Coming into Saturday’s game in Columbia, S.C., Mississippi State was 8-25 since 1994 when recording fewer turnovers than their opponents. During that same span, the Bulldogs are 12-43-1 when being outrushed. In a 34-10 Gamecock victory Saturday, South Carolina (4-2, 2-1) pounded out 230 rush yards, while MSU (1-4, 0-3) posted just 69. The Bulldogs also turned the ball over four times, with three interceptions and one fumble, while USC threw one interception and fumbled once for its only two turnovers.
South Carolina quarterback Corey Jenkins led both teams in rushing with 52 yards while throwing for 103. Jenkins also scored a touchdown on the ground and through the air. Andrew Pinnock rushed for 47 yards and one touchdown for the Gamecocks as well.
“They did not really do anything today that surprised us,” MSU linebacker coach Jim Tompkins said in a post-game radio interview. “We knew what kind of player Jenkins was from last year and watching film. And Pinnock is just a load to bring down.
“We did a poor job of tackling today. That is one thing that we are really disappointed about. They ran through too many (tackles) today.”
The Bulldogs were once again led on the ground by senior fullback Justin Griffith. Griffith rushed for 30 yards on seven carries. Fred Reid added 16 yards on five carries and scored the lone MSU touchdown.
Kevin Fant threw for 194 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Senior receiver Terrell Grindle led the Bulldog receiving corps with five catches totaling 105 yards, including a 54-yard catch that set-up the only Bulldog touchdown of the afternoon.
Defensively for the Bulldogs, Mario Haggan led in tackles with 13 and one tackle for loss, while Michael Gholar and Kamau Jackson each totaled nine tackles. Richard Ball posted the first interception of his Bulldog career and chipped in three tackles.
Some bright notes for the Bulldogs included, Ball pulling down the first Bulldog interception of the season in the fourth quarter. Also, Grindle moved into eighth place on the career receiving yards list with 1,437 yards and sixth place on the career receptions list with 101. This also marked Grindle’s 19th consecutive game with a reception.
The Bulldogs will look to regroup before taking on Troy State in this Saturday’s Homecoming game.