The Mississippi State Bulldogs gave it their all to snag a dramatic 31-24 overtime victory over the University of Arizona Saturday night in Davis Wade Stadium.
Resilience. That is the word that Mississippi State University head coach Zach Arnett used to describe the Bulldogs after their overtime win against the Arizona Wildcats. In a game that was far from perfect for MSU, the Bulldogs overcame adversity to grab their second win of the season.
“We’ve got some really resilient football players and I could not be prouder of the way they continued to fight all the way until the end,” Arnett said. “That’s what made the difference in the game, players making plays.”
The game started with a long drive from MSU that looked like it was going to end in points. On a fourth down at the Arizona goal line, Coach Arnett opted for the Bulldogs to go for it. The MSU offense fumbled the ball before reaching the end zone, giving possession to Arizona. This was an unfortunate ending to an otherwise promising first drive.
When the Arizona offense took the field, a nightmare awaited them. The Wildcats’ first three possessions ended in interceptions.
The Bulldogs snagged their first pick on the fourth Wildcats play from scrimmage. On a second and five for the Wildcats at the MSU 46, MSU safety Marcus Banks broke up a pass intended for Arizona receiver Tanner McLachlan. The ball was deflected into the hands of Bulldog linebacker Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson. The Bulldogs cashed in on the turnover via a 23-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Will Rogers to receiver Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin.
Arizona’s second possession of the night also ended in an interception by Jett Johnson at the Arizona 36-yard line. The Bulldogs took advantage of this opportunity as well. MSU running back Jo’quavious “Woody” Marks ran into the endzone from a yard out to make it 14-0 MSU with 3:27 to play in the first quarter.
MSU got their third consecutive pick of the game when MSU cornerback Esaias Furdge deflected a pass into the hands of safety Shawn Preston Jr. This time, however, the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize off of the Arizona turnover.
In the second quarter, MSU’s momentum slowed significantly as Arizona held the Bulldogs scoreless while scoring a touchdown with two seconds remaining in the half. At halftime, the score was 14-7 in favor of Mississippi State.
At the start of the third quarter, it looked as if the Bulldogs had found that same efficiency they had to begin the game. MSU held the Wildcats to a three and out on their first possession. The Bulldogs were able to score the first points of the second half when Tulu Griffin secured his second touchdown catch of the game on a 15-yard pass from Will Rogers.
The Wildcats answered with a touchdown pass of their own, tightening the score to 21-14. Neither Arizona nor MSU scored for the remainder of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats tied the game 21 all with less than 10 minutes to play. The Bulldogs answered with a field goal from Kyle Ferrie, who had to bounce back after missing a kick earlier in the game.
After trading scoreless possessions with the Bulldogs, Arizona got the ball on their own 24-yard line with 2:36 to play in the contest. Arizona quarterback Jayden De Laura threw a deep pass, getting Arizona deep into MSU territory. After the completion, the MSU defense stiffened, forcing a fourth and two for the Wildcats at the MSU 19-yard line. Instead of going for it, Arizona took the points to tie it at 24 and sent the game into overtime.
In overtime, Arizona won the toss electing to defer. The Bulldogs wisely chose to play overtime at the end zone closest to the student section. The stadium roared with the ringing of cowbells as the overtime period began.
MSU found the end zone on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Will Rogers to Jeffery Pittman, who looked as if he would be tackled well short of the end zone before bouncing off the Arizona defender and going in for the score.
Following Pittman’s score, the Bulldogs forced a fourth and ten for Arizona. On the final play of the game, the Wildcats’ quarterback evaded the Mississippi State pass rush and sprinted towards the first-down marker only to be tackled just short of the line by MSU’s DeShawn Page and Marcus Banks. After a long booth review, the call on the field was confirmed, sealing the Bulldog victory.
After the win, Coach Arnett took ownership of the Bulldogs’ struggles saying that the issues were more on the game plan than on the players’ performance. Rather than focusing on the Bulldogs’ miscues, Coach Arnett praised his team for their perseverance.
“They earned it,” Arnett said. “Like I said, players win games. So, I’m incredibly proud of the resiliency of this football team.”
MSU running back Woody Marks delivered another strong performance for the Bulldogs’ ground attack. The powerful running back racked up 123 yards in the win, keeping his legs churning for yards after contact.
Will Rogers said that running hard is something that defines Marks.
“That’s what Woody does,” Rogers said. “You know he’s gonna hit it in there and he’s gonna stick his nose in there and get every single yard he can every single time he touches the ball.”
The Mississippi State defense spent a lot of time out on the field Saturday night, and not every defensive play went the way the Bulldogs wanted. The Bulldog defense found a way to bounce back, making key plays at the right time.
State linebacker Jett Johnson said that the defense had to leave the past behind and keep moving forward.
“You know ‘play the next play’ is what Coach Leach always said, you know, have a short memory, and I think we did a good job of that tonight,” Johnson said.
The Bulldogs will have to continue moving forward as they prepare for their upcoming matchup this Saturday at 11 a.m. against the No. 14 ranked Louisiana State University Tigers.
The game will be televised on ESPN, and SEC Nation announced it will be in Starkville bright and early for the big game.

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Brooks Surber • The Reflector

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