 yards of total offense, the tight ends were not the only ones who had big nights on offense for the Bulldogs. Russell, who said in the days leading up to Saturday’s game, the Bulldogs were looking to make a statement against the Vols, was 23-37 passing for a career-high 291 yards. The junior added two passing touchdowns.
Bumphis, who is having a potentially record-breaking season for the Bulldogs, had seven catches for 93 yards, a lot of which came on MSU’s final offensive series.
LaDarius Perkins, MSU’s junior starting running back, had 23 carries for 102 yards and added a touchdown.
Russell said the team played sloppy at times but did good enough to get the win.
“Overall I think we did pretty good,” Russell said. “I think, overall, we did what we needed to, and I think showed people that Mississippi State is for real.”
Now a perfect 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in conference play, the Bulldogs will take a short break from conference play to host the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. The game is slated to begin at 6 p.m. Saturday and will be MSU’s homecoming game.