NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Another year, another bowl victory for Mississippi State.
It was not as pretty as last year’s Gator Bowl victory over Michigan, but MSU rallied behind a dominant performance from its defensive line to down Wake Forest 23-17 in the Music City Bowl Friday night.
The victory marks an important step for the program as it has now won back-to-back bowl games, something that has not happened in over a decade.
The Bulldogs had to overcome a slow start that saw fumbles from both running backs Vick Ballard and LaDarius Perkins, but took the lead in the second quarter and never relinquished it. The effort shows the maturity of the team, head coach Dan Mullen said.
“We were at times finding ways to lose the game, but for us it’s a great learning experience,” Mullen said. “Even though we started slow, nobody panicked. Everybody stuck to the gameplan and did their job.”
The turning point came on a blocked field goal by Fletcher Cox, who turned in another dominant performance Friday. The field goal would have put the Demon Deacons ahead 10-7, but instead it resulted in a 10-point turnaround for MSU. After the block quarterback Chris Relf found Arceto Clark for a 31-yard touchdown.
Ballard provided most of the offensive spark for MSU, breaking touchdown runs of 60 and 72 yards. The senior finished with 183 yards rushing and moved into the top five of MSU’s single season rushing list. When asked about the runs, Ballard hardly remembered the details.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember,” Ballard said. “I don’t even remember how I got there, but I know ten other guys had to do their job. I just found the crease and hit it.”
The Bulldog defense was put to the test late in the game as Wake Forest received the ball with MSU up six. However, Demon Deacon quarterback Tanner Price was unable to mount a comeback, turning the ball back over on downs after four plays.
The quarterback was clearly out of sync late in the game, something Cox attributed to a halftime adjustment.
“We came at halftime and the coaches stressed that we were going to have to hit him a little bit, and I think we did a really good job of going after the quarterback,” Cox said.
The game marks the end of many notable players’ MSU careers, sending players like Relf and Ballard out on a high not. Despite the ups and downs of Relf’s career, Mullen said his career will be remembered in a positive light.
“Throughout all that adversity, he never lost sight of what was important, whether that be on the field or off the field,” Mullen said. “I’m really proud of everything he’s accomplished here. His career at Mississippi State has to go down as extremely successful.”
Relf said he will begin training for the NFL with strength coach Matt Balis in Starkville.
For the third season in a row, State will enter the offseason after a victory, something Mullen said is important to his team.
“We don’t play again until Sept. 1,” he said. “That’s a long time from now. It’s great to spend all of that time coming off a win. When you show back up it’s nine months of Coach Balis.”
For senior Charles Mitchell, the high profile victories in recent years are something that will be a major selling point to all of Misssissippi’s potential recruits.
“Winning big games and the Egg Bowl will get those guys convinced this is the place to go in Mississippi,” Mitchell said.
As the confetti lying on LP Field reminds fans, despite the high expectations that were not met, it was another year that ended in a celebration.