Memphis scores on wild 94-yard punt return after Mississippi State failed to down the ball
By Keith Farner
Published:
In a wild turn of events, Mississippi State gave up a huge special teams blunder when Memphis scored on a 94-yard punt return in the fourth quarter by Calvin Austin III, his third touchdown of the second half.
It appeared that 2 Mississippi State players downed the ball inside the 10-yard line, and a nearby official tossed a bean bag to signal that the ball was down. However, Austin scooped it up, and weaved down the sideline to score and give the Tigers a huge momentum swing, 21 unanswered points. It appeared that the Bulldogs may have illegally touched the ball on the play.
That lifted Memphis to a 28-17 lead in the game with 5:36 left in the fourth quarter, its largest lead in the game. State later answered with a touchdown of its own with 3:03 left to cut the deficit to 5.
Calvin Austin is having himself a year! #Devy pic.twitter.com/vLm7k8xW2h
— Greg Brandt (@devywarehouse) September 18, 2021
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
