Inside the numbers: Mississippi State-Missouri first half stats
Mississippi State and No. 23 Missouri have reached halftime at Davis Wade Stadium and the visiting Tigers lead 28-13.
Mississippi State jumped on the board first as the Bulldogs used strong running by Davon Booth to move deep into Missouri territory. However, the Bulldogs had to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Kyle Ferrie for a 3-0 lead with 11:42 remaining in the first period.
Missouri’s offense struggled on its first two possession but it was the Tigers’ defense that found the end zone first. Kristian Williams forced a Michael Van Buren fumble and Daylan Carnell returned it 68 yards for a touchdown, giving the Tigers a 7-3 advantage with 6:33 left in the opening quarter.
The Tigers got rolling on offense on their next series thanks to a 45 yard reception by Marquis Johnson. Marcus Carroll capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown run and the Tigers led 14-3 with 2:49 left in the first.
State found the end zone on its ensuing drive, which was aided by a pair of personal fouls on Missouri. Van Buren hit Jordan Mosley from 12 yards out for the score and State cut the deficit to 14-10 with 20 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers quickly responded, however, and pushed their lead to 21-10 following an 11-play, 79-yard drive. Quarterback Brady Cook connected with Luther Burden for a 28-yard scoring toss with 9:58 remaining in the half.
Missouri continued to roll, offensively, after another three-and-out by State’s offense. Carroll found the end zone from 19 yards out for his second rushing touchdown of the half and the Tigers built a commanding 28-10 advantage with 4:32 left in the half.
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Mississippi State did manage another short field goal by Ferrie with 30 seconds left in the half but the Bulldogs trailed 28-13 at halftime.
Missouri had 244 yards of offense in the first half with 141 coming through the air. The Tigers had three penalties for 40 yards and were 5 of 7 on third downs. Missouri also held the ball for 15:37 of the opening half.
Mississippi State had 206 yards of offense in the opening half and had 128 through the air. The Bulldogs had four penalties for 34 yards and were 2 of 8 on third down. State was also 1 of 1 on fourth down and held the ball for 14:23 of the first half.
For the Tigers, Cook was 7 of 10 passing for 141 yards with one touchdown. Carroll had five rushes for 32 yards and two touchdowns while Theo Wease had three catches for 59 yards.
For State, Van Buren was 13 of 22 passing for 128 yards with one touchdown. Booth had 10 carries for 59 yards while Kevin Coleman had six catches for 58 yards to pace State receivers.
