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Well, that wasn’t supposed to happen. Even without Dak Prescott, most Mississippi State fans would have bet on their team with Murrah High sophomore Malik Dear running the show against 30-point dog and football toddler South Alabama.
Not that anyone except Ole Miss fans want to read it, but here is some analysis from South Alabama’s memorable 21-20 win. The Jaguars’ win on Saturday in Starkville was their first ever over an SEC team.
5 TAKEAWAYS
- You owe no one an apology Westin Graves: Mississippi State’s kicker issued a Twitter apology after clanking a chip shot off the upright in the final seconds. Westin, you feel bad and that’s respectable. But you had zilch to do with the offense shutting down in the second half and nothing to do with the defense getting torched through the air. In fact, you scored the only points of the second half for your team.
- Malik Dear would have made a difference: The sophomore receiver is expected to have a breakout season. He may actually be the one owing an apology after being suspended for the opener for violation of team rules. No one predicted a 3-point second half, but in the first game post-Dak, all hands were needed on deck.
- Something to look forward to: Dear wasn’t the lone one MIA. Five-star DE Jeffery Simmons was suspended, too. His case has been well-documented, and it’s a safe bet he is ready to put it behind him and make headlines for the right reasons. South Carolina’s visit next week is vital now in bowl searching. It may take a day or two to get off the mat, but that game now needs to be the focus of disappointed fans who can also afford to be anxious to see the super-talented Simmons’ debut.
- Where on Earth was the run game?: Dak wasn’t there, but in his spirit, quarterback Damian Williams led the team in rushing with 93 yards on 12 carries. Aeris Williams, in most eyes, is the leader in the backfield, but he had 2 carries for 12 yards. The team rushed for 239 yards on 34 carries, 46 of that on one carry from receiver Fred Ross. Actual backs Williams, Ashton Shumpert and Brandon Holloway had 16 carries for 74 yards against a Sun Belt defense.
- Gonna be tough to get to six: Wins that is. Mississippi State has been to six straight bowls. It’s early, but realistically speaking, the Bulldogs will be favored in five more games, UMass and Samford being two of those. Luckily, the East sends over South Carolina and Kentucky, not Florida and Tennessee. Still, to get to a bowl, it is going to require pulling off an SEC upset or winning at BYU and not slipping again. Margin for error is gone.
REPORT CARD
Offense: C – Things were looking good when Williams replaced starter Nick Fitzgerald. Pace quickened, and the Bulldogs scored three straight possessions for a 17-0 lead. Second half, not so much. They moved the ball for 382 yards but were 2-of-9 on third downs and managed only 3 points after halftime.
Defense: B – It wasn’t terrible, but it was closer to a C than an A. South Alabama netted only 94 rushing yards but threw for 285 and averaged nearly 12 yards per completion. Against a first-time starter in Dallas Davis, Mississippi State had only three pass breakups.
Special teams: B – Not much to talk about. Obviously, Graves missed a 28-yarder that would have won the game and also missed another 46-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter. He also made from 37 and 48. Logan Cooke put three punts inside the 20, had a 44.3-yard average and a long of 57.
Coaching: C – Obviously, Williams was good early on. But Fitzgerald should have gotten more than two series, especially when things started going sour offensively. Fitz’s only other snap was to down the ball to take it to the half. Coaches said all offseason that the quarterback competition is wide open. A handful of good drives for Williams wasn’t enough to close it in an opener.
Overall: F – There is no logical explanation for losing to South Alabama if you are an SEC team at home. It’s that simple. The bottom of the SEC should win those. To make it worse, State had it won and choked it away.
GAME PLAN
Mississippi State looked to be wearing USA down with a rapid offensive pace under Williams. The defense was allowing next to nothing on the ground. But USA found room through the air and exploited the secondary. When the MSU offense withered, its pass defense wasn’t good enough to hold on to the lead.
GAME BALLS
WR Fred Ross: Ross caught 6 passes for 34 yards but was only targeted seven times. Ross is one of the best receivers in the SEC and has to get more targets. Williams completed his first five passes. Not one went to Ross.
LB Leo Lewis: The redshirt freshman had a team-high 9 tackles, 2 for a loss.
DL A.J. Jefferson: The senior established himself early and had 7 tackles, 4 for a loss to go with 2 sacks. That is a torrid pace to start the season.
