It was another disappointing loss for Mississippi State fans, but the Bulldogs went toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the land on Saturday, riding two interceptions returned for touchdowns by true freshman defensive back Johnthan Banks. His first interception came in the Bulldog’s own end zone with less than one minute left in the first half on a tipped pass from former Heisman winner Tim Tebow.
Banks said he gives credit to the rest of the defense for setting up the 100-yard pick six.
“The first interception I had, they were playing great defense, busting their tails to get to Tebow,” Banks said. “Corey Broomfield tipped it, and I was just in the right spot at the right time and made a play on it.”
With his two interceptions, Banks now has four total this season, and the Bulldogs’ secondary, the subject of much heat this year, has returned four interceptions for touchdowns.
MSU coach Dan Mullen, former offensive coordinator for the Gators, said while his defense gave up more yards than he would like, it stepped up its play in the red zone to keep the game close.
“We tried to mix up our pressure to keep them off-balance, and we gave up yards in between the 20s,” Mullen said. “When we got down there, our guys really buckled in, and that is where they made the plays. That’s what you have to do to win big-time football games.”
The Bulldogs scored the first points of the game on a 43-yard Derek DePasquale field goal with 9:05 left in the first quarter. MSU maintained the three point lead over the defending National Champions for just under six minutes when Florida kicker Caleb Sturgis kicked a 21-yard field goal to tie things up. The Gators scored two more times in the second quarter, once on a 26-yard run by Tebow and on another field goal from Sturgis, to make the score 13-3.
It looked like the Dawgs were in danger of giving up another touchdown late in the half, as the Gators were deep in Mississippi State territory, when Banks intercepted his first pass and weaved his way 100 yards down the field for a touchdown. MSU came back out in the second half and tied the game at 13 on the second of DePasquale’s two field goals, a 31 yarder, but then gave up three consecutive touchdowns to the Gators, putting themselves in a 29-13 hole. With 3:51 left in the game, Banks recorded his second interception for a touchdown when Tebow passed out of his own end zone. The Bulldogs failed to convert the ensuing two-point conversion, leaving the game at its final score of 29-19.
The lack of offense proved to be the toughest hurdle for the Bulldogs, as the unit failed to score a touchdown and produced only 237 yards of total offense – its worst output this season. Senior running back Anthony Dixon, who rushed for a season-low 53 yards, said the speed of the Florida defense prevented the Bulldogs from moving down the field.
“They had a real fast defense,” Dixon said, “I felt like they were up for this game and were not taking us lightly. They deserve all the rankings they have so far this season.”
The MSU defense gave up 249 yards rushing on 47 carries but never gave up a play of more than 26 yards. None of Florida’s top four rushers, including Tebow, were able to eclipse the 100-yard mark. The defense held Florida’s all-everything quarterback to only 12-of-22 passing for 127 yards and zero touchdowns and sacked him three times. It was the first time in his storied career Tebow had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the same game. Banks said picking off the Heisman winner is not something he takes lightly, and he is proud of how the defense played against him.
“It’s special to me, to do it against one of the best players to ever play the game,” Banks said. “It hurt, we lost, but again the defense played football. We showed the world what Mississippi State is about.”
It was yet another tough loss to a nationally ranked team marred by turnovers (three interceptions thrown by Tyson Lee), but Mullen said defensive play and crowd support lead him to believe the future is still bright for his Bulldogs.
“I am really proud of our guys the way they fought and battled,” Mullen said. “Our defense gave a heck of an effort against a really talented team. Bulldogs everywhere know this team is going to have a real bright future.”