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Rapid reaction: Mississippi State survives early scare, blows past UAB 47-34
By Ethan Levine
Published:
It wasn’t easy, but the Mississippi State Bulldogs survived a test from the UAB Blazers on their home field Saturday afternoon, cementing a 47-34 win to begin the 2014 season 2-0. Dak Prescott completed less than half his passes (12-of-25) for the game, and UAB had three touchdowns of at least 75 yards in a losing effort.
Let’s take a deeper look into Saturday’s contest:
What it means: Despite recording a 13-point win, this game means more negatives than positives for Mississippi State. It means the MSU secondary is not as talented as we thought. The Bulldogs allowed UAB to capitalize on three long pass plays, all of which featured a Blazers’ wideout running right past the secondary to daylight. Without those three plays, Mississippi State wins in a blowout. The Bulldogs’ defensive backs must come to play the rest of the season, or they could undo any progress expected out of this MSU team in 2014. It also means Mississippi State is wore-off rotating Prescott and Damian Williams at quarterback. Mullen has a history of rotating signal callers early in the season against non-conference opponents, but Williams failed to lead a single scoring drive against UAB. In fact, the rotation kept Prescott from finding any rhythm in the first quarter, but as soon as Mullen went to his junior quarterback exclusively, Prescott led two second quarter touchdown drives and three third quarter scoring drives to ultimately put the game out of reach.
What I liked: The Mississippi State rushing attack. The Bulldogs ran the ball early and often against against the Blazers, amassing 292 yards on 57 total carries. Starting tailback Josh Robinson did a little bit of everything, carrying the ball 20 times for 124 yards and a touchdown, and Prescott was more involved in the run game as well, racking up 111 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Four other players had multiple rushing attempts for MSU as it stuck to its strengths in what turned out to be a close ballgame.
Who’s the man: Defensive end Preston Smith. The senior was named the SEC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week last week, and he may have played even better this week. He made a spectacular one-handed interception 20 yards down the field and returned the pick to the house for a Bulldogs’ touchdown. It was his second interception in two games in 2014, and his first touchdown of the season. Smith also helped anchor a MSU defensive line that allowed UAB to rush for 113 yards on the ground (the Blazers rushed for 338 yards a week ago).
Key Play: Prescott and the Mississippi State offense wasted no time getting on the scoreboard Saturday against UAB. The junior quarterback got the Blazers’ defense to bite on a beautiful play-action fake, then threw a dime down the field to Robert Johnson who ran the rest of the way for a 68-yard touchdown. The score instilled confidence in the Mississippi State offense, helping it score 47 points in the game’s first three quarters. It also opened up more than a few gaping holes in the run game as UAB defenders vowed not to be burnt on another play-action fake.
What’s next: Mississippi State will prepare for a showdown with South Alabama next weekend, and the game couldn’t have come at a better time. The Bulldogs did not look as sharp as they’ll need to when they reach the thick of their SEC West schedule, and a game against the Jaguars could be the perfect opportunity to address some issues on both sides of the ball, as well as in the kicking game. It will also be Mississippi State’s first road game of the year, reacclimating a veteran team with playing outside of Davis Wade Stadium.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
