There is a phrase that often floats around the Mississippi State football team: One Play…This Play. The phrase, which even found its way onto the players’ practice shirts, simply means they must put all of their focus on only the current play.So, with Alabama sitting on a third-and-goal at the two-yard line with a six-point advantage and only 21 seconds left in the first half, the Bulldog defense came up with a play.
As Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson rolled out on a naked bootleg to his left, he was pressured immediately by State defensive end Titus Brown. With Brown running full speed toward him, Wilson threw the ball toward the right corner of the end zone, hoping it would find his receiver. However, the pass would never make it there. State cornerback Anthony Johnson intercepted the pass, returning it 104 yards for a touchdown.
That play shifted the game’s momentum, and Mississippi State held off Alabama to secure a 17-12 win on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium in front of a record-setting crowd of 56,188.
The win makes Mississippi State (6-4, 3-3 SEC) bowl eligible for the first time since the 2000 season.
Johnson, a sophomore from Jackson, said he was unsure if Wilson saw him or not, but when he saw the ball in the air he knew he had to make a play.
“On the third play, Titus got a great rush and Wilson threw the ball up,” Johnson said. “We just go out there and play one play at a time like our coaches tell us. One play, this play, and if you play where you’re supposed to play, the ball will come to you. When I saw the tight end didn’t touch me, I knew I had to score it, even if I had to pitch it back to someone, I had to score.”
A Derek Pegues interception three plays into the second half led to State’s other score, a three-yard run by Anthony Dixon.
Dixon finished the game with 26 carries for 86 yards, and the touchdown was his 13th of the season.
Alabama (6-4, 4-3 SEC) could only convert field goals against the Bulldog defense.
Crimson Tide kicker Lee Tiffin converted four field goals in what Alabama head coach Nick Saban called a disappointing day.
“We didn’t execute. Mississippi State did a great job today and they deserved to win. We didn’t make the plays in the game that we needed to make,” Saban said. “We had a critical turnover right before the half that was at least a ten point swing or maybe a fourteen point swing. Regardless of all that, we didn’t do the things that we needed to do.”
While discouraging for Saban, Saturday’s game was inspiring for Bulldogs head coach Sylvester Croom.
The fourth-year head coach stood on the field after the game, hugging and congratulating coaches and players alike.
After Brown’s game-ending sack of Wilson, Croom ran onto the field, lifting the 250-pound Brown onto his shoulders.
More than for himself, Croom said this win was for his senior players.
“This was a big game for us for a lot of reasons. It’s the first time we’ve become bowl eligible in a long time, it’s Alabama, which is our second-most important rival, and for our seniors,” Croom said as he fought back his emotions. “I don’t know the last time a senior class can say they beat Alabama two years in a row. They mean a lot to me. They hung in there and believed when a lot of people didn’t. I told them if they stayed there would be some good days, and this is one of those good days.”
It had been 10 years since State beat Alabama two years in a row.
However, another streak sticks out in the mind of the Bulldog players.
State’s defense has yet to yield an offensive touchdown to Alabama in three seasons.
Brown, one of the seniors Croom spoke of, said this season has been a testament to the commitment made by players and coaches alike.
“It’s been a great effort by the team and coaching staff. It’s great to say we’re bowl eligible and we just gotta go ahead and play these last two games and finish strong,” Brown said.
With the win, State has three wins over top 25 opponents, including two in a row.
Croom said he feels that should be good enough for his team to earn a little more respect.
Whether the pollsters find a spot for his team among the nations best or not, Croom said he still has one thing to hang his hat on–bragging rights.
“When I go home to visit Momma, and I take her out to dinner, I don’t have to say anything … but I can,” Croom said.