Mississippi State University football notched its second consecutive victory over a ranked Texas A&M University squad with a 42-24 victory on Saturday night. 
Junior quarterback Will Rogers went 31-of-45 for 329 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore wideout Rara Thomas led the team with 134 receiving yards and one touchdown on five receptions, while Caleb Ducking and Rufus Harvey tacked on, receiving scores of their own. Junior running back Dillon Johnson also added a touchdown on the ground. 
Despite the rowdy atmosphere, both teams had sluggish starts to the game that lasted well into the second quarter. The Bulldogs struck first thanks to a key fumble recovery from defensive back Decamerion Richardson. 
The swift change in momentum helped MSU travel 94 yards downfield, with the final play coming on a five-yard touchdown pass from Rogers to Ducking with a little more than six minutes remaining until halftime. The signal-caller tacked on another quick score as the clock read 0:58 — this time, he found Harvey for four yards. 
In the second half, Texas A&M received the ball and tacked on its first points of the game on a field goal that came after a failed fourth-down conversion was nulled due to a targeting penalty on linebacker Nathaniel Watson. 
Things continued to unravel for the Bulldogs from there. A fumble on MSU’s ensuing drive was recovered by the Aggies deep in MSU territory. The Bulldogs managed to hold TAMU to a field goal try once again, and that’s where the most magical play of the night occurred. 
As Aggie’s kicker Randy Bond attempted to send the ball through the uprights, MSU cornerback Emmanuel Forbes jumped into the air and blocked the ball. The loose, but live, pigskin bounced upfield and was picked up by Richardson, who began sprinting towards the team’s end zone. His 50-yard scoop-and-score sent fans into a frenzy, but it also highlighted Forbes’ ability to rush downfield after the huge play and block for his teammate.
 In the team’s postgame press conference, Forbes explained why helping Richardson score ultimately meant so much to him. 
“I’d seen DeCam (Richardson) pick it up, and I just wanted to go have fun with him in the end zone,” Forbes said. “I’ll do anything to help my brother out.” 
The touchdown was enough to ease some of the pressure, and it came at the right time. Texas A&M came roaring back after the monumental mistake on special teams and drove down the field with ease. Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson found Moose Muhammad III for the team’s first touchdown of the night, and the lead was, once again, narrowed to 11 points. 
After a few tense minutes as the third quarter faded into the fourth quarter, MSU knocked the game out of reach. Johnson recorded the Bulldogs’ only rushing touchdown of the night with a one-yard score and pushed the lead to 28-10. Backup Aggies’ quarterback Haynes King notched a four-yard rushing score of his own in retaliation.
Two final scores sucked the life out of Texas A&M completely. Rogers connected with sophomore standout Thomas down the sideline for a 75-yard touchdown reception, then Forbes intercepted King and returned the ball for 33-yards on the pick-six. The Aggies added one more score on a one-yard scramble by RJ Johnson, but MSU held on for the huge 42-24 win. 
After the contest, head coach Mike Leach said his team truly got better as the game continued and adjusted well to Texas A&M’s defense. 
“I thought that we played early on, we played a little too close to the vest,” Leach said. “I thought as we opened up, we had more success, and they had, you know, more stuff to cover.” 
The MSU Bulldogs will take on the University of Arkansas Razorbacks next weekend for their Homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. in Davis Wade Stadium.