Saturday’s game against the Minutemen turned into quite a battle for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State looked like it would roll to a big win early on. The Bulldogs scored early with their defense thanks to a pick six by J.T. Gray.

Unfortunately, the rest of the first half was dominated by UMass. The Minutemen intercepted Bulldogs QB Nick Fitzgerald twice in the first half and returned one for a touchdown. UMass outscored MSU 17-3 in the second quarter and took a 20-13 lead into halftime after coming into the game as a big underdog.

The Bulldogs came out of halftime and responded quickly with a game-tying touchdown on their first drive of the second half. It was another rushing touchdown for Fitzgerald who also passed Johnny Manziel for fifth place on the all-time list for rushing yards by an SEC QB during the game.

The Bulldogs regained the lead with 14-unanswered points in the third quarter, but they could not put the Minutemen away. It looked like MSU had taken control of the game and was driving in the fourth quarter before UMass forced another turnover. Bulldogs WR Reginald Todd threw an interception on a trick play that gave the Minutemen a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter.

UMass would go down and kick a short field goal to make the score 27-23 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game. The Minutemen came into the game with a 2-6 record but gave the Bulldogs all they could handle on the afternoon.

The Bulldogs defense did step up at crucial moments late in the game, but this is not the sort of game they were hoping for before welcoming No. 2 Alabama to town. MSU allowed 350 total yards with an average of 14.9 yards per completion. The Minutemen added two plays over 60 yards in the game.

UMass QB Ross Comis and RB Marquis Young were the stars for the Minutemen. Comis finished the game with 223 yards passing, a touchdown, and an interception in a gritty performance. Young added 91 yards on 11 carries and was effective all afternoon long.

Fitzgerald truly was the bright spot in an otherwise off day for the Bulldogs. He did finish the game with two interceptions, but his game-high 135 rushing yards helped the Bulldogs regain the lead in the second half.

In the end, Mississippi State was able to open up an 11-point lead with five minutes to go thanks to a huge punt return by WR Deddrick Thomas. Thomas fielded a punt and went 83 yards for the highlight-reel touchdown. He finished the afternoon with four punt returns for 104 total yards and the touchdown.

It was a closer score than the Bulldogs wanted, but they came away with a victory. They will now move on and prepare for next week’s matchup against No. 2 Alabama.