Until Saturday afternoon, sophomore running back Anthony Dixon wasn’t having the best week. He lost his starting spot in the Mississippi State backfield for a lack of effort and further put himself in the head football coach’s doghouse for comments he made about the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
But within those few hours, Dixon was able to change his fortune, as he ran for a career-high day and helped lead the Bulldogs to a 30-13 win over the Blazers.
Dixon rushed for 152 yards on 32 carries and three touchdowns in State’s homecoming victory.
With the win, the Bulldogs (4-2, 1-2 SEC) move two wins shy of becoming eligible for a post-season bowl, and it also marks the first time Mississippi State has won four games in a season since 2000.
Head coach Sylvester Croom said that if his team is to reach its goal of earning a bowl bid, it will be on Dixon’s shoulders.
“We can’t play good football without running the football, and Anthony is the key to that,” Croom said. “If he doesn’t play well, we’re going to have a hard time winning.”
That was never more evident than in the first half.
State struggled to get anything going on offense in the early quarters and needed a spark.
Croom switched quarterbacks from true freshman Wesley Carroll to junior quarterback Michael Henig in the hopes that he could rejuvenate the beleaguered Bulldog offense.
Henig, who is still recovering from a broken hand, would not be the answer.
He threw two interceptions, and State found itself trailing 10-3 at the half.
As the Bulldogs made their way back to the locker room, a chorus of boos rained from the stands as fans expressed their disappointment in the first half effort.
State had only 50 yards of total offense in the first half, 19 of which belonged to Dixon.
Addressing his team at the half, Croom said there was no screaming or yelling; he felt he didn’t need to do either.
The fourth year coach said he felt he prepared his team to the best of his ability and that it was up to them to turn the game around.
“I asked them to go out and play above my coaching, and that’s what they did,” Croom said.
The message was understood clearly. On their opening drive of the second half, the Bulldogs set the tone for the rest of the game.
On the drive, State went on a 17-play, 75-yard scoring drive, culminated by a one-yard run by Dixon on fourth-and-goal.
“The drive was the biggest drive of the whole game,” said Carroll, who started the second half. “As soon as we got them on their heels running backwards, we got control of the ballgame.”
Dixon would go on to score two more touchdowns in the second half, one on a 10-yard run, which gave State a 16-13 lead, and the other late in the third quarter.
Cornerback Anthony Johnson added to State’s final score when he returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown.
Dixon admitted he didn’t really believe that his production had slipped, but once he saw himself on film, he quickly realized what his coach was trying to express.
“I had a little bit of motivation this week,” Dixon said. “Once I looked at the tapes I saw I wasn’t running as hard or finishing runs like I usually do. I knew [Christian] Ducré was going to start, but I wasn’t going to sweat it. I was going to go out there and do what he asked me to do, and today he asked me to carry the ball a lot.”
Croom says that what he saw out of Dixon Saturday is the way he expects his running back to play.
“He did an outstanding job today and that’s the way he should always play,” Croom said. “But he can get back in the doghouse just as fast as he got out.”
Carroll, who made his second career start, continues to earn the praise of his coach.
Carroll finished the game 9-of-12 for 93 yards and managed the second half perfectly.
He led the Bulldogs on all three scoring drives, converting critical passes on third down through the half.
Croom said as long as Carroll continues to show such poise, the true freshman will continue to start for the Bulldogs.
“Wes is our quarterback,” Croom said. “He does a great job of managing the offense and getting us in the right plays. Today he came up with some big throws on third down. He’s not turning the ball over and in some kind of way he moves the football.”
State is now halfway through the season, and Croom said the road from here gets a lot harder.
The Bulldogs will face No. 25 Tennessee Saturday at home, before hitting the road for two Saturdays in a row against No. 8 West Virginia and No. 17 Kentucky.