Mississippi State University football suffered a dismal 41-17 defeat at the hands of Toledo Saturday night in Davis Wade Stadium as mistakes and missed opportunities doomed the Bulldogs from the start.
Despite some flashes of promise, Mississippi State could not overcome its own errors, and the Rockets capitalized on nearly every opportunity.
Toledo took command early, scoring on four of their five first-half possessions. Tucker Gleason, who came into the game with just a 49% completion rate, looked like a star against the Bulldogs’ defense, completing 23 of 28 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. The Rockets raced out to a 28-3 halftime lead, exposing Mississippi State’s defensive vulnerabilities with ease.
Mississippi State’s offense struggled to gain traction, only managing three points in the first half. Senior quarterback Blake Shapen connected on 28-of-39 passes for 319 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, but penalties and turnovers plagued the Bulldogs throughout the night. A fumble and an interception stalled key drives, while eight penalties for 84 yards added to their woes. The Bulldogs managed just 66 rushing yards, with junior running back Johnnie Daniels leading with 59 yards on 10 carries.
The second half saw a brief spark from Mississippi State as they found a touch of offensive rhythm, but the damage had already been done. Junior wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. led the receivers with seven catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Still, the bulk of the Bulldogs’ offensive production came too late to make a difference. Toledo continued to pile on, adding a touchdown and controlling the clock in the second half.
As the Bulldogs had no choice but to accept their second defeat of the season, head coach Jeff Lebby said that he plans to fix the problems shown in Saturday’s game.
“We’re gonna get it fixed. That’s gonna happen,” Lebby said. ” If our guys stay together and believe in each other and understand that what we have is today, fix it tomorrow, and go have a great week before we start SEC play.”
Toledo finished with 454 total yards, out-gaining the Bulldogs and taking full advantage of Mississippi State’s missteps. The Rockets’ Jerjuan Newton caught five passes for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Gleason added 40 yards on the ground.
Mississippi State will need to regroup quickly as they enter a brutal SEC stretch which includes road games against Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Ole Miss. Only time will tell if Mississippi State can fix these mistakes.
The Bulldogs kick off SEC play at home next Saturday at 11 a.m. as they look to bounce back from this tough non-conference loss.
