Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State Starts Slow, Ends With Win vs. UMass

The Bulldogs found themselves down 10-0 after the first quarter, but rallied back to send the Minutemen home with a 45-20 loss.

Taylor Hodges

Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) reacts after a touchdown against the Massachusetts Minutemen during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.
Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) reacts after a touchdown against the Massachusetts Minutemen during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. / Matt Bush-Imagn Images
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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State football fans shouldn’t be faulted for thinking their Bulldogs were going to lose after 15 minutes of play against the University of Massachusetts.

The Minutemen took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, their offense gaining more than 100 yards and their defense holding the Bulldogs to negative yards. And they made it look easy. It brought back memories from earlier this season when Toledo came to Davis Wade Stadium and won.

But once the second quarter started, Mississippi State showed it could beat an FBS team, winning 45-20. It’s only the Bulldogs’ second win of the season and could likely be their last. Mississippi State will be the underdog in its final three games against Tennessee, Missouri and Ole Miss.

Saturday’s win against UMass could be the confidence boost Mississippi State needs, though, to pull off an upset.

The Bulldogs’ defense held UMass to less than 300 yards of offense, including just 136 passing yards. Brylan Lanier had an interception that led to Mississippi State taking the lead in the second quarter and Deonte Anderson and Kai McClendon combined for the defense’s first sack in more than a month. (Ty Cooper got a solo sack later in the game, too).

Offensively, the Bulldogs had a balanced attack that took 15 minutes to warm up. Michael Van Buren completed 54 percent of his passes for 216 yards and a touchdown, to go along with his two rushing touchdowns. Johnnie Daniels nearly had 100 rushing yards (92) but did average 15.3 yards per carry and scored a touchdown.

Davon Booth had an additional 76 rushing yards and two big kick returns following UMass’s first two scores that set up the offense in great field position.

Kevin Coleman Jr. continued his stellar season with a team-high five catches for 52 yards. Jordan Mosley had four catches for 107 yards and Seydou Traore had two catches for 26 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown catch.

Next up for the Bulldogs will be a road trip to Knoxville, Tenn. where the No. 7 Volunteers will be waiting. The kickoff time hasn’t been announced, but the game is slated to be played in the night window (5 p.m. – 7 p.m.).

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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