In a game in which everyone expected them to win, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1 SEC) did just that. There were no letdowns or setbacks, just dominance as the Bulldogs rolled to a 31-15 victory over the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.
The victory marks the first time since 2000 that the Bulldogs have notched three consecutive wins.
The magnitude of the win may pale in comparison to last week’s upset at Auburn, but Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom said it was equally important because of the circumstances it presented to his team.
“This is a new situation for us after winning two games in a row and coming off a big emotional victory last week. I was real concerned going into the ball game. It’s human nature not to be at your best,” Croom said.
Croom would have very little to be concerned with once the game started.
The Bulldogs offense shined from the beginning of the game, amassing 379 total yards in the game.
With true freshman Wesley Carroll getting the start, Croom watched his team march 68 yards down the field on its opening drive to score an early touchdown.
Carroll sparked the drive with a 28-yard option keeper, before sophomore running back Anthony Dixon capped off the drive with a nine-yard run to the end zone.
“That drive was probably the the top priority of this game, which was to go out there on the first offensive drive and put a touchdown on the board,” Carroll said.
Dixon went on to finish the game with 86 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns before being pulled early in the third quarter for precautionary measures.
“It was just being cautious on my part,” Croom said. “He had a solid first half but with the lead we were showing, it would make no sense to have a guy like that get hurt on the field.”
Dixon also did well in the receiving game, hauling in three passes for 41 yards.
Backup running back Christian Ducr came in for Dixon in the second half and rushed for 52 total yards.
However, the main question for the Bulldog offense remained, which was who was going to step in for injured quarterback Michael Henig.
While Carroll may have gotten the start, it was junior college transfer Josh Riddell who sparked the Bulldog offense.
Riddell entered the game during the second quarter and led Mississippi State on two consecutive scoring drives, including one right before halftime.
On that drive, Riddell hit Tony Burks on a vertical route in the front of the end zone, giving the Bulldogs a commanding 28-0 lead going into the intermission.
“It felt pretty good to finally be getting to make the big play,” Burks said. “I know that I just have to hang in there and keep supporting the team even when I don’t get the ball. I know those big plays always come if I’m patient.”
The touchdown was the first of Riddell’s MSU career. Riddell finished the game 8-for-11 throwing for 124 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulldogs’ lone score in the second half came from a 33-yard field goal from Adam Carlson. He had missed one earlier as the result of a bad hold.
Both Riddell and Carroll still acknowledge the fact they are competing against one another for the starting position, but Carroll, who finished the game 4-for-8 for 42 yards, said it’s no big deal.
“It’s not a problem at all,” Carroll said. “We both battle everyday and try to earn that spot. It makes us better, and it makes the team better.”
Croom says he feels better this time around as opposed to last season when the Bulldogs had quarterback issues but says there is no clear-cut favorite heading into next week’s game against South Carolina.
“They both did some good things and we’ll go into Thursday and see how it goes from there,” Croom said.
The Bulldog defense pressured and pestered the Gardner-Webb offense all night long.
On its first offensive possession, Gardner-Webb quarterback Devin Campbell, who was later benched, was intercepted by De’Mon Glanton, who returned the ball 60 yards for a touchdown.
Glanton’s return marked the third week in a row a Bulldog player has returned an interception for a touchdown on its opponents’ opening drive.
However, the defense’s biggest play came late in the first quarter on the goal line.
With a chance to get its first score of the night, Gardner-Webb had six opportunities to score from within the two-yard line.
The Bulldog defense held strong, forcing Stan Doolittle’s pass to fall incomplete on fourth down.
Senior linebacker Gabe O’Neal said facing the Gardner-Webb offense will prepare them to face similar offensive patterns later in the season.
“There are many teams starting to run that spread offense,” O’Neal said. “I think it is a good opportunity to face this offense because we will have to face it again later in the season.”
The game was the third consecutive game the Bulldog defense has held an opponent to less than 20 points, and O’Neal said it takes great pride in that.
“We’re trying to establish ourselves as a great defense in this conference,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal led the strong attack by the Bulldog defense, registering 10 tackles on the night.
Senior defensive end Titus Brown recorded two sacks and moved into eighth place on the school’s career sack list.
Going into the Bulldogs’ first 3-1 start during his tenure, Croom said the win will only make him push the team harder going into next week.
“You can coach a lot better when you win than when you lose because your players are not as defensive to criticism after a win,” Croom said. “But we have a method as a coaching staff to be more critical after a win because our guys are going to be more responsive to that criticism and try harder to improve.”
Following a third straight win, Croom said he is looking ahead to next week’s matchup with South Carolina.
“We have a big challenge next week, but we are going to work hard in practice this week in hopes of traveling to South Carolina and pulling off another victory,” he said.