Quick Recap: Mississippi State handles Southern Miss before Egg Bowl
The Mississippi State Bulldogs and interim head coach Greg Knox notched their fifth win of the season against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Saturday 41-20 on the back of a few explosive plays by veteran Bulldogs.
Starting quarterback Will Rogers and bell-cow running back Jo’Quavious Marks made their return in the game and gave State some much needed stability during a time where stability is paramount. Rogers finished 12 of 27 passing with 144 yards and two scores while Marks ended with 34 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Mississippi State found the end zone just once in the first half on a screen pass to Lideatrick (Tulu) Griffin, who finished the day with 32 yards through the air, 6 on the ground and the lone touchdown reception.
Southern found some early success in the second half through a potent downfield passing attack and on the back of Frank Gore Jr. Southern scored a touchdown off a short pass to Gore in the first quarter, but went the rest of the first half without finding the promised land.
The second half was highlighted by two Jekyll and Hyde offenses, but it was the explosive plays made by Jett Johnson and Jeffery Pittman that sealed the deal for Mississippi State.
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Johnson made an interception before lateraling the ball to safety Marcus Banks for a touchdown, and Jeffery Pittman broke off a 59 yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the Golden Eagles to bed.
Mississippi State linebacker Bookie Watson finished with 21 tackles on the day and cemented his place atop the SEC sack charts with a menacing strip sack that resulted in a first half momentum shift for Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs will take a very short break before facing off against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m.
