With the Egg Bowl merely one week away, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who were in desperate need of a win, shrugged off a slow start and dominated the Arkansas Razorbacks 45-14 Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.
Head coach Dan Mullen said the seniors really stepped up on senior day as they have done all season.
“We had a great win today for our kids,” Mullen said. “We made some big plays, created some turnovers and took advantage of those turnovers. We knew we would have to play hard for all 60 minutes, and we did.”
In a game that saw MSU’s seniors honored prior to kickoff, fans in attendance witnessed the graduating class tie State’s all time mark in wins with 29, a feat that had not been accomplished since 2001.
Along with the feat accomplished by the seniors, MSU’s final home game of the season also provided several broken records at the hands of State’s offense.
Junior quarterback Tyler Russell, who accounted for 273 total yards against the Razorbacks, broke the single season school record for completions with 201 and passing yards with 2,523 while extending his single-season record to 21 passing touchdowns.
“There’s a lot of history at Mississippi State,” Russell said. “For our offense to break records like that, it just lets you know that we are going in the right direction.”
Chad Bumphis, a senior wide receiver who is having a breakout season, broke the single season school record with his 10th touchdown reception and extended his school record to 22 career touchdown receptions. Bumphis finished Saturday’s game with six receptions for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“As seniors, we wanted to go out on a big note,” Bumphis said. “When we force turnovers, we’re very successful. They turned the ball over, and we capitalized on their mistakes.”
The Bulldogs were also able to have success running the ball against Arkansas. After failing to reach the 100-yard mark as a team in the last three games, MSU ran for 203 yards against the Razorbacks.
Junior LaDarius Perkins led the way with 91 yards rushing, and sophomore Nick Griffin added a 60-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Perkins said the slow start did not discourage the team.
“We didn’t start fast like we really wanted to,” Perkins said. “In the first half, we chipped away at them. But in the second half, we turned it up a notch and made a lot of plays.”
On the other side of the ball, MSU’s defense certainly made its fair share of big plays against the Razorbacks. The Bulldogs forced five turnovers and moved their turnover margin to plus 18 when playing at home, a stat in which MSU leads the nation.
Senior linebacker Cameron Lawrence, who had a fumble recovery in the second half, said he was simply in the right place at the right time.
“I think it took us a couple of series to get settled in,” Lawrence said. “Coach Wilson made a big emphasis that we needed to make more plays and create more turnovers. That’s exactly what we did.”
With their eighth win of the 2012 season now under their belt, the Bulldogs (8-3, 4-3) will now prepare for their regular season finale against in-state rival Ole Miss.
The Black Bears, who are 5-6 this season, must win Saturday’s Egg Bowl matchup in order to become bowl eligible. Under first year head coach Hugh Freeze, UM has outperformed the expectations of most national experts.
The Black Bears, while only 2-5 in conference play, have lost three of those games by a combined 10 points.
For MSU, the Bulldogs will look to remain undefeated against Ole Miss under the direction of Mullen.
A winner of three consecutive Egg Bowls, State has outscored the Black Bears 103-53 since Mullen accepted the MSU head coaching position in 2008.
Saturday in Oxford, the Bulldogs will look to secure the Golden Egg for the fourth consecutive season, a feat that has not been accomplished by either team since the 1983-1986 seasons.
“I cannot wait. I absolutely cannot wait,” Mullen said. “It is always the biggest game of the year for us, and we will be ready to go.”